Hi Nancy,
I do agree with Mr. Monroe's concern. It most certainly concerns me that what is being created gives the impression that technical skills required of the CAUT aren't like those of the rest of the membership. Creating tools to improve the skillsets of ALL technicians who feel the need to pursue them is a whole different can of worms. We already offer these tools, we just don't have a piece of paper that distinguishes one set of tools from another. Do we really need such a piece of paper?
In actuality, the main issues that separate CAUTs from any other competent technician can be addressed in a one day (maybe even a half day) seminar, and have little to do with technical skills. Even better, you can probably skim the archives of this list and find much of what you're looking for.
a.. Writing a resume, interviewing and negotiating salary for full time staff CAUT positions
b.. Obtaining and negotiating the contract for contract CAUTs (if that's even necessary - around here, this is a pretty simple step - you're the guy till you screw up really bad, quit or die)
c.. Dealing with faculty and administration - this can probably only be discussed - not taught, and certainly not tested
d.. Prioritizing work and scheduling - this will be completely different for each situation
e.. Record keeping
There may be a few others that don't come to mind at the moment, but skillwise, we're really no different. We do work in homes that the people aren't equipped to appreciate, and we do work in the schools that won't last until tomorrow. You can't develop concert skills if you don't have a performance piano in your clientele that you service on a very regular basis, and in my opinion, you're not going to develop them by attending a few PTG conventions and attending a few classes and taking an exam. The place where you develop high level skills is in your private time with your concert instruments, striving each time to do something better than you did before to bring out that personality you know is in there. Tweak this today, tweak that tomorrow, see what happens if you change this or that ever so slightly. Sure, you can read a few books for basics or attend a few classes, but I've generally found that what I hear in a classroom tends to be a different animal than what I face in my own clientele inventory. And, to be honest, what someone else teaches in a seminar can be something completely inappropriate for your piano. Use the lists to ask for suggestions, but when it comes down to it, when you're all alone with that massive hunk of wool, wood and steel you've become best friends with, you've got to find a way to figure it out for yourself. If you find that the pianists are a tougher critic of your work than you are, you ain't there yet (and you can read their eyes and tone of voice when they're just "being polite"). When others are happy and its still not good enough for you, you're getting there. Over time, you becoming your own toughest critic will produce the best work YOU are capable of and no piece of paper, saying some other technicians endorsed your work give or take 10 points, will mean anything more.
And quite frankly, most colleges looking for a staff technician aren't really looking for that level of skill. Oh, they think they are. But the situations I've seen, the faculty tend not to be as finicky as they'd like everybody to think they are. Most situations will be happy with someone who can do a good job of what is more or less "damage control" for what they're willing to pay someone to do it, because most situations are so grossly understaffed that the tech really just doesn't have time to do all that high level stuff. All that string leveling, hammer mating, nit picky voicing, laboring over backchecks, drop, temperament and unisons to the 0.000001th of a cent can be out the window before anyone who it will matter to has the chance to experience it, and you won't have time to redo it in the 40 minutes you'll get to "touch up" the tuning for their performance. It doesn't matter how good your skills are, the pianos will stay in such bad condition that anything you do to them is an improvement and the faculty, who thought they needed someone with the resume of Franz Mohr (ahem, Associate member), will realize you are superman fighting an entire universe of kryptonite, while over in the Provost's office they're still asking "you mean you need a full time person for THAT?" And so they pay you like you're the garbage collector because 99% of us, as few as we are, are self-employed. So over at HR they don't have enough earnings data to establish a comparable salary range. Not because we don't have a certificate from PTG.
While I agree wholeheartedly that RPT only addresses a pretty basic field of knowledge and skill, it is my opinion that if the membership determines that a higher skill category of membership needs to be created, then it should be a PTG wide endorsement - not something just associated with CAUTs. If we want a concert prep certification, let's create one that is PTG wide. If we want a rebuilding certification, let's create one that is PTG wide. Then, if CAUT wants to include these "block" certifications under a CAUT endorsement umbrella, you've created something that provides tools that are more beneficial to more people.
But I still contend that any piece of paper issued by the PTG which endorses the skills of any technician won't be worth what it weighs outside the organization because there are very highly skilled techs out there who don't belong to our organization and don't jump our hoops, but who perform just as well at this craft as our RPT members do. I also don't really see how it would be possible to create a curriculum and evaluation process that would really be able to quantify acquisition of these kinds of skills in any meaningful way because of how PTG is organized. The PTG is not an accredited institution of learning which all who perform our craft must attend before they can begin earning a living doing it. And we cannot stop anyone from practicing our craft who does not meet our standards. We are essentially a volunteer organization of professional enthusiasts who occasionally meet and discuss different methods of doing the same things. Our credentials only matter amongst ourselves, and even then, amongst only those to whom these things matter. As long as we have Associate members who just don't want to take the RPT exams, but can outperform half the RPTs - and are so respected that they are actually teaching the classes, our degrees just don't mean much, really even among ourselves, now do they? Think about that for a second.
It doesn't mean that we aren't already providing tools for expanded possibilities.
Jeff Tanner
----- Original Message -----
From: Nancy Salmon
To: caut at ptg.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] CAUT Certification: How many with a shop at a Universityor College do Bellywork?
I don't see this as a wedge, but expanded possibilities. I would welcome further training & tips in managing and maintaining a large inventory of pianos, just as I have valued the concert prep classes, and the seminars at belly shops. Technicians as a rule have no rule - there are those that just tune & subcontract all other work, those that have limited workshops, those that do institutional work, and those that do only private work.... The more I know, the better I can diagnose, propose, choose belly shops to use, decide whether I want to do University work. The more I know & can please the consumer, the more work I generate for everyone. And take pride in my own work. Nancy Salmon RPT
Frostburg State University
rural Maryland
On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 11:21 AM, William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net> wrote:
I feel I must put a couple words in here, so that Mr. Sloane's query isn't ignored out of hand.
This question has come up in my chapter as well. We worry a bit about the CAUT cert. being divisive. There is a feeling that it COULD serve to further separate "field" technicians from their CAUT brethren. That division is certainly already there in greater and lesser degrees, depending upon the technicians, and I worry that this may just drive another small wedge between these two groups of techs. I understand that is not the intention, but many times, the impact of something is far greater, or different, than it's intent.
William R. Monroe
On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 7:31 AM, Sloane, Benjamin (sloaneba) <sloaneba at ucmail.uc.edu> wrote:
Greetings, colleagues,
I have a question. How many piano techs. on the CAUT list are doing bellywork in the shop at their school, besides pinblocks and recapping bridges? Are there statistics for this? Should we do a survey?
If we are just contracting off what I believe is part of the second year of training at the North Bennet Street School, is it really fair to promote a certification that potentially could make those who do bellywork look inferior to us? Is that in the best interests of all PTG members? Assuming bellywork is not part of the cirriculum that is planned.
Furthermore, I have been around the block enough for those who have rebuilt enough actions to know, Stanwood provides no panacea. Sometimes an action job just does not turn out well as we expected. For University techs, usually we can find a place for the piano. For people in the field, the pressure is much greater, for in many cases, we have no alternative but to return it to the client as it turned out.
I am concerned that we are going to make those not doing salaried work for a University and College look bad with the CAUT certification. Is this a valid concern?
Respectfully,
Ben
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