[CAUT] CAUT Certification

[Jeff Tanner]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm at unm.edu>
 > We would be happy to incorporate other
> credentials/certifications in these broader skill categories, and only 
> deal with the administrative areas, but no such things exist.
> For example, I think we can all agree that a caut needs to be able to  do 
> satisfactory concert work - tuning on a "concert level" (which, for  me, 
> means rock solid and refined unisons more than anything else),  fine 
> regulation and voicing, along with a broad range of prep work -  and that 
> these are not covered under RPT. So what should we do? Wait  for PTG to 
> develop a certification in these areas? Is that likely to  happen (in our 
> lifetimes)?

Yes.  Your idealism is on the money.  But we must keep in mind that most 
situations are far behind the ideal in terms of funding and staffing.  95% 
of schools would be happy just to have someone who can touch up the tuning 
for concerts.  The REAL problem is that schools could find more competent 
techs if the salary were better FIRST.  As long as techs can make more money 
tuning  Betsy Ross spinets than doing concert work for universities, the 
university ain't going to win that battle.

My argument the whole time has been that we're going about this backward. 
Fix the money problem first.  The talent will come.  Doing it in reverse 
will not solve the problem that exists.  I'm telling you.  If the money is 
better, competition for the positions will become so fierce that the 
applicants will beg for advanced training.  Who in their right mind would 
want to do it the other way around?

Jeff