[CAUT] pin drop

[Ward & Probst, Inc]

The biggest problem Elizabeth and I have seen, starting relatively young,
was the older techs in our areas that were tuning just for "gas and
groceries" as one told me. I'm 59 and I'm determined that whoever follows me
won't have the same problem. Jimmy Gold taught me to leave a piano better
than I found it so I'm applying that to the trade in my area. 

And yes, I know it appears easier not to raise prices regularly folks but
like a lot of easy fixes, it isn't necessarily the best thing. If you want
to help young folks entering the profession, do your part, price
realistically. Young folks shouldn't have to tune 6 or more pianos a day to
provide for their families.

Off my soapbox for now, 
DP
Dale Probst, RPT
Registered Piano Technician
Midwestern State University

 

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Porritt, David
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 4:24 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] pin drop


Yes, this job is so often a second career.  My degree is in broadcasting and
when I finally decided that was a bad fit I changed.  When I was young (I
can still remember it!) this work didn't seem glamorous enough.  I was after
a job with "T&T" (Tie & a Title).  I fear that young people still perceive
this work in the same way I did.  When I became unhappy with the T&T at age
33 I made the move.

I'd think we really need to do what we can to raise the image of our
profession.

dave


David M. Porritt, RPT
dporritt at smu.edu


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Susan
Kline
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 4:01 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] pin drop

Hi, Dave

It's only confession time for people who feel like it, I'm sure.

Hope you'll enjoy your new-found and well-earned leisure.

I think that one problem faced by the profession over the next decade or two
is the idea that for the full-time positions, people either do the whole
thing, or they do nothing (retire completely.) If we face a shortage of
young people training up and getting the experience they need to handle
concert work, wouldn't it make more sense to split the positions, letting
today's full-time people partially retire but do some concerts, while acting
as coaches to their younger replacements? (if any can be found ...)

I look around and don't see young tuners -- maybe it's just my particular
area? I put some of the blame on the student loans (might better be called
indentured servitude!) which leave bright young people with a brand new
diploma and a six-figure debt. Talk about limiting their options! I suspect
that all the non-traditional interesting artisan-type jobs are suffering
from an absence of the young people who normally would be attracted to them,
but now have to service debt as far as the eye can see.

It was a dirty trick to pull on the young folks, mortgaging their futures
while giving lots of profit and perks to big banks.

On the other hand, a lot of those highly indebted young people now
graduating look around for jobs good enough to service that debt, and come
up empty. I could see a lot of those loans going bad, and after going
through bankruptcy, the young people might then have a chance to explore and
invent unusual occupations, in their own time and their own ways. Maybe some
will be piano techs some day.

Just MHO ...

Susan Kline

>So it's confession time huh?  I'm retiring from a full time position
>at SMU on February 1, 2010.  The job has not been posted yet, but 
>will be soon (it takes a while for HR to jump through the legal 
>hoops they need to jump.)  It is a great position working with some 
>great musicians who are also great human beings.  It's just time to 
>slow it down for me.
>
>dave (70)