[CAUT] U. of Northern Iowa position

[Fred Sturm]

On Aug 12, 2010, at 5:58 PM, Michael Magness wrote:

> I believe the above could easily apply to any thinking person  
> persuing something such as being a Piano Technician. All of the  
> above describes everything we do, I believe you can agree that techs  
> focus on things most other people don't that we "get along" with  
> musicians of all sorts, communicate & understand them. We also  
> "perform" publicly every day in all sorts of venues.
>


	My point was not that a music degree should be an absolute  
requirement. I merely see why it is used as a screening device.  
Certainly there are many people who may have any of the attributes I  
connected with a music degree without actually having the degree. The  
same things could be said about requiring RPT. There are plenty of  
piano technicians without RPT who are eminently qualified. But it  
makes some sense for an institution to require it or give preference  
to it.
	In the case of RPT, having that certification does mean having passed  
tests that ensure a certain degree of knowledge and skill, but I think  
more importantly it identifies people who are serious about their  
profession. They are members of their professional organization, have  
been interested and active enough at least to take the test. They have  
ready access to additional knowledge and training. If they are active  
members, they are likely to be head and shoulders above non-member  
techs, as they will be familiar with a wide range of techniques and  
solutions.
	It is also quite possible that an individual RPT is someone who once  
took the tests and has coasted ever since. So there are no guarantees,  
just as there are no guarantees with a music degree. But given a wide  
open pool of candidates, the degree and the RPT can be helpful in  
identifying the most promising candidates. That said, anyone applying  
for these jobs ought to take the requirements with a grain of salt,  
and put his or her best face forward. If you don't have the degree,  
point out what experiences you have that might be equivalent, for  
instance. Universities usually require a doctorate for all faculty  
positions, but they do hire people without doctorates on occasion,  
based on what the candidate presents them.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu
"I am only interested in music that is better than it can be played."  
Schnabel