[CAUT] Workload; was Position announcement

[Peter]

Would therapy help?

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 20, 2010, at 12:15 PM, "McCoy, Alan" <amccoy at ewu.edu> wrote:

> With an extra piano or two to substitute for those taken out of  
> action while being repaired. And dedicated space to do the actual  
> work.
>
> While we’re dreaming......
>
> Alan
>
>
> -- Alan McCoy, RPT
> Eastern Washington University
> amccoy at ewu.edu
>
>
>
> From: tannertuner <tannertuner at bellsouth.net>
> Reply-To: CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org>
> Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:12:35 -0700
> To: CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Workload; was Position announcement
>
> I communicated until I was blue in the face. I wrote letters that  
> were put on file. I talked to the faculty everytime I came in to  
> service their piano. Funny, one day nobody remembered any of that.  
> They just woke up and realized the pianos were going down hill.  
> Pianos that were brand new "yesterday" were all of a sudden in need  
> of transformation. Rooms were overscheduled and no time was  
> available for tuning, much less pulling pianos out for hammer  
> filing, regulation and voicing. Even if you could go from room to  
> room, the body and mind just aren't cut out for that kind of work  
> intensity long term. That's what whoever takes this job is going to  
> get. After the first year, he'll start voicing his concerns to the  
> faculty and they'll look at him like he's just making excuses, he's  
> lucky to be getting paid so much to be able to pursue a hobby all  
> day, and he just needs to start doing his job and shut up.
>
> Problem is, people are accustomed to having their pianos tuned in  
> their homes once or twice a year, or once every 3 to 5 years. They  
> look at 144 pianos in a college and see a part time job at best,  
> especially if the pianos are new. New stuff doesn't need fixing,  
> right? We've even had one RPT comment on this list that he couldn't  
> have imagined a school needing a full time tech for 80 pianos until  
> he took a college job, and then a year in, he saw that there was no  
> way possible for one tech to handle 80.
>
> This situation needs 3 full time technicians. Newton said it.  
> Steinway says it. 40 pianos for one technician. I appreciate what  
> our PTG Guidelines goes into about condition and all, but new or  
> old, 40 pianos in a school is a full time job for any piano  
> technician. PTG needs to get on board with that recommendation.
>
> Jeff
>
> --- On Tue, 7/20/10, Dennis Johnson <johnsond at stolaf.edu> wrote:
>
> From: Dennis Johnson <johnsond at stolaf.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Position announcement, James Madison University
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Date: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 9:32 AM
>
> This is a very possible scenario, but the way around that is  
> communication.  We are looking at expansion ourselves next year  
> which means buying a significant number at once. Some of the piano  
> faculty are already concerned about this exact potential problem of  
> everything wearing out the same time.   Not to take issue, but it's  
> highly recommended that anyone considering this position talk about  
> that in very precise terms.  Something like phasing in at least a  
> part time assistant after 5 years would be perfect.  Of course talk  
> is cheap, but I remember Newton telling us to never tire reminding  
> them of reasonable staffing needs.  There is only so much we can do,  
> but the solution comes from both sides.
>
> Dennis.
> ______________
>
> On Tue, Jul 20, 2010 at 7:50 AM, tannertuner <tannertuner at bellsouth.net 
>  <http://us.mc1806.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=tannertuner@bellsouth.net 
> > > wrote:
> The Steinway verticals aren't the problem. One technician versus all  
> these NEW pianos and what it will look like in 8 to 10 years is.  
> First few years it will look like a cakewalk, until one day you wake  
> up and everything needs new hammers, strings start breaking nothing  
> will stay in tune. The students and faculty will start complaining  
> that the tech used to do a good job but overnight he appears to not  
> be doing his job anymore.
>
> Jeff
>
> --- On Mon, 7/19/10, Ron Nossaman <rnossaman at cox.net <http://us.mc1806.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=rnossaman@cox.net 
> > > wrote:
>
> > From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman at cox.net <http://us.mc1806.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=rnossaman@cox.net 
> > >
> > Subject: Re: [CAUT] Position announcement, James Madison University
> > To: caut at ptg.org <http://us.mc1806.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=caut@ptg.org 
> >
> > Date: Monday, July 19, 2010, 3:30 PM
> > tannertuner wrote:
> > > Wouldn't wish this job on my worst enemy!
> >
> >
> > But a hundred of these pianos are new Steinway verticals.
> > Your worst enemy is the ideal recommendation!
> >
> > Is the previous tech AWOL or just heavily sedated?
> > Ron N
> >
>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100720/0ea204a9/attachment.htm>