This responsibility should not be passedalong to students under any circumstances. It will not teach themanything about the proper care or treatment of a piano. It is exploitingthe students for an easy solution. Don’t take on thisresponsibility. Ultimately you will be the responsible one. Youmight want to reconsider taking this on. Hi Jeannie, Thank you for your caution and concern. You are absolutely right that I/we are ultimately responsible for situations like this, and even if we aren't we are likely going to be the ones tasked with (cleaning up after the parade." Allow me to clarify something: For the summer high school music camp that takes place here at CalArts, I am always present when a piano is being moved. One has to go a fair distance, and the piano instructor (himself a piano technician!) wants to use the opportunity to teach whatever can be taught to pianists who find themselves pushing pianos around. So far, I don't believe anyone has mentioned the first thing that I tell people who are helping me, which is not to push from the lid, but from the rim (corners of the keyboard end). Am I being unnecessarily careful here? Thanks, Alan Eder -----Original Message----- From: Jeannie Grassi <jcgrassi at earthlink.net> To: caut at ptg.org Sent: Fri, Jul 23, 2010 8:14 am Subject: Re: [CAUT] pushing pianos Hi Alan, I have to agree with David, here. Why is the piano being moved this way? I can also share a similar experience towhat Keith related. The local school decided that it was up tothe custodial crew to be in charge of moving the grand piano from one buildingoutside, through a parking lot and to another building for a performance. The custodians couldn’t be bothered so they told the teacher to bein charge . He recruited some students (high school) to take care of it. To make the story shorter: There was a slight slope,…. there was apothole, ….in a flash there was a stage dolly without a piano and a piano..and there were 3 broken legs and lyre and crushed trapwork in addition tonumerous other problems. One student barely avoided beingcrushed. The parents were livid (as well they should have been). The teacher? Angry with the kids for screwing up and making himlook bad. (He is no longer teaching there.) This responsibility should not be passedalong to students under any circumstances. It will not teach themanything about the proper care or treatment of a piano. It is exploitingthe students for an easy solution. Don’t take on thisresponsibility. Ultimately you will be the responsible one. Youmight want to reconsider taking this on. Jeannie Grassi, RPT Bainbridge Island, WA From:caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Skolnik Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 20106:42 PM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] pushing pianos OK there Alan - You've had some interesting and funny replies, so let me be a bit of a DebbieDowner. WHY? Why are you moving a (grand?) piano a long distance ona dolly? Why are you employing (?) a group of high school students? Do the kids have insurance? Do you, or your institution have insurance?Do their parents know? I like Ron's reply, but it should have looked morelike this: Inadvisable. If there's ANY way not to, don't. If not: Supervise! Someone of legal age needs to be there to fill out the accidentreport paperwork. If there's ANY way not to, don't. Lid down, fall board closed. I know, but it's not necessarily obviousto high school kids, some of whom have likely never thought before. If there's ANY way not to, don't. No more than three touching the piano at any given time. Trade off asthey get tired, with the rest of the crew over there out of the way. Steeringand speed control by mob whim can quickly become the end of piano function aswe know it. Also dangerous for the moving units, whether they understand thator not. If there's ANY way not to, don't. And so on... And, of course, if there is any chance at all of some calamitous mishap, youshould, obviously, have someone filming it. There has to be some good tocome out of all this. David Skolnik Hastings on Hudson, NY At 11:21 AM 7/21/2010, you wrote: In a few days, I will be moving a piano on a stage dolly along distance with a group of high school piano students. We are notturning it on its side on a skid board, but simply pushing it. Whatcollective wisdom should I be to impart to these impressionable youths abouthow the do-s and don't-s of pushing around pianos? Thanks, Alan Eder I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter. 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