Student help

[Joel A. Jones]

>        I'm preparing to ask my administrators for some student help and
>would like to find out what other institutions are using. If we could get
>some good numbers it might do us all some good in acquiring more body's in
>our shops! You can email me directly and I will compile the data and post
>it to the list.
>
>        What is the total student help hours for piano work at your
>institution?

        I have 4 to 6 students helping in the shop.  They each work from 10
to 20 hours per week.  Some are work-study - this is a bargain for they
come from financial aid and you pay only 30% of their wage.  I try to get
music students,but engineers, etc. make good workers.
>
>        How many pianos do you service?

        We have 250 piano in the School.  I also tune some outside work at
the museum, hospital etc..   This funding I use to give myself and students
a few perqs such as transport to PTG seminars.
>        How many technicians?
>
>        Do you contract any tuning work?

        No outside contracting of tuning.  I have a schedule that you can
look at on my web page (made by a engineering student) which gives our
pianos a schedule which I follow throughout the year.  Each summer the
students clean, regulate, and I tune and voice most of the faculty,
rehearsal,  & concert pianos.  Web page address:
http://uwpianos.music.wisc.edu/
>
>        Do you contract any rebuilding work?
        We haven't been doing much rebuilding.  We do hammers, action
parts, maybe bass strings etc.  Some touch-up but no refinishing

Best of luck.  I highly recommend using students.  It's not for everyone
and may not work for every school.  I've been without a second technician
for 15 years, so I had to have extra help.  This is a solution for us.  You
will to become an administrator.  You will become a teacher.   Budgets,
scheduling, meetings, etc. as well as tech work.     I enjoy the break from
constant tuning and repair work, and passing on the skills to our students.
If you have someone you don't understand, they go away in 9 months and
you start over.

         I say" go for it" !
>
>John Minor
>Piano Technician
>University of Illinois
>jminor@uiuc.edu


Joel A. Jones
Univeristy of Wisconsin
Madison, WI