Southern Cal Exam Board (long)

[Stephen F Schell]

Dear Ron, Horace, and List,


                                                                Thank you
so much for your kind comments about the Southern California Area
Examining Board (makes for a nice name but a bad acronym). We have been at it for nine years now, and with the same core members. It goes to show
how much loyalty and servitude can be obtained by the bestowing of official sounding titles....

                                                The real credit for any
success which has been enjoyed by the SCAEB really belongs to Jim
Bryant. Ten years ago, when he was the WRVP, he invented the idea
of the regional test center. He had the vision to seek to pool the
resources of geographically close chapters to give exams. Each Chapter
President in southern California received a letter requesting that one
chapter member be nominated to the new test center, and the rest is
history. A similar test center, with similar results, also was developed
by Jim in northern California. Thanks, Jim, for your wisdom and courage
to promote what has proven to be a worthwhile concept.


                                              Steve Schell

                                          stfrsc@juno.com





On Fri, 10 Jan 1997 23:31:05 -0800 (PST) ron_and_lorene@juno.com (Ronald
R Shiflet) writes:
>	I too would like to add that the Southern Cal Exam Board is
>staffed by wonderful people who go the extra mile.  I had the most
>wonderful experience with them that I'd like to share.
>	I spent the day before with Jim Coleman Sr. getting the
>butterflies out of my lever, then he tuned my fork and bought me
>lunch.  It was 112 in Phoenix.  We were fixing to tune up a Kawai
>Rosewood but I was struggling getting it to hold so Jim offered to do
>the pitch raise.  2 minutes later he walked off saying the pins were
>too loose.  I learned then that my tolerances (and pins) needed to be
>tighter.  Thanks again, Jim
>	I flew to Long Beach and walked 2 blocks to Steve Schells
>house.  He was gone so I let myself in.  He had a Steinway grand and a
>Wurlitzer spinet in his living room.  I played the Wurlitzer.  That
>was the most wonderful Wurlitzer I have ever played.  Tuned, voiced
>and regulated.  I was so excited I jumped on the Steinway and my
>fingers went to flying, then my nerves did also, it didn't have any
>dampers !!!  I didn't think I would ever get it stop ringing.
>	A little while later Doug Herschberger came by and later on we
>all went out to a wonderful Mexican restaurant.  Steve got up at 4 am
>and went and tuned the Crystal Cathedral while I snored on his couch.
>Later he came and woke me up and away we went to take the tuning exam.
>	At the University, I met Kathy Smith and Teri Meredyth.
>Before the tuning, as they were walking out, Teri cautioned me that
>the last thing to do would be to make absolutely sure a was on 440
>since the tolerances were so tight and that it was better to pass A at
>440 and lose it in the temperament and midrange areas than to keep a
>nice smooth midrange and blow it on A 440.  Right.
>	So away I went.  It was about 70 degrees inside and I was
>having a day when everything was going great.  I tuned and the piano
>was closer than I expected.  I had that piano sounding and progressing
>sweetly.  I had lots of time left over so I left it alone.  Right
>before the end, I checked the A with my fork.  I heard beats but
>figured since my fork was cold that I was ok...wrong move.  I should
>have listened to Teri.
>	They came in and my A was 5 cents flat.  I flunked right off
>with a 60.  In the other 7 sections, my lowest score was a 90.  I went
>out and sat in the office with Jim Coleman Jr. and we solved the
>worlds problems.  Kathy Smith sprang for lunch and we had a great
>time.  Steve Schell must have felt bad for me inside having had such a
>wonderful 2 days together and then having had such a good tuning and
>then having it fail.  He drove me to the airport and I flew home.
>That is the only time in my life I have ever been so happy after
>flunking an exam.  I knew then that I could pass it.  I left with only
>the most wonderful feeling towards both the Colemans and the Southern
>California Exam Board.  3 months later I whipped the test in
>Phoenix...Which is another story...
>	During the tuning I needed to use the restroom so I let myself
>out.  I ended up getting locked out and then lost.  I went banging on
>practice room doors until I found a faculty member who called Rick
>Florence to come and get me.  Then RIck showed me the way back and
>unlocked the door.  I lost 20 minutes but still passed !!!
>
>Well that's enough.  My taking the tuning exam was just a wonderful
>experience both times.  Thanks to all of the wonderful people that
>I've got to meet along the way.
>
>Ron Shiflet, RPT
>Phoenix Chapter
>
>
>
>