School Contracts

[Michael Magness]

On Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 2:31 PM, Matthew Todd <toddpianoworks at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> I will be going to do my first school tuning shortly.  I plan to tune only
> one piano located in the choir room.  But the room also has a separate band
> room and practice room each with a piano, and I am sure there are others.
>
> What kind of a deal can I make with the school about tuning more than one
> piano?
>
>
> Thanks!
> Matthew
>
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>

When I was  getting started almost 4 decades ago I used to discount to
schools but found that it not only wasn't appreciated but whether I
discounted or not the same amount of work was involved.
I had to please several teachers as well as keep the beaters, I mean pianos
functioning. Pencilectomies, removing gum, half eaten candy bars, fruit
peelings, apple cores, paper clips, bobbie pins, assorted and sundry other
items that have no business or reason being in a piano. All of this in
addition to the tremendous swings in humidity, one high school I tune for
was built on land that used to be a swamp, I lower pitch 50 to 70c in the
early fall only to raise pitch by that much when the heat comes on.
Additionally I jack the hammer rail up with strips of self-adhesive name
board felt to match the hammers that are sitting 1/4 inch or off the rail
until the heat comes on, then remove it "fixing" the excess lost motion that
develops "overnight"!
Being careful to check the grands for missing hinge pins EACH time before
lifting the top, I just go to the hinge side and lift. I did find a Steinway
B in a school a few years ago with all of the hinge screws missing when I
did that test, they had fallen out and were laying on the sound board in the
piano. It was a little dry in there! <grin>
My deal with all of the schools I tune for is standard tuning rate and one
hour labor rate, at my discretion, per piano. I will not waste my time
wandering around a school to find someone to approve a 1/2 hour or hours
worth of repairs or adjustments, especially since by the time I get started
they've all gone home!! On occasion I will use 2 hours on one piano and none
on another, it is discretionary, after all.

If someone can explain to me why I shouldn't be charging double my normal
rate instead of my regular rate never mind discounting, please feel free!

Hope this helps you decide what you should do. <g>

Mike
-- 
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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