somewhat OT- Acquiring Education -- was Re: who pays?

[Paul T Williams]

The day I quit learning stuff is the day I die.

Every meeting I learn something.  Especially from the "old timers".  There 
is no way anyone can learn it all!  How else are we to continue to better 
this profession but to listen, HEAR, and record these bits of info our 
more senior members have to offer. Those that don't are closed minded and 
are unwilling to learn.. pity.....Can't teach an old dogs new tricks so to 
speak.  I have several folders to hold info I come across here and in the 
CAUT list.  They're always good to browse through and remind me of new for 
old info I either didn't know or remind me of "tricks" to fix certain 
problems. And, there's always something new!  If there is a thread on a 
certain topic that I'm not working on at the time, I store it in the 
correct folder for future reference.  It has, as some have said, "saved my 
butt"  in many occassions. I hope, Wim, that you can encourage your 
chapter members to attend meetings.....we have the same problem in 
Nebraska where we have the same 6-8 people come, but there are 20 or so 
members.  Distance is a factor, but, still, I used to commute 2 hours to 
our Seattle meetings, including a ferry boat to attend getting home at 
1am,(or later..the last boat left at 1am) so I have no sympathy for those 
who say, "it's too far"..... Shame on you.  I have a family and "life" 
too...It's only once a month for God's sake....

If you want to be better at what you do, then you darn well better attend 
the meetings, seminars, conventions, etc. to approach betterment.  As it 
has been said, since you can't acheive perfection, you should aim for that 
and will approach excellence.


Best,

Paul T. Williams RPT
Piano Technician
School of Music
5 Westbrook Bldg.
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588-0100
pwilliams4 at unl.edu





"Michael Magness" <IFixPianos at yahoo.com> 
Sent by: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org
07/23/2008 02:41 PM
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Re: somewhat OT- Acquiring Education -- was Re: who pays?








On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 1:06 PM, Willem Blees <wimblees at aol.com> wrote:
Ron

The Hawaii chapter has been meeting every other month since I got here 
last year, (The first time ever that it has ben meeting on a regular 
basis), but there are only 6 of us who attend meetings. I talked with one 
non-member the other day, and he basically stated that at his stage of 
development, (about the same as yours and mine), he really doesn't need to 
come to meetings to learn. I have been thinking of putting together a 
newsletter to send out to all the tuners on the island, (about 20 of 
them), to encourage them to come to meetings. I want to ask permission to 
use what you just said. Maybe it will encourage some of them to realize 
the importance of learning. 

On a similar note, just before he died at the age of 86, I asked my dad if 
he had any regrets. His answer was. "I've got so much more to learn". 

Wim 


-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman at cox.net>
To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 7:00 am
Subject: Re: somewhat OT- Acquiring Education -- was Re: who pays?

> I guess that's the difference when you really LEARN something. You > 
never forget it. 
> > JF 
 
That's why I don't understand the people who don't read the list unless 
they want a specific answer, and don't seem concerned as to why things 
work like they do. There has been a bunch of times something I read here 
saved my butt years after I read it, when I had no earthly use for it at 
the time. People mostly seem to want isolated lick and stick factoids, 
specific to the crisis du jour and expiring on application, rather than 
long term integrated systems of basic principles applicable to almost 
anything. Handing them a "what" may solve their current problem, but if 
they care enough to bother to work out the "why", they can avert a 
thousand future problems and get into trouble at much higher and more 
interesting levels than before. 
 
"What you have been obliged to discover by yourself leaves a path in your 
mind which you can use again when the need arises" 
--- G. C. Lichtenberg --- 
 
"It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have 
not already completely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry" 
--- Albert Einstein --- 
 
Off to turn over a few rocks, 
Ron N 
The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar 
Now! 


Hi Wim,
 
I have a story and a couple of observations that you can add to your 
arsenal. I am fast approaching my 40th year in this profession my 
ex-stepfather, also a tech has been at it for 66 years. I had occasion to 
call him not long ago about a job I was going to be doing and any insights 
he could offer. During the conversation we discussed my having more to 
learn and he assured me that he still was learning and looking forward to 
learning more, the man turned 86 in May.
 
My story is a personal one. About a dozen or so years ago at our 
pre-meeting lunch we were discussing, of all things, pianos!<g>
A young man across the table from related that on his final tuning the 
previous day a key had cracked, at the balance rail window, just as he was 
about to finish his tuning. I said "so you had to glue, put veneer on it 
and clamp it and make an appointment to return"? He said "no, I asked if 
they had any strapping tape, glued it, taped it back together, put it back 
in the piano and used it to finish tuning that note".
I had not been aware until then of the use or value of strapping or UPS 
clear box tape as a clamp. I have used this invaluable tool numerous times 
since, in fact I carry a small roll with me in case it isn't available in 
the home/school/church.
 
My point is had I not gone to the meeting and had lunch with him I 
probably wouldn't be aware of it today!
 
Of course, this is only one of many things that I have picked up at 
meetings, lunches etc. over the years. Similar to Ron I read many of the 
posts on the list acquiring new techniques and knowledge about things that 
I find myself using months or years later.
 
Mike
- 
I feel sorry for the person who can't get genuinely excited about his 
work. Not only will he never be satisfied, but he will never achieve 
anything worthwhile. 
Walter Chrysler 



Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com 
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