Teaching Tuning

[Tom Sivak]

I have a new-found respect for those of you who teach others to tune.  I took on a student, albeit a not-too-serious one, this summer.  I have taught piano for nearly 20 years, I used to teach college level music theory; I thought I could be a good tuner-teacher, too.   Not so.  Knowing what you're doing doesn't necessarily make you able to teach that to others.

My theory, as to why this was so difficult for me, is that I basically taught myself how to do all this stuff.  Sure, I had tutoring sessions with various RPTs here in my area, but for the most part, I read, I watched others critically, I attended all the PTG meetings and Institutes I could, and I bought old junker pianos and regulated, reconditioned, and partially rebuilt them.  

I didn't really do it all by myself, but there was no curriculum I followed, nor any logical course of action other than trying to absorb everything that came my way.

So when it came time to pass this knowledge down, I had no idea how to form basic lesson plans that progressed from one step to another, or create aural tuning exercizes to help this youngster learn how to tune.  

Perhaps a more serious student might have made me feel a little better about the job I did, but I don't blame the student.  I think I'm just no good at it.  I don't foresee taking on any other students in the future.

No response necessary from anyone on this post.  Just wanted to express my gratitude to those who helped me get a start, and my admiration for those of you who have the talent to teach others.

Tom Sivak
Chicago