[pianotech] teaching money,(was Irritated )

[Michael Magness]

On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 9:18 PM, Ed Foote <a440a at aol.com> wrote:

>   Dale and Mark write the following:
>  *
> >>All instructors that are willing to help perpetuate excellence in the
> continued education of our membership are valued, regardless of whether they
> are sponsored by a manufacturer or not*.
> * Understood. But money still is the issue. The dues and convention fees
> should be higher.  You get what you pay for*.<<
>
>     Agreed.   It is easy to say, as an instructor, I am "valued".  Of
> course I am.  The PTG, in order to maximize the profit of the convention,
>  would like me to prepare and teach a class for free, pay my own
> transportation and room, and pay a full entrance fee to attend a convention
> in which I will miss a significant portion of classes in order to present my
> own?  What a bargain!   There is no way to justify that sort of expense
> unless I have something to sell.  I don't have anything to sell, just some
> experience gleaned from making mistakes for the last 35 years. If that isn't
> worth at least the entrance fee and a room, then I can't afford to be a PTG
> teacher.
>    My last convention was full of classes taught by people that were
> basically advertising their wares or services. Their cost of attending is
> part of their advertising budget, and selling their services or wares can
> make the convention a profitable venture.  Those techs that simply have
> valuable experience to share will gradually become extinct. This is a loss,
> since the original idea of the PTG was to have an organization of working
> technicians that could share their expertise.  Now, we have an "institute
> for profit", and the PTG doesn't want to pay for the content.
>    On this course, our future is going to be one of vendor instructors, and
> I really think that is going to limit the attraction of the institute.  It
> looks like a downward spiral to me.
> Regards,
> Ed Foote RPT
>
>


Well said,
Mike
-- 

I think we are a product of all our experiences.
Sanford I. Weill<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/sanfordiw283095.html>


Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com <http://www.ifixpianos.com/>
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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