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What is your work load?

  • 1.  What is your work load?

    Posted 09-22-2017 16:38
    Hello All,

    This is my first time posting.  I'm wondering if you would be willing to let me know how many pianos you are responsible for at your institution and what your staffing looks like.  I am gearing up to talk with my administrators about my work load, which is too heavy.  I would like to be able to give them some current, accurate information to help them understand my position.  I have a copy of the CAUT Guidelines that I intend to present to them.  Also, does anyone know where I can find the Steinway document covering this topic?

    I have 256 pianos, and my staffing consists of myself and two somewhat unreliable student helpers.

    Any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    Russell Norton
    PianoTechnician
    BYU-Idaho
    Rexburg ID
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: What is your work load?

    Posted 09-22-2017 17:20
    Sounds like you certainly have a difficult situation. Providing a persuasive argument while educating your management is your goal. 

    Knowing what other technicians workload is may not be the best question; though others will certainly chime in.

    Your use of the CAUT workload formula is very insightful. As you know you need to consider so many variables. It will take some time to do.  Best wishes in getting your budget and staff working together.

    I look forward to reading along with you everyone's input.

    ------------------------------
    Garret Traylor
    Trinity NC
    336-887-4266
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-22-2017 17:27
    256 pianos, just yourself and a couple of undependable college students, who I presume will be replaced after a semester or two?  That's insane.  I have about 90, by myself.  Soon to be 100+. 

    PTG and CAUT have a publication which gives a formula for finding a good staffing level. You can find it here: https://higherlogicdownload.s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/PTG/CAUT_Guidelines.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJH5D4I4FWRALBOUA&Expires=1506118949&Signature=wvON3pwwKkmB2iTDnDn5l2UlB1k%3D

    (Wow, that link looks crazy.  If it doesn't work, just go to the search box up to the right and look for "Guidelines for Effective Institutional Piano maintenance")

    Steinway also has a formula, available in a nifty spreadsheet.  Ask Kent Webb of Steinway if you could get a copy.

    ------------------------------
    Zeno Wood
    Brooklyn, NY
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-22-2017 18:10
    Hi Russell,

    You just might win the prize for worst ratio of number of pianos to FTE techs. Student assistants can be useful, but won't really address the underlying problems with the 256:1 ratio.

    Alan

    ------------------------------
    Alan Eder, RPT
    Herb Alpert School of Music
    California Institute of the Arts
    Valencia, CA
    661.904.6483
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-22-2017 19:44
    I think it is fairly common for a full time load at a state university to be in the 100 - 150 range, often with some contract tuning help seasonally. Top notch schools will have 50 pianos per tech (e.g., Juilliard, but I think Alabama is in that range). Personally, I am 3/4 time with 95 pianos. It isn't ideal, but it's doable. I'd say anything over 150 would be pretty hopeless, even just keeping them all in tune, not to mention ever doing any significant maintenance. 

    Any university should have a comprehensive maintenance program for all its pianos, all those things that need doing on a regular basis, from tightening action screws and adjusting capstans to fine regulation and voicing, to parts replacement. Otherwise, they should drop acoustic pianos altogether, no ifs, ands or buts. Pianos that are not well-prepped on a regular basis will not meet practice needs, let alone performance. And they are continuously degrading with time and use. 
    Regards,
    Fred Sturm
    "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." Brecht






  • 6.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-22-2017 23:37
    I am full time on-staff with one student worker to help out.  She is full time in the summer and over breaks and about 8-10 hours per week during the semester.

    We have 124 pianos.  So far I am keeping up, but we havre mostly new inventory and it will get harder and harder to keep up once the pianos start needing replacement parts and such.  Plus I see them adding another 40-50 practice rooms in the next couple of years...

    David Pritchard
    Liberty University








  • 7.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 02:25
    Fred said: Top notch schools will have 50 pianos per tech (e.g., Juilliard, but I think Alabama is in that range)

    Fred.

    Alabama might have become an all Steinway School, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a "top notch school". They've got a nice music building that just added a whole new wing that houses the band department, but they lack a lot of very good performance professors in too many areas to be considered a very good school. 


    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 10:36
    Wim,
    I didn't mean to call Alabama a top notch music school, but they do have a load ratio in that range, right? They are pretty exceptional among state institutions. Most that I know about have at least 100 per tech, rarely less than 80 per. Of course, in a much worse case scenario, many go to per service contract, which rarely serves them well, since it is mostly fee per tuning, and anything else has to be individually negotiated.
    Regards,
    Fred Sturm
    "A mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." Plutarch













  • 9.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 13:30
    Fred

    When I was there the school had only 72 pianos, and I was full time. Since I've left, they've probably added a few pianos, but the dean didn't fill my position and eliminated it, and the job is now contracted out.

    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 14:31
    OMG.....  Isn't this same school where a previous, dedicated technician was found dead with a heart attack slumped over a piano around 1990, wrestling 250 pianos single-handedly?  Do I remember right, wasn't that Jack Reeves?   Regardless, that many pianos for one person is absolutely unworkable.  This is exactly why we need easily accessible data for what is the norm at comparable schools. When we upgraded our inventory from about 95 average pianos to 150 nice ones, they tried several times to tell me I would just have to deal with it.  Eventually, the support came around because we are smart enough to learn from other peoples mistakes.  Now I have a 1/2 time assistant and long term they have already projected the proposal for 2 full-time techs- but that's not likely before I retire.  

    Sincerely, good luck and do not give-up. This is not just about your health and blood pressure, it's also about the well-being of a significant college investment.  

    Dennis Johnson
    St. Olaf College





  • 11.  RE: What is your work load?

    Posted 09-25-2017 09:43
    Dennis,

    Jack worked at the BYU campus in Provo, UT.  I am at the campus in Rexburg, ID.  I can confirm that Jack passed away while on the job, but I cannot confirm what his workload was. I only know that he was a great guy and I'm truly glad to have known him.

    Thank you for letting me know what your work situation is.  I believe it will be helpful to me.

    ------------------------------
    Russell Norton
    BYU Idaho
    Rexburg ID
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-26-2017 16:24
    It is easy to get BYU-Idaho and BYU-Provo mixed up. BYU-I was formally known as Ricks College. It is in Rexburg, Idaho. As Russ mentioned, he is the first full time technician there. There is also BYU-Hawaii. 

    Here is a brief BYU Provo piano technician history. Lynn Hansen was one of the first full time technicians. I am not sure when he hired on, Merrill Cox came here in early 1960's - 1992. Jack Reeves came around 1977. He did die at work of a heart attack April of 1996. Vince Myrkalo was here about 1992 - 2002. Jim Busby was here 2001-2015. Keith Kopp came 2002. Rick Baldassin joined the staff 2015. There were several other short time technicians in the late 1990's into 2000. We now have two full time technician and usually have around six students working for us.

    It has been reported, but not confirmed, that we have more piano at the University than anywhere else. This is due to a large part because we are a church school and classroom pianos through out the campus are used for church services on Sundays. Combine that with housing and multiple other uses, the number is close to 425. In the past, the BYU technicians were responsible for the care of all the pianos on campus. At the present, we are only required to serve the 150 pianos in the School of Music.

    ------------------------------
    Keith Kopp
    BYU Technician
    Provo, UT
    Wk 801-422-3400
    Hm 801-235-8077
    Cell 801-592-4842
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 19:54
    Wim,
    Somehow I had the impression that it was closer to 50 pianos. In any case, 72 is a pretty "light" load, relatively speaking, for a state university position. There are a few that are in that range, but not too many.
    Regards,
    Fred Sturm
    "We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda






  • 14.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-24-2017 02:57
    Hi, all,

    For the 30 years I was at California State University in Long Beach, my load (as a full-time staff member) was usually around 75-80 pianos. I started with an inventory of 100 (including two harpsichords), but several old uprights had already been “surveyed” for trade-in and were not legal for use, and there were a few donated junkers that had never really been put into steady use. I managed to jettison many of those in the first few years. I learned that I couldn’t turn unwanted pianos back to the Campus Property office for sale, because any proceeds went into the General Fund, and Music got nothing back. I learned how to use their only legal system, a “Memorandum of Understanding” for a "No-Cost Trade". So I was able, for example, to trade 4 older uprights for a modest new grand. I also had semi-permanent requests for new pianos on the state lottery money list; each time we got lottery money for a new piano, I was able to trade in an older one.

    I was assisted, in a strange way, by a few notable disasters on my watch. For example, a flood in the lower level practice rooms in 1994 took out 28 uprights and an old Baldwin grand stored on its side, in one day, when 14” of storm water went into the rooms. Uprights lost bass bridges, bottoms of soundboards and ribs let go, and so on. FEMA money helped pay for a few new uprights, and other money replaced a few, eventually bringing the total back up to around 75.

    There was always adequate money to buy parts and tools, but no real money through the department for assistance with tunings or maintenance. I found the CAUT guidelines useful several times, and it was interesting to see the suggested technical support level change as variables, such as piano ages, changed.

    Once again, our largest challenge seems to be educating those who have no understanding of pianos, how they work, how they need to be maintained, and how much their quality means to an institution such as a music school. For so many, they are just big pieces of furniture. Any assistance we can give each other on ideas for influencing or educating the decision-makers is very valuable.




  • 15.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-24-2017 12:28
    My inventory here at UNC in Chapel Hill is 94 pianos, 3 harpsichords, 1 fortepiano, and 1 1840's grand. 

    As part of making a 20-year plan for maintaining our inventory, I've been working on a speadsheet that shows how many work hours are estimated to be needed in our unique situation, given current usage amount, to simply maintain the present level of quality in our pianos and maintain the required tuning schedules.  Although I'm still working on this, and obviously subjective to a certain degree in thinking how quickly work can proceed, I'm seeing that 1.2 to 1.5 technicians are needed here with a roughly 600% increase in funding needed to handle eventual sub-contracted rebuilding.
    How often funds are available for bulk purchases of inventory greatly influences workload, so I thought in my case that it was useful to start with the assumption that no pianos will be purchased, (some important ones donated however), in 20 years.  Then it's possible to see how new purchases will effect the calulations of work hours and expenses for both the staff technician and any sub-contracted techs, movers, etc.

    Best,
    John Foy

    ------------------------------
    John Foy, RPT
    Piano Technician, UNC-CH
    Dept. of Music, Carolina Performing Arts
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-26-2017 14:22
    Fred Sturm writes:
    Any university should have a comprehensive maintenance program for all its pianos, all those things that need doing on a regular basis, from tightening action screws and adjusting capstans to fine regulation and voicing, to parts replacement. Otherwise, they should drop acoustic pianos altogether, no ifs, ands or buts. Pianos that are not well-prepped on a regular basis will not meet practice needs, let alone performance. And they are continuously degrading with time and use. 
    Amen to that, Fred!

    ------------------------------
    Patrick Wingren, RPT
    Jakobstad, Finland
    0035844-5288048
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: What is your work load?

    Posted 09-23-2017 10:24
    Alan,

    I've long suspected that I am a serious contender for the title.  A title I would prefer not to have, BTW.  :-)

    ------------------------------
    Russell Norton
    Head Technician
    BYU Idaho
    Rexburg ID
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 07:52

    Here at Univ of SC, we have about 120 pianos (including a forte-piano and 3 harpsichords).  I am full time and have an assistant who comes in before every semester and breaks to help with the practice uprights and some of the faculty. I used to have a very reliable student assistant, but we had some budget cuts, so he had to be cut.  He came in once or twice a week for the whole day and was a terrific help in the grand practice rooms and would knock out 3 tunings or 1-2 with repairs. He knows his way around a piano and just joined the PTG as well. I hope to get him back some day.

     

    Russell, you really need at least another full time tech under your watch, or at least a ½ time tech. Good luck!

    Paul






  • 19.  RE: What is your work load?

    Member
    Posted 09-23-2017 16:04
    CAUT formula given the age, condition, and use of my 120 pianos: 4 full time technicians. If they were new pianos the formula says one technician. Current staffing: one technician at 20 hours per week.


    ------------------------------
    [Roy] [Howard] [Dr.]
    [Piano Technician, WIchita State University]
    [Sharp's Repair Co.]
    [Wichita] [Kansas]
    [2rhoward@att.net]
    [316 207 6704]
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-24-2017 12:51
    When I was at LSU and we received new pianos, the load for me and assistant increased significanly. New pianos need more tunings and regulation than pianos that are settled.

    ------------------------------
    Mario Igrec, RPT
    http://www.pianosinsideout.com
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-26-2017 08:27
    Mario, I am experiencing this first hand. Two years ago through a very large private donor, our SOM aquired 23 new Yamaha U1 uprights (for practice rooms) and 6 new Steinway grands. The Steinways have broken very nicely & must say. But the 23 U1s umm...not so much. SUPER erratic humidity in our practice areas but...lots of regulation issues & very few are even closs to stable. (If only the partial humidity sustems would not be unplugged! It would be better)

    ------------------------------
    [Kevin] [Fortenberry] [RPT]
    [Staff Techician]
    [Texas Tech Univ]
    [Lubbock] [TX]
    [8067783962]
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-23-2017 16:29
    Russell,

    I think Alan is correct, you are the contender for that title. My condolences. By all means, use the CAUT Guidelines and the workload formula. If the Steinway formula is still available use that as well. It is important though to write a detailed justification for the increase in help and funding. Many more facts and figures will be needed to justify your proposal than just the information in the Guidelines. Below is an outline of my justification I had submitted for a number of years. (I'm sure those on this list can add more subject matter to the outline.) Over the years I was able to use this document and see small gains. Some schools may see the light soon but for most techs, they have to be in it for the long haul. One year after I retired they finally made the half-time position full-time. I happened to see the dean at the gym shortly after and he mentioned that my justification helped in the process. Like I said, the long haul!

    You will need more examples of workloads from around the country. That will require some research but it can be done through school website searches or calls. Good luck!

    Don

    Opening Statement

    Synopsis

    Inventory History

    • Total piano and harpsichord inventory in JJWCM
    • Increase in enrollment
    • Increase of studio, classroom and concert rooms in the music building
    • Practice rooms

    Budget

    • Cost for tuning and other work
    • Cost for a full-time assistant piano technician staff position
    • Budgeting and savings
    • Fees
    • Current budget
    • Inventory replacement

    Challenges

    • Concert/Recitals
    • Recording
    • Summer and other programs/events
    • Piano reconditioning
    • Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC)

    Personnel Justification

    • College and University Technicians Guidelines
    • Workload
    • Core responsibilities
    • Job classification and salary
    • Internship

    Summation

    • Attachments
    • College and University Technicians Guidelines
    • Numbers from Schools Across the Country
    • Acceptable Humidity Range


    ------------------------------
    [Don] [McKechnie,] [RPT]
    [Piano Technician]
    [dmckech@ithaca.edu]
    [Home 607.277.7112]
    ------------------------------



  • 23.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-26-2017 14:33

    Mario Igrec writes:
       
    When I was at LSU and we received new pianos, the load for me and assistant increased significanly. New pianos need more tunings and regulation than pianos that are settled.


    Absolutely, and then there's the other dilemma - moving an old piano stock into an entirely new environment. That has happened over here, and some of the formerly stable pianos are practically falling apart. No central humidification, and RH%s ranging from 10-90% due to seasonal changes. The frisky indoor ventilation renders the dampp-chasers practically useless.. well, not really, but they can't compete.






    ------------------------------
    Patrick Wingren, RPT
    Jakobstad, Finland
    0035844-5288048
    ------------------------------



  • 24.  RE: What is your work load?

    Posted 10-05-2017 14:18
    Just wanted to express thanks to everyone who responded to this query.  It is appreciated and I think it will all be useful information for me to present to the powers that be.

    ------------------------------
    Russell Norton
    BYU Idaho
    Rexburg ID
    ------------------------------



  • 25.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-06-2017 09:40
    Hi Russell,

    I had intended to respond to this.  Sorry, hope this still helps.

    In my current position at Ohio University I have a little over 100 pianos.  I did get some contract help to tune practice room pianos this summer but that has not been budgeted consistently.

    My previous position at Middle Tennessee State University was a more manageable 60 pianos.  MTSU is an all Steinway school and their mandate is one full time technician for every 40-60 pianos.  

    Did you get a copy of the Steinway institutional guidelines?  You can get that directly from the factory, probably as a download.  If you would like a CD copy I may have one around here somewhere.

    Administrators tend to look at guidelines as a pie in the sky goal.  I have heard "I don't doubt these guidelines but we just can't afford that" sort of justification.  It is helpful to follow comments like this with an explanation of how every cut from this goal is a direct cut to the quality of your inventory and immediately affects the faculty's quality of instruction and the students ability to learn.  There is also a direct correlation between the quality of your piano inventory and student recruitment and retention, the quality of the students applying to the school, and even plays a role in the faculty selection.  If a prospective student or interviewing faculty member is weighing offers from more than one university, the condition of the piano inventory can play a role in their decision.

    Hope this helps,

    Chris

    Christopher D. Purdy R.P.T.
    Registered Piano Technician
    School of Music, Ohio University
    Rm. 311, Robt. Glidden Hall
    Athens, OH  45701
    Office (740) 593-4230
    Cell    (740) 590-3842
    fax      (740) 593-1429
    http://www.ohiou.edu/music






  • 26.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-06-2017 10:16
    Very well stated, Chris!






  • 27.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-06-2017 11:37
    Yes!

    Alan

    ------------------------------
    Alan Eder, RPT
    Herb Alpert School of Music
    California Institute of the Arts
    Valencia, CA
    661.904.6483
    ------------------------------



  • 28.  RE: What is your work load?

    Posted 10-09-2017 12:53
    Chris,

    Another great response!  I still have some time before my meeting, so yes, your response arrived in time to be helpful.

    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    Russell Norton
    BYU Idaho
    Rexburg ID
    ------------------------------



  • 29.  RE: What is your work load?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-09-2017 13:31
    Hi, all,

    I agree with Fred, that government institutions like state universities are not swayed by any type of price fixing. The 19 campuses of California State University have a set list of salary lines, and Piano Tech 1 and Piano Tech 2 salaries are (or were, back in the day) set at a state-wide level. Smaller institutions with fewer or one campus likely already have tech support positions set.

    And to the idea of assumption of collusion when prices fall within a range - well, the marketplace does that for us all on its own, when we’re talking about price-fixing for private work. Anyone who’s exceptionally high or low will usually react to market forces (too much or too little work, for example) and move toward the center voluntarily, without any collusion.

    But I have one main idea here to bring up. In any talk of salary, I haven’t seen enough mention of benefits. My ending salary at CSU Long Beach, not to put any exact figure on it, was a little more than halfway to six figures. It was a very modest salary by standards in this state. But the benefits package, which was said to be 33% when I signed on, made the entire thing very comfortable. I can’t imagine the total dollar value of 30 years of complete health care, dental and vision, up to 3 weeks vacation per yer, and a retirement package. I know that the old-fashioned pension system has mostly gone the way of the dodo, but the advantages of that or a savings plan or 403b should be acknowledged somewhere in the compensation discussion. And I spent many years having professional development time encouraged, so my time spent at factory training, national and state conventions, and other classes, was done on full pay status. And I was always encouraged to use any spare time or flex time to do private or dealer work; the campus valued my ties to the industry outside the workplace, which occasionally worked in their favor.

    I’m glad to see information sharing such as this. I think it’s worth pursuing the questions about price-fixing and maybe get expert opinion. My chair was also active in NASM, and was one who traveled to other schools for reviews. And I was often asked to prepare reports and statements when it was our turn. Once, the NASM reviewer even asked for each staff member to write a report on the topic, “Is there anything else you need to do your work?” That was refreshing!

    Kathy