CAUT

There is a question on Global Tech about the health of college music departments. Compared to 10 years ago, what is the "health" of the music department where you work?  This would include full time schools and even smaller departments with a few instructors. 

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Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
St. Augustine, FL 32095
Tnrwim@aol.com
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Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 9:05:00 AM
From: Wim Blees
Subject: RE: poll on music department

At University of North Florida, from what the chair of the department has told me, the size of the music departments has basically stayed the same for the past 10 years. 

Wichita State University School of Music enrollment is up and healthy with 120 pianos in daily constant use. What is changed is that six years ago the full-time piano tech position was changed to halftime. What hasn’t changed is that the pianos are all very old and in need of a lot of work.

Roy E. Howard, PhD
www.amluthiers.com


Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 9:28:00 AM
From: Wim Blees
Subject: RE: poll on music department

I want to add, that since I left the University of Alabama, the music building added a new wing which houses the band department. Before I left, they were taking practice rooms and even a classroom and converting them into offices for faculty. As Paul mention, the growth was for the whole university, including the music school. 

Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 10:24:00 AM
From: Roy Howard
Subject: RE: poll on music department

Wichita State University School of Music enrollment is up and healthy with 120 pianos in daily constant use. What is changed is that six years ago the full-time piano tech position was changed to halftime. What hasn’t changed is that the pianos are all very old and in need of a lot of work.

Roy E. Howard, PhD
www.amluthiers.com



Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 9:28:00 AM
From: Wim Blees
Subject: RE: poll on music department

I want to add, that since I left the University of Alabama, the music building added a new wing which houses the band department. Before I left, they were taking practice rooms and even a classroom and converting them into offices for faculty. As Paul mention, the growth was for the whole university, including the music school. 

Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 10:39:00 AM
From: Nancy Salmon
Subject: RE: poll on music department

Frostburg State University, MD music dept. is holding it's own as far as enrollment goes, but not funding. Budgets have been severely cut, to the extent that the theatre dept may not survive. My contract will probably be cut in 1/2 this year.

Nancy Salmon, RPT

Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 10:24:00 AM
From: Roy Howard
Subject: RE: poll on music department

Wichita State University School of Music enrollment is up and healthy with 120 pianos in daily constant use. What is changed is that six years ago the full-time piano tech position was changed to halftime. What hasn’t changed is that the pianos are all very old and in need of a lot of work.

Roy E. Howard, PhD
www.amluthiers.com

Original Message:
Sent: 8/26/2023 8:28:00 AM
From: David Graham
Subject: RE: poll on music department

I would say NIU's School of music has held its own numerically while the NIU shrank over last ten years. Around 300 students, between Grad and undergraduate, now 125 pianos, recently I have added hours to my contract each year, we are hoping for it to go back to a full time position when I leave.

Speaking of that, I am in hospital with a fractured pelvis and hip, and now surgically repaired left wrist. Fell working on our house last Saturday, so am missing all the fun of getting the faculty and classroom pianos in shape, school starts Monday, and I start rehab!

Wrist is doing great, though maybe 2 months before I can use it to tune a piano.

First thing is to be able to walk/ go up down stairs pain free. 

So, in meantime I am interested in talking with qualified tuners/ techs that can come to Dekalb and maybe spend 2-3 days at NIU. Once I am home, I should be able to go over to school with tech to talk through any issues that arise. Anyone willing or who knows a younger tech who is thinking about university work, this is a chance to try it before taking the plunge.

I am healing, seeing daily improvement in what I can do, and grateful to be here. The way I fell, I might not have been around to send this email.

Anyone with thoughts about coming out can email/text me at contact below. 

David Graham

Graham Piano Service, Inc.

512 S. Main St.

Sycamore IL 60178

815-353-5450

grahampiano1@yahoo.com

Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 10:39:00 AM
From: Nancy Salmon
Subject: RE: poll on music department

Frostburg State University, MD music dept. is holding it's own as far as enrollment goes, but not funding. Budgets have been severely cut, to the extent that the theatre dept may not survive. My contract will probably be cut in 1/2 this year.

Nancy Salmon, RPT

Original Message:
Sent: 8/25/2023 10:24:00 AM
From: Roy Howard
Subject: RE: poll on music department

Wichita State University School of Music enrollment is up and healthy with 120 pianos in daily constant use. What is changed is that six years ago the full-time piano tech position was changed to halftime. What hasn’t changed is that the pianos are all very old and in need of a lot of work.

Roy E. Howard, PhD
www.amluthiers.com

From what I understand, one of my university's music department has stayed about the same, maybe slightly grown. The other has grow from what it was a decade ago, but I don't know by how much. Both programs are alive and well, though the second is much better funded. 

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Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com
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As far as I know, the music department here at UNL is fairly healthy - after years (decades, even) of trying to drum up the funding for a new building (current building is early 60s and not serving our needs very well), we finally succceeded and construction began last year. A modern facility with state of the art tech is hoping to grow enrollment numbers, but my understanding is that numbers have been fairly steady. Unfortunately there was not any piano replacement plan in the fundraising (70% of our 111 instruments are more than 40 years old, nearly half are more than 50 - we only have 4 instruments younger than 10 years old).

Despite the new building moving forward, the university as a whole has struggled with budgetary issues in the 5 years I've been here. There have been several hiring freezes and budget cuts (currently a $20mil deficit we're trying to dig out of), and a state administration that is less than friendly with higher education hasn't helped. I'm only making a couple dollars more an hour than when I started, at a salary well below what it should be for the workload, without any real hope of positive change in that trend.

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Adam Schulte-Bukowinski, RPT
Piano Technician
Glenn Korff School of Music
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
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Smaller colleges are struggling to maintain their music departments. A college I maintain the pianos for may have two or three students enrolled for their theory class rather than the twelve to sixteen they used to have. 

My oldest son finished his Doctorate in Collaborative Piano in October of 2019 and immediately began applying for a teaching position. By his report, there are so many music departments being closed with those laid-off professors looking for work that he has been the number two or three person on the list of applicants for nearly thirty openings. 

He is able to get accompaniment positions, which, of course, do not pay as well and are not the teaching position he hopes to have. 

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David Stocker, RPT
Olympia WA
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