CAUT

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul

How to educate the bean counters is a huge obstacle to climb!  It's hard enough to get universities to even go so far as hiring a full time person.

I'm so fortunate to have a great Dean of School of Music to stand up for me and have received several nice raises over my nearly 10 years here. The Director at UNL was a penny pincher and got very few raises as well as a low starting salary. There was my burn out in about 6 years to look elsewhere!  Why did I take it?  I lived on an island in Washington with 4 other RPT's with long standing customer bases and  forced to commute waaaayy too many miles to make a living. Ferry boats are spendy and extremely time consuming. Try it sometime!

Schools that won't recognize how difficult this position is will just have technicians run through the hoops and leave after a couple to 5 years, rather than recognizing how challenging the position really is. After 9 years now here at USC, I have really developed a "relationship" with my 125 pianos and know them and their nice points and their difficulties. We have retired several and purchased several more to the delight of faculty and students.  It took a few years to really get to know them.

I am the only piano tech over the whole state of 6 different campuses of USC. I have never been asked to visit other campuses. Thank God!

Shh! Don't tell, I don'twant to drive all over the state! Been there...done that!

Paul

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul

Department administrators, "bean counters" as you say, are financial professionals. They look at pianos as "assets" not necessarily complex musical instruments that people become emotionally attached to. Piano technician salaries are "expenses" to be managed. Department administrators have to fight tooth and nail against every other department for every dollar that gets added to their budget. You need to talk to department administrators in financial terms they understand in order to justify increases in piano maintenance budgets and technician salaries.

Pianos are capital investments that depreciate over time and with use, and require continuous maintenance expense to keep the asset in functional condition and to extend its usable life. Technicians who can manage asset inventories, control maintenance expenditures and present relevant financial data may justify higher salaries. Skilled technicians who make pianos sound and play well may not be judged as valuable to the financial professional allocating a limited budget.

John Ginter

Plum Piano Restoration, Inc.

e-mail: john@plumpiano.com

cell: 832-722-3033       shop: 979-242-5180

How to educate the bean counters is a huge obstacle to climb!  It's hard enough to get universities to even go so far as hiring a full time person.

I'm so fortunate to have a great Dean of School of Music to stand up for me and have received several nice raises over my nearly 10 years here. The Director at UNL was a penny pincher and got very few raises as well as a low starting salary. There was my burn out in about 6 years to look elsewhere!  Why did I take it?  I lived on an island in Washington with 4 other RPT's with long standing customer bases and  forced to commute waaaayy too many miles to make a living. Ferry boats are spendy and extremely time consuming. Try it sometime!

Schools that won't recognize how difficult this position is will just have technicians run through the hoops and leave after a couple to 5 years, rather than recognizing how challenging the position really is. After 9 years now here at USC, I have really developed a "relationship" with my 125 pianos and know them and their nice points and their difficulties. We have retired several and purchased several more to the delight of faculty and students.  It took a few years to really get to know them.

I am the only piano tech over the whole state of 6 different campuses of USC. I have never been asked to visit other campuses. Thank God!

Shh! Don't tell, I don'twant to drive all over the state! Been there...done that!

Paul

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul

Department administrators, "bean counters" as you say, are financial professionals. They look at pianos as "assets" not necessarily complex musical instruments that people become emotionally attached to. Piano technician salaries are "expenses" to be managed. Department administrators have to fight tooth and nail against every other department for every dollar that gets added to their budget. You need to talk to department administrators in financial terms they understand in order to justify increases in piano maintenance budgets and technician salaries.

Pianos are capital investments that depreciate over time and with use, and require continuous maintenance expense to keep the asset in functional condition and to extend its usable life. Technicians who can manage asset inventories, control maintenance expenditures and present relevant financial data may justify higher salaries. Skilled technicians who make pianos sound and play well may not be judged as valuable to the financial professional allocating a limited budget.

John Ginter

Plum Piano Restoration, Inc.

e-mail: john@plumpiano.com

cell: 832-722-3033       shop: 979-242-5180

How to educate the bean counters is a huge obstacle to climb!  It's hard enough to get universities to even go so far as hiring a full time person.

I'm so fortunate to have a great Dean of School of Music to stand up for me and have received several nice raises over my nearly 10 years here. The Director at UNL was a penny pincher and got very few raises as well as a low starting salary. There was my burn out in about 6 years to look elsewhere!  Why did I take it?  I lived on an island in Washington with 4 other RPT's with long standing customer bases and  forced to commute waaaayy too many miles to make a living. Ferry boats are spendy and extremely time consuming. Try it sometime!

Schools that won't recognize how difficult this position is will just have technicians run through the hoops and leave after a couple to 5 years, rather than recognizing how challenging the position really is. After 9 years now here at USC, I have really developed a "relationship" with my 125 pianos and know them and their nice points and their difficulties. We have retired several and purchased several more to the delight of faculty and students.  It took a few years to really get to know them.

I am the only piano tech over the whole state of 6 different campuses of USC. I have never been asked to visit other campuses. Thank God!

Shh! Don't tell, I don'twant to drive all over the state! Been there...done that!

Paul

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul

Department administrators, "bean counters" as you say, are financial professionals. They look at pianos as "assets" not necessarily complex musical instruments that people become emotionally attached to. Piano technician salaries are "expenses" to be managed. Department administrators have to fight tooth and nail against every other department for every dollar that gets added to their budget. You need to talk to department administrators in financial terms they understand in order to justify increases in piano maintenance budgets and technician salaries.

Pianos are capital investments that depreciate over time and with use, and require continuous maintenance expense to keep the asset in functional condition and to extend its usable life. Technicians who can manage asset inventories, control maintenance expenditures and present relevant financial data may justify higher salaries. Skilled technicians who make pianos sound and play well may not be judged as valuable to the financial professional allocating a limited budget.

John Ginter

Plum Piano Restoration, Inc.

e-mail: john@plumpiano.com

cell: 832-722-3033       shop: 979-242-5180

How to educate the bean counters is a huge obstacle to climb!  It's hard enough to get universities to even go so far as hiring a full time person.

I'm so fortunate to have a great Dean of School of Music to stand up for me and have received several nice raises over my nearly 10 years here. The Director at UNL was a penny pincher and got very few raises as well as a low starting salary. There was my burn out in about 6 years to look elsewhere!  Why did I take it?  I lived on an island in Washington with 4 other RPT's with long standing customer bases and  forced to commute waaaayy too many miles to make a living. Ferry boats are spendy and extremely time consuming. Try it sometime!

Schools that won't recognize how difficult this position is will just have technicians run through the hoops and leave after a couple to 5 years, rather than recognizing how challenging the position really is. After 9 years now here at USC, I have really developed a "relationship" with my 125 pianos and know them and their nice points and their difficulties. We have retired several and purchased several more to the delight of faculty and students.  It took a few years to really get to know them.

I am the only piano tech over the whole state of 6 different campuses of USC. I have never been asked to visit other campuses. Thank God!

Shh! Don't tell, I don'twant to drive all over the state! Been there...done that!

Paul

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul

Department administrators, "bean counters" as you say, are financial professionals. They look at pianos as "assets" not necessarily complex musical instruments that people become emotionally attached to. Piano technician salaries are "expenses" to be managed. Department administrators have to fight tooth and nail against every other department for every dollar that gets added to their budget. You need to talk to department administrators in financial terms they understand in order to justify increases in piano maintenance budgets and technician salaries.

Pianos are capital investments that depreciate over time and with use, and require continuous maintenance expense to keep the asset in functional condition and to extend its usable life. Technicians who can manage asset inventories, control maintenance expenditures and present relevant financial data may justify higher salaries. Skilled technicians who make pianos sound and play well may not be judged as valuable to the financial professional allocating a limited budget.

John Ginter

Plum Piano Restoration, Inc.

e-mail: john@plumpiano.com

cell: 832-722-3033       shop: 979-242-5180

How to educate the bean counters is a huge obstacle to climb!  It's hard enough to get universities to even go so far as hiring a full time person.

I'm so fortunate to have a great Dean of School of Music to stand up for me and have received several nice raises over my nearly 10 years here. The Director at UNL was a penny pincher and got very few raises as well as a low starting salary. There was my burn out in about 6 years to look elsewhere!  Why did I take it?  I lived on an island in Washington with 4 other RPT's with long standing customer bases and  forced to commute waaaayy too many miles to make a living. Ferry boats are spendy and extremely time consuming. Try it sometime!

Schools that won't recognize how difficult this position is will just have technicians run through the hoops and leave after a couple to 5 years, rather than recognizing how challenging the position really is. After 9 years now here at USC, I have really developed a "relationship" with my 125 pianos and know them and their nice points and their difficulties. We have retired several and purchased several more to the delight of faculty and students.  It took a few years to really get to know them.

I am the only piano tech over the whole state of 6 different campuses of USC. I have never been asked to visit other campuses. Thank God!

Shh! Don't tell, I don'twant to drive all over the state! Been there...done that!

Paul

Hi all,

I studied with Steve Brady when he was there and it ran pretty smoothly by what I know.  When he resigned, there were 2 great technicians taking over the school. 

I can imagine how difficult it might be to get great technicians to cover the huge task of being a CAUT there.  Big school, lots of pianos etc. The salary doesn't cover the love of pianos!

One must remember the salary includes so many things unmentioned:  all insurances, 401K, vacation time, sick time, etc.  It's a huge thing to add looking at the salary range. And, not driving 40,00 miles a year as I did living on Whidbey Island, WA.  I replace cars much less often now.

I keep buying lotto tickets when they get really big! .My parting gift will be to replace several old Baldwin R's in dire need of retirement and ask to sit on the board of the search committee or else you don't get the pianos! LOL.

Paul