CAUT Forum News and Survey Result Information from Don McKechnie on the CAUT forum front.

Compiled by Scott Thile, RPT

Don McKechnie has been coordinating the effort to present more CAUT forums, tours, and other events at PTG's regional, and national conferences. Don is also conducting a survey to determine what CAUTs would like to see presented in these forums. Click here to jump to CAUT forum highlights.

Below are the results and comments from the survey Don started last spring. Response was limited, but nevertheless, will be useful in planning CAUT events. Don will continue to distribute the survey until spring and is anxious to receive more results.

Highlights of the survey results:

Question 1:"What topics would you like to see addressed at regional/annual CAUT Forums?"

Answers

1. The challenges faced by those technicians who perform work under contract as opposed to those who are on staff.

2. Staff relations.

3. Preservation and restoration of historical instruments in college collections.

4. Crisis management (damage, poor planning or communication).

5. Planning for longevity of instruments.

6. The expanding role of the institutional technician.

7. Institutional technicians working in other venues than those commonly addressed i.e.: school systems, large churches, performance halls, studios, etc.

8. Round table discussion of pros and cons of lend/lease programs.

9. Forum on the Guidelines for Effective Institutional Piano Maintenance.

10. Unequal temperament tuning in the institutional setting.

11. Teaching piano technology.

12. Prepared/contemporary use of the piano.

13. Setting up the CAUT piano shop.

14. Servicing the high use piano.

15. Communications with faculty and administration.

16. Servicing harpsichords, forte pianos and pipe organs.

17. Dealing with bureaucracy. How to schmooze with faculty and administrators.

18. How to effectively schedule maintenance.

19. Etiquette or liability while working in studios/offices.

20. Time management.

21. Communication between piano technicians and piano professors/teachers.

22. Questions and concerns from the floor.

23. Strategies for encouraging budget growth.

24. Dust control in the shop.

25. Budget constraints for rebuilding programs.

26. How do different universities address practice room pianos (priorities).

27. Humidity controls and solutions.

28. Budget proposals.

29. Lines of communication.

30. Invite retired administrators.

31 Funding and strategies

32. Maintenance schedules and techniques for good practice room maintenance (strategies).

33. Ways to raise money for piano service at universities.

34. Plans for rebuilding/replacement schedules.

35. Software for keeping records of service, inventory, etc. (See Dearborn convention report)

36. Forum with piano professors and technicians. (Worked well at NYSCON 96) A piano could be set up for demonstration and discussion on tuning, regulation, voicing, etc.

Question 2: Would you like to conduct a forum and on what topic? Don is compiling this list, contact him if you're planning a CAUT event at your conference, or if you would consider presenting at one. Click here for the current list. Don's email address is: dmckech@ithaca.edu

Question 3: What are your thoughts on visiting a college or university near the conference site to hold a forum?

Again, Don has compiled the complete survey. Typical responses ranged from "This is an excellent tradition now, I get very positive feedback." to "Not in favor of." In short there were ten enthusiasts of visiting a college or university in the area, one against. Two had reservations about conflicting with events at the "main" conference. Click here to see all the responses.

Highlights from recent CAUT forums:

Don Mckecknie reports: We had a very good CAUT Forum in Rochester. The panel was comprised of three piano professors and three piano technicians. I moderated the discussion and posed the questions with Ray Chandler and Kent Webb also on the panel.. The panel concept worked very well, with the discussion being lively and interesting. There were several local piano teachers in the audience. Also in the audience was Leroy Edwards, Paul Monachino and Marshall Hawkins. This forum was one of the "hits" of the conference.

Texas State Conference: Thanks are in order to Charles Ball for conducting a successful event at the Texas State Conference. He informed Don that one fifth of the those attending the conference attended the CAUT Forum.

1996 National Institute - Scott Thile reporting:

The CAUT forum in Dearborn was great!

First Session: "Computer Databases for Institutional Maintenance" Bill Schneider of Michigan State, Newton Hunt of Rutgers, and Don McKechnie of Ithaca College each demonstrated the customized databases they use in tracking their work.

Bill used the Paragon for Windows program to develop the only "relational" database of the three. Relational refers to several different databases linked together in a "set" that interacts. For instance Bill has a "faculty directory" database, a "room and instrument usage" database, and a "service history" database that share information. Service information is gathered via a service record "form" which is then posted to the various databases. Bill has designed several different reports which can be generated from all the compiled information from these databases which cover almost anything you would want to know about your inventory, faculty, room and usage, budget, venders, and of course tuning schedules. I think Bill's database looked great and seemed to accomplish most everything you would want to track in an institutional setting.

Newton used Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows to develop his "spreadsheet" type flat file. This was the simplest of the three programs and would be the easiest to set up. Among other things, it generates a printed report prioritizing pianos needing service, their locations and other pertinent information. Newton then works from this list, making notes on the list itself which he later enters into the spreadsheet. He prints an updated report every couple of weeks. Newton pointed out that a very important aspect to any system is actually keeping your data current. The temptation we all face is to let our record keeping slide. This could then make it much more difficult to demonstrate our effectiveness to faculty and administrators.

Don's FileMaker Pro for the MAC program accomplishes many of the same functions that Bill's Paradox program does only Don's uses a non-relational "flat file" type database. (The newest version of FileMaker is relational and Don plans to explore the expanded possibilities.) Don's program features many reports that not only help him to track his work, but also help to justify his effectiveness and his budget, and a "way cool" report that shows how many technicians should be working at Ithaca, based on the criteria in the "CAUT Guidelines".

I have just barely touched on the capability of each of these customized applications and I would encourage anyone interested to contact the presenters directly for more information. I am not aware of any "canned" program geared toward institutional piano maintenance. Like these presenters, we are all faced with customizing a database or spreadsheet program to fit our unique needs. These presentations were a great place to get ideas for our own customized databases. Thanks to Bill, Newton and Don for all the great ideas!

Also at the first session was Bill Brandon of Yamaha who presented on "The use of the Yamaha Disklavier and Silent pianos in academia" . Bill's presentation was partly a pep talk to any of us that might have been worried about working on these "high tech" pianos. Bill stressed that the mechanisms themselves are relatively trouble free and easy to adjust. Action regulation and other "regular piano" service is virtually the same on these instruments as Yamaha's "low tech" models. Bill reported that many of these instruments are being placed in institutions so we will likely see them soon if we don't already have them. Bill assured us that Yamaha will give CAUTs the support needed to service these instruments effectively.

Second Session: Stephen Birkett, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Stephen's "From Hammer to String" presentation outlined the many gaps in "scientific" research that could impact piano design and is in the early stages of developing a computer model which he demonstrated at the forum. The complete model he is proposing to develop (pending funding) would be extremely useful in evaluating the effects that changes in a piano's design would have on its performance. Here is the abstract from Steve's presentation:

"From Hammer To String"

While much attention has been focused on investigating the mechanical properties of piano actions, comparatively little has been directed at studying how energy is transferred from hammer to string during, and after, impact. The initial few milliseconds after the hammer contacts the string are examined via a computer simulation in which many important physical parameters can be varied: hammerhead mass, material, geometry; hammerhead covering material, layer thicknesses and distribution on the head; shank geometry and physical characteristics; pivot friction; string diameter, tension, material, strike point and scaling; overall geometry of the gap layout. Data from specific pianos can be incorporated into the model to determine how the physical parameters and characteristics used by different builders affect the efficiency of the impulse, by changing the compliance and inertia of the components that make up the hammer system.

Both sessions were very well attended by CAUTs as well as other technicians. We also had a wonderful tour of the School of Music facilities at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The tour was conducted by U of M's Director of Piano Technology Robert Grijalva with assistance from Asst. Piano Technician Ron Torrella. The bus ride to and from Michigan State was a great time to visit with fellow CAUTs. (Many thanks to the above presenters and tour guides, as well as Dennis Johnson (CAUT committee chair), and Vince Mrykalo (forum coordinator) for making this event a smashing success.