We currently have 25 tuning lessons and 9 technical lessons. Each tuning lesson has a reading component, a video component, and a feedback component. We explain and demonstrate the exercises that develop both the physical and intellectual skills needed to succeed in each particular task.
Each lesson has at least one written exam, usually several. These written exams are not online multiple-choice questions. We ask you questions, and you write us answers. We read them. Then we write back. These written exams often generate some interesting conversations.
We're known for our step-by-step aural tuning exercises. We provide specific instructions for each exercise; you practice until you think you’ve accomplished the objective and then submit a video of that exercise. (Most students use the video component of their smartphones to record it. Then they upload their video to YouTube as “Unlisted.”) We watch the video and provide you with feedback to address your distinct needs. Did you do it correctly? Were you listening for the correct partials? Were you using good tuning lever techniques? Were you using proper fingering?
Often, exchanging videos isn’t sufficient. Sometimes, we need to meet with you via Zoom. We need to give you moment-by-moment feedback while you work at your piano. This is incredibly helpful. This is the kind of program you find at brick-and-mortar schools!
I would suggest you carefully consider any claim a school makes that most of their students graduate within a few months and then go out and build a profitable business. That’s like saying that you’ll take piano lessons for a few months and then get a job playing the piano professionally. Really? It makes it sound so easy!
Learning to aurally tune pianos is complex and takes concentration and practice. Could you purchase a tuning app and learn to use it in a few months? Maybe, but I find that suggestion misleading. I’m certainly not against using professional tuning apps, but I feel strongly that having a solid foundation in aural tuning allows one to use such electronic aids properly. Remember that piano tone is about what we hear, not what we see on a computer. Piano tuning is a science and an art.
And what about “Certification?” Do you view someone who correctly answers the multiple-choice questions of an online school as “Certified”? How does that compare to the Guild's certification process? How does it compare to our Diploma program? If you can pass our final tuning exam, you’ll be able to pass the Guild’s tuning exam!
Consider this: to qualify as an RPT, the Piano Technicians Guild's professional certification, you'll spend more than a few months developing your skills! Yes, they, too, require you to pass a written exam. But you also have to sit down and tune a piano. Three examiners will judge and score your tuning against a "Master Tuning." You must also perform various repairs and demonstrate your vertical and grand regulation skills. Once you have completed all three exams to professional standards, then—and only then—will you be “Certified” as a Registered Piano Technician (RPT).
Ask yourself if the instructors at the school you choose will actually listen to your tuning. Will they watch how you maneuver your tuning lever? Will they listen to the intervals you’re tuning? Will they give you aural tuning exercises and review them with you once you've practiced them? Without someone to guide you, how will you know if you’re doing what you should do? Are you really doing it correctly? Will the instructors of your school guide your development? How will they do that?
Kate, Maggie, and I will do our best to give you exactly that kind of guidance. As mentors, we’ll oversee your progress, and when it comes time to take your certification exams, we’re going to help you prepare and develop a strategy for passing those exams.
And what about when you finish the course? As mentors, we’re here to help you continue your journey as a professional and respected piano technician.