Our Student Reviews

"If you are trying to decide what piano technology school to attend, The Butler School of Piano Technology is the one! I completed two other popular correspondence schools and I still did not feel confident enough to adequately tune pianos. I knew the procedure, however I did not know “why” I was doing what I was doing. It was very hard to receive the much needed feedback from the other schools. The Butler School will not only teach you what to do, it will teach you why you do it. Also, if you run into problems, help is only an email or phone call away. The exam feedback you will receive from The Butler School is very clear and concise, as well as encouraging. I have no doubt that not only will I be a competent technician, I will also be able to pass the Piano Technicians Guild’s RPT exam. If you are interested in becoming a piano technician this is the school for you."
K B.

Excellent program and, from what I've heard, offers more resources than other online piano technology schools. Having a dedicated instructor for Zoom calls and email questions is so helpful. The knowledge I've gained and feedback I've received have helped me progress significantly in the last year. An online trade school can be difficult while working full-time but The Butler School is flexible and helps you achieve your goals. Highly recommend.
M.S.

Excellent, individualized education on Aural tuning, with exceptional guidance on hammer technique. Without this training, I would not be the technician I am today, and I would not be a Registered Piano Technician with the Piano Technicians Guild. I highly recommend the Butler School for personalized training and guidance. Rick is always a phone call away to help and give advice on piano-related issues. Thank you!
G.B.

Very rarely do I ever feel compelled to leave a review for, well, almost anything. The Butler School of Piano Technology is an exception. I found the school after joining the PTG and exploring a number of options for learning the piano technician trade, both in-person and correspondence-based. After conferring with my personal mentor and other members of my chapter it became clear that The Butler School was the best option for quality of education, time, and expense. I have been working through the program for nearly a year and my experience thus far has been excellent. The course is broken into two major categories: tuning and technical. Each lesson is presented well with videos to accompany and further explain the text. There are both written and video exams required throughout. The written exams reinforce fundamental concepts while the video exams allow you to put the theoretical into practice. Each exam, written and video, is accompanied by instructor feedback. I have found this to be one of the most beneficial aspects of The Butler School. My instructor is Kate, and I have received honest, thoughtful, and workable feedback on my submissions. Though I have yet to take advantage, the course also allows one-on-one tutoring from your instructor. To this point I have been very happy with my choice to enroll and I am excited to see where this path leads. I am entirely confident that my time with The Butler School will lay the foundation for a new and successful career as a piano technician. I am proud to give my most enthusiastic recommendation!
T.S.

Enrolling in TBS was a great move on my part. After having an initial tuning lesson with Rick at the PTG Annual Convention, I have been working with Kate for about a year and could not be happier with how much I have learned. The material is through and very well explained, along with helpful videos. I was really eager to get honest feedback on my tuning skills and continue to feel more confident and comfortable as I move through the course. Knowing that help is always available is also a great feeling, Highly Recommended!!!!
S.Z.

I cannot say enough good things about the Rick Butler course. Focused primarily on the art and science of aural tuning, Rick’s written material will take you through concepts such as hammer technique, inharmonicity, hearing coincident partials, and more - methodically going from the basics to the full process of a complete aural tuning. The course is designed to prepare the student to pass the Piano Technician’s Guild aural tuning exam.

Through the lengthy yet thorough written materials and video supplements, Rick presents each step of the process of creating a solid aural temperament. Each chapter includes written exams, along with video exams presented by the student to the examiner. Rick and his team carefully watch and listen to each video exam and give honest, yet encouraging feedback within a day or two. In addition, Rick and his team members are always available to answer specific questions through email or even zoom appointments.

The course isn’t easy, and requires study, practice and patience to complete each step. But at the end of each chapter, you are ready to go on to the next lesson until finally you are able to accomplish what you set out to do in the beginning - aurally tune a piano in a professional manner.

Through Rick’s help, I have become more confident and competent applying the principles of aural tuning to my work. In addition to studying with the Butler course, I have had the opportunity to work with a handful of mentors in my local PTG chapter, and all of them have commented favorably on the Rick Butler course, and its effectiveness to teach aural tuning. I highly recommend it.
C.M.

Rick Butler and Kate Therrien have been wonderful to work with, and the Butler school program is very thorough and effective. Rick truly cares about producing good, skilled, and trustworthy piano technicians.
B.S.

"I've been a student of The Butler School of Piano Technology for two years, working at my own pace. Mr. Butler's course will teach you everything you need to know and will give you an excellent foundation upon which to build your tuning skills. I'd say in the absence of having a piano technician sitting right next to you and guiding you, Mr. Butler is the next best thing. He is always there for you, to answer your questions again and again, to critique the videos you send in and to encourage you along the way to becoming a piano tuner.
I looked at our email correspondence and Mr. Butler and I have exchanged 219 emails in the past two years and he has watched and critiqued over 11 hours of video that I have uploaded to Youtube.
You could not ask for a better mentor and teacher. It was astounding to me that months and months would go by and the quality of his teaching never dropped, he never stopped pushing me to improve and get better, and it was never a problem if I needed to take a break for a while. He was always ready to resume right where we left off as soon as I was ready.
I don't think I could put a value on the time and patience that Mr. Butler has given me. His school is always evolving. I think what he's doing is wonderful and I would highly recommend his school to anyone with an interest and commitment to piano technology."
Chesley R.

"Rick Butler is a top-notch technician and a highly sought-after instructor in the piano world. His course gave me an extremely solid foundation in aural tuning, and prepared me to tackle all three RPT exams successfully. I had never even heard of the Piano Technicians Guild until I began Rick's course, but it has since become a significant part of my life and I am very grateful for the course's emphasis on joining. The Butler School was one of the best decisions I ever made and I will always consider Rick a mentor and friend."
Jenny S

"Rick Butler loves teaching and it shows. I can’t say enough good things about his skill as a teacher. He is patient, pleasant and focused; perceptive; knowledgeable without arrogance; open-minded; methodical but flexible. 
As his student I consistently feel valued, respected, encouraged and challenged. Rick communicates the joy of learning even when one is being guided through a topic or skill that is uncongenial. He knows how to inspire the student to do their best work as well as how to help them improve the level of that work. 
I struggled with aural tuning for some years in the absence of a competent teacher. Rick has enabled me to greatly increase my skill. I feel quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with him."
Lisa.N.

"I started taking this course as a piano player, with no experience in piano tuning or technology. I was nervous about starting out in a completely new field, but Rick quickly put those concerns to rest.  
His course is very well designed. The concepts are presented in a logical flow, with each new concept, building on what you’ve already learned.  I think anyone could start this course with no experience and come out of it with all the knowledge and skills required to become an RPT. 
Rick is very attentive and engaged as a teacher. In addition to the core concepts, Rick offers individualized instruction and mentoring. I went from feeling very unsure to finding I could understand each concept and become confident in each new skill.  
I now feel that I am armed with all the knowledge, skills and abilities that are needed to be a successful RPT.  I recommend Rick's course to anyone who wants to achieve that goal."
Erika.M.

I just wanted to share my overall experience so far.
I see very clearly the order in which your course is designed, it's quite brilliant, and you put extreme thought into it! I am very impressed.
I see it like this:
Simultaneously the exercises given by the course build an aural “toolbox” while at the exact same time building “ear/ listening training.”
It’s like you slowly show us which tools to buy, which tools to make ourselves, how to use them, and how to organize the toolbox.
I am very thankful!
N.H.

"I highly recommend Rick Butler's school for anyone wanting to learn the art of piano tuning and repair.  Whether you're completely new or already working in the field, Rick knows how to take you through the process step by step with his course designed to help you pass the Piano Technicians Guild RPT exam.   I really appreciate being able to work at my own pace (whether it's a surge to get a bunch done vs needing to take various breaks for family reasons)  and his prompt responses to course work and video exams.   He always gives individualized feedback, which is really something nowadays with overstuffed class sizes and anonymous online courses."
Michelle. L.

"Rick Butler’s course is designed for success with many different learning styles. There is a reading component, a video component and a feedback component. Not only does he explain and demonstrate, he takes you through exercises that develop both physical and intellectual skills needed to succeed at a particular task. The video component allows him to evaluate students individually so he can meet their distinct needs. Well done!"
M.J.

"When I decided to change careers later in my life to become a piano technician, joining The Butler School of Piano Technology was the best decision I could have made to accelerate my career path. The course material is detailed, very well assembled and designed to not only explain how you do it but why you do it and the technology that defines it.
Rick is highly knowledgeable, very patient, quite thorough in his explanations and responses to coursework and questions and his swift turn around times and accessibility mean that you’re never waiting long to move forward.
I highly recommend The Butler Course to anyone who wants to get into the business quickly and with the confidence and knowledge required to perform as a competent, professional technician."
David.B.

"As a working musician and teacher, I was looking for ways to expand my income. Rick at The Butler School provides a fun yet challenging course into the world of piano technology.”
Tim P.