Regular Full-time, Pay Grade 40
The University of Tennessee - School of Music
Piano Technician
The School of Music maintains an inventory of 125 Pianos, ranging from Grand and Upright Pianos in practice rooms, Studio Grand Pianos in classrooms and teaching studios, and 9' Concert Grands in various concert venues across Campus. This inventory is worth in excess of 7 Million Dollars and is a crucial component of the academic and performance activities of the School of Music. This position is responsible for tuning, maintaining, repairing and refurbishing the piano inventory, to ensure that the pianos meet the required standards of artistic need of the School of Music. The pianos are located in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center and the Alumni Memorial Building. This position performs a variety of skilled duties to tune, maintain and refurbish University pianos used not only in the academic program but also in performances by various campus groups, National Competitions, National Seminars and noted performing artists external to the University. The public is invited to most performances, so an expectation of an extremely high level of tuning and voicing is a requirement. This position impacts Program, Department, Division/College, Campus/Institute, University, and the Public external to the University through the extreme visibility of the concerts, presented over the school year.
Responsibilities include:
Concert Tuning and Preparation
On the days of concerts, concert pianos must be tuned, including regular voicing and regulation.
One must confer with the artists, faculty, and students as to tuning and special needs for the piano during concerts.
One must be prepared to make emergency repairs and tuning, during concerts and recitals.
Tuning, Voicing, Regulation, and Repairs
Tune all pianos 3-4 times a year or more as needed.
Locate and correct defects in Keyboard, pedals and action assembly using specialized tools and gauges.
Replace faulty, worn, or broken parts such as hammers, shanks, strings, dampers, joint connections etc.
Level keys, set touch, ease keys, adjust springs, set letoff and drop, set jack height, tighten screws, lubricate action parts, clean action frames, clean soundboards, vacuum inside of pianos, repair benches, file or reshape hammers, voice hammers, align hammers under strings, mate hammers to the string, adjust dampers to strings, mate key frame to key bed.
Rebuilding
In order to extend the useful lifetime of pianos, a regular program of partial/complete rebuilding is necessary. This may include the following duties;
Replacement of all major components done either in shop or using outside vendors.
New key coverings, new key bushings done either in shop or using outside vendors.
Scheduling and paperwork
Plan and implement a schedule of ongoing maintenance of piano inventory at a standard commensurate with artistic need. Schedule concert tunings, reserving rooms with School of Music room coordinator and with the student union room coordinator. Order parts
Maintain accurate inventory and maintenance records. Make piano needs assessment, long-term planning of strategy for maintenance of large piano inventory, diagnose problems and take corrective action.
