RNCB tuning dep to be closed

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 26 May 2008, 16:44

Hereford tuning department will be no more after June 135 years down the tubes

The are trying to place the current students at Newark sad as the RNCB was looking a doing a distance learning for sited folk who wished to tune but the Gov has pulled the plug

Barrie,

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 26 May 2008, 17:55

Chuffing tragic.

And all the time, Polish colleges are turning out technicians. There is a real lack of respect for this profession in this country. In Germany, piano technicians are treated like royalty.

Can I join in on the professional forum please then Barrie!?

PG

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 26 May 2008, 18:10

Your in it this is posted in there

Barrie,

mdw · Post by **mdw** » 26 May 2008, 22:02

We sure do seem to know the price of everything and the value of nothing in this country.
Is that on the basis of no funding or not enough students.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 27 May 2008, 01:18

They turned down 2 students last week the Government has reduced funding to 1 year the the Board took a vote on Tuesday to close it unless we can come up with £250K

Both Newark and LCF the first teachers at both were trained at RNCB

Barrie

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 27 May 2008, 20:14

Have they tried alerting the newspapers - especially the right-on ones like the Guardian? Is there some politician we can send a snottagram to?

tuna · Post by **tuna** » 27 May 2008, 23:13

My Dad went to the RNCB, but in the pre Hereford days, Shrewsbury I think he said. It should be kept open.

Is it confirmed Newark IS staying open? I heard they were still waiting for prspective students to apply.

Hello to you all! Gill and Barrie, i've spoken to you before, God only knows who the rest of you are?!

sussexpianos · Post by **sussexpianos** » 06 Jun 2008, 17:47

I think Newark is still staying open. Its a shame the old courses are closing, but I guess money is needed somewhere else, like plasma tv for the MP's second home.

Post by **vernon** » 09 Jun 2008, 21:42

what's Phil Kennedy doing then?

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 09 Jun 2008, 22:50

vernon wrote:what's Phil Kennedy doing then?

At the moment he is one of these who have been suspended they have just sacked one woman that has been there for 30 +

Barrie,

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 19 Jun 2008, 21:31

They have just made the tuning staff redundant today, 50 students demonstrated outside the principals office

Some of the governers are trying to raise the 25K to keep it going

Barrie,

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 21 Jun 2008, 12:48

this is very sad news indeed. Skilled tuners and technicians are worth their weight in gold and more and yet this is surely a nail in the coffin of a valued craft.

Let us know if a campaign is being mounted that us, the great unwashed, can clamour to join in..... happy to write 'disgusted of winchester' letters to whosoever

Celestite · Post by **Celestite** » 24 Jun 2008, 21:18

PianoGuy wrote:Chuffing tragic.

And all the time, Polish colleges are turning out technicians. There is a real lack of respect for this profession in this country. In Germany, piano technicians are treated like royalty.

Can I join in on the professional forum please then Barrie!?

PG

PG, I have the utmost respect for you guys - where would my Bechstein and I be without you? For the likes of me, you are indispensable. I doubt there's anything a lowly pianist like me could do for your cause but if you think of anything, give me a shout and I will gladly lend my support.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 02 Jul 2008, 15:49

Problems at Royal College for the Blind 'masked by Paralympics celebration'
25 June 2008

The nomination of Hereford Royal National College for the Blind as one of the
sites for the 2012 Paralympics has been received somewhat sceptically by UCU.
While this should be a real mark of success, says UCU, the accompanying
celebration masks some serious problems at the college.

Consultants were brought in last year to advise on reorganisation of the college.
Many teaching staff believe that a restructuring is seriously hampering the study
choices of students in their care. But the college has refused for more than a year to
have any dialogue with the teachers' union about staff and student concerns.

The college does not even allow union members to meet their union officials on
its premises and they have had to hire a local church hall. UCU plans to use legal
procedures to seek recognition so that it can get into meaningful talks with the
college. Meanwhile many staff, fearful of raising concerns individually, are speaking
out through their union to alert the wider community.

UCU regional official, Nick Varney, said:

'We have been inundated with worries about the loss of large chunks of the
curriculum. Some students do not know if their learning will be available next year.
Some are worried that they will lose the chance to study in a safe, specialist college
environment. Teachers are heartbroken as they watch the reduction of courses and
resources which have been carefully built over years.

'UCU has made repeated requests to talk with the college but we have been
refused. We now have to represent long-serving teachers who are being sacked
after selection processes that have never been negotiated.

'Attention to the Paralympics 2012 may be distracting the management at the
college from the concerns of some students, their families and teaching staff. This is
not in the spirit of the Paralympics or the college's aims and it is causing distress to
the visually impaired students and dedicated staff affected.

'Our UCU members at the college have been unwilling to make a fuss, even
though their jobs are at stake, but now feel they must bear witness to management
decisions which could damage student options, and must alert the wider community
to what is taking place.'

its going to be discussed on Radio 4

Barrie,

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 02 Jul 2008, 18:45

More power to UCU's elbow and I hope that staff will speak out against what is clearly an injustice on many levels.

The college must not be allowed to side-line genuine concerns of staff, pupils and union, nor reduce the quantity and quality of curriculum choices, all the whilst seeking to celebrate its paralympic credentials.

Do you think we should look to mount a public campaign in support of keeping the course open? It seems a relatively small sum of money is all that is required which, if pushed, I am sure could be found by the College and/or Govt ?

A lobby of angry pianists and tuner/technicians could make for an awfully noisy and discordant protest - we just need to combine with the street-pianos charity, tune several instruments slightly differently to one another and all out of tune themselves, then park ourselves outside the principals office and start playing chopsticks and the entertainer perhaps???

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 02 Jul 2008, 20:13

They are more interested in the 10 million sports centre they ar e building than providing education again all to do with the Paralympics its the board of governors you need to get at here is a list of them

PETER WILLIAM O'KEEFE
Resignations since June 1996:

ALASTAIR JAMES LOCHORE GLOVER
Appointment Date: 24/06/2004

DAVID ADAMS
Appointment Date: 23/06/1999

BRIAN GUY CAMPBELL
Appointment Date: 23/07/1991

GILLIAN MORTON CURTIS
Appointment Date: 03/04/1989

JUDITH HARRIS
Appointment Date: 29/11/2001

FREDERICK THOMAS POOLE
Appointment Date: 03/04/1989

SHANDER HERIAN
Appointment Date: 03/03/2005

CHRISTOPHER HARVEY
Appointment Date: 23/06/2006

LINDA GAINSBURY
Appointment Date: 24/09/1998

ALAN THOMAS BOOTH
Appointment Date: 21/10/1999

ALBERT DAVID COOPER
Appointment Date: 21/10/1999

DAVID MOTTERSHEAD HALPERN
Appointment Date: 21/10/1999

JESSICA JANE VRONWY WHITE
Appointment Date: 29/06/2000

SUSAN EUNICE PARTRIDGE
Appointment Date: 21/07/2006

CHRISTOPHER WEST
Appointment Date: 23/06/2006
Date of Birth: 26/12/1945

SUSAN DOROTHY DOBINSON
Appointment Date: 23/06/2006

ANTHONY MARK CUTTER
Appointment Date: 24/06/2004

DAVID PHILIP CLARKE
Appointment Date: 24/06/2004

CHRISTINE MAY STEADMAN
Appointment Date: 01/08/2006

RICHARD TURVEY
Appointment Date: 01/04/2006
Date of Birth: 21/02/1949

AMANDA JAYNE STEVENS
Appointment Date: 19/10/2007

All can be contacted at the Royal National College for the Blind

Antz · Post by **Antz** » 04 Jul 2008, 07:22

There's the first problem - 22 of the bugg*rs. How can it possibly need that many to govern an institution?

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 04 Jul 2008, 09:01

Hi Barrie,

Thanks for posting the director's details - I feel a letter writing effort coming on!

Can you post or pm me the relevant background details so I don't fire off something incorrect - I am then more than happy to commence writing

Can we lobby any institutions to aid in putting pressure on? Relevant instrument manufacturers, PTG, IMIT, music colleges etc?

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 04 Jul 2008, 17:27

Stay off the manufactures as they are on the case with a pos ££ to keep it going

HRH POW is also the patron and the tuning dep has the royal warrant for tuning so he will have to get a new tuner

the vote to close was the only by one and it was not a full meting and some are not happy about that

Barrie,

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 04 Jul 2008, 21:13

There was an article in the Times today about RNCB

any one read it

Barrie,

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 05 Jul 2008, 08:55

no did not see it - can you scan a copy or is it available online?

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 09 Jul 2008, 21:39

bbc Radio4 inTouch was about the tuning dep

You can hear it on-line

comments on the program

Barrie,

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 10 Jul 2008, 15:23

Also mentioned in Private Eye this edition. Asks how many blind people will be able to make a career out of football, compared to music tech.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 12 Jul 2008, 17:01

Gill the Piano wrote:Also mentioned in Private Eye this edition. Asks how many blind people will be able to make a career out of football, compared to music tech.

and RNCB response is......
"
but if it is alluding how many people will get paid for blind football as opposed to Piano tuning then again the facts will speak for themselves as many of our European counterparts play blind football professionally! "

Hmm will I need to take my shoes and socks of to count the ones who can make a living out of playing Blind football... is there anyone !

Barrie,

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 12 Jul 2008, 18:27

They all became referees.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 12 Jul 2008, 19:21

Brumtuner wrote:They all became referees.

LOL

Barrie,

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 24 Jul 2008, 18:24

More in this week's Private Eye; "...the final tutor in the music technology department was told to clear her desk within the hour and marched off site after nine years' service. Her farewell gift was posted to her.
The piano-tuning course is being closed, despite the fact that it was described as the best in Europe and offered an excellent small business opportunity to its students, ewspecially since there is a national shortage of tuners. The college has already sold off most of the pianos, so without them and the special workshop equipment needed it will be impossible to resuscitate the course. One blind governor has raised £100,000 in an attempt to save the course, but those efforts have proved in vain.
Meanwhile, students halfway through the music technology course have no idea what will happen to them. They face unemployment - unless of course they fancy beginning training for the Paralympics, in which case they could make use of the college's new £25,000,000 sports and complementary therapy centre."