WHO WE ARE

There are currently over 18 million pianos in the United States, and only 4,000 technicians available to service them. Contrary to popular belief, owning an acoustic piano instead of a digital or electronic one is still very desirable. The piano is a gloriously complex musical instrument with anywhere from 10,000 - 12,000 parts. Servicing and maintaining the instrument requires the specialized skills of a highly trained piano technician. But how does one get the training needed to become a piano technician or a piano tuner?

There are currently only a few schools in North America that offer it. All but one require prospective students to relocate to the city where the program is offered. This will probably mean that the student will have to either quit or take a leave of absence from gainful employment in their home town. The tuition is very expensive, ranging in price from about $14,000 to $28,000. Relocation costs and the cost of finding a place to live must also be considered.

The piano's design has not changed significantly in the last 100 years, but now, thanks to modern technology, the internet and proven distance education theory, learning how to service pianos and become a tuner and/or a technician will now be possible for more people at a significantly lower cost than existing programs.

The course author, a practicing piano technician with a Master's Degree in Distance Education, was once a student in a traditional piano technology program. She was able to study with ease because she happened to live in the same city where the course was offered. Many of her classmates however, made significant sacrifices to take the course, having to leave jobs and/or families behind to relocate in a strange city. Upon reflection, the course author realized how lucky she was to not be in the same position. Many of her classmates did not complete the program because they became homesick or ran out of money.

The author combined her personal experience at a traditional Piano Technology program and her 17 years as a self-employed piano technician in private business and tuning for a university and piano retailers, with her knowledge about online distance education and website creation, and the Durham School of Piano Technology was born. These unique programs combine online learning instructional units that are monitored by a "facilitating" technician (see Facilitators for more information), and practical experience with a mentoring technician (see Mentors for more information). The program permits students from around the globe to study from home and keep their jobs while studying, and all that is required is a high speed internet connection and a mentoring technician. Students will interact with each other in online discussions, and will, from time to time, participate in live online presentations.

Register for the programs here: (Coming soon)

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