All-Day Thursday Classes! (extra $95)

Again this year, SCRC is offering all-day-long classes on Thursday. These extra cost classes allow for extended learning.

  • A Grand Day at the Piano Spa - with Don Mannino
  • Branding and Marketing a Piano Service Business - with Timothy Barnes

You will have to choose the one most important to you!

Check for updates periodically.

A Grand Day at the Piano Spa: Full Day
All-Day-Thursday Class - Extra Cost

Don Mannino, RPT

An all-day seminar demonstrating how to bring a well-worn grand piano into good playing condition in one day.

The day will start with a grand which has been used and abused and is in need of major work. Don will demonstrate practical and efficient methods that we all can use for making an unhappy older piano into an enjoyable, pleasing musical instrument in the space of a full day service appointment. Topics discussed and demonstrated will be prioritizing and planning the day’s work, cleaning, keyboard easing and lubrication, fast hammer filing methods, and a session on grand regulation for maximum performance. Mixed into the demonstrations will be discussions of action center service, grand action regulation methods with and without specifications, hammer shaping methods for great results in the shortest time possible, full-piano voicing, tuning stability, plus snippets and guidance for concert tuning voicing (piano permitting!).

Don will not just talk about the work - he will be demonstrating the actual work for us, filing hammers, regulating and voicing one section of the piano, allowing us to experience the results and see how he got there.

Branding and Marketing a Piano Service Business: Full Day
All-Day-Thursday Class - Extra Cost

Timothy Barnes

Description: Walk in with a business, walk out with a brand. Most piano technicians (From freelancers to team based businesses) struggle to create a brand identity that clearly and succinctly captures the story of their business. As a result your marketing, website, logo, and every part of your business suffers (all the way down to the last email you sent to a new / prospect customer). All because you don't have clarity on what your brand is and what value you are providing to your best customers. In this all-day hands-on workshop we will work with you to:

  • Session 1: Create a brand story & one liner for your company
  • Session 2: Identify your primary and secondary brand words.
  • Session 3: Identify customer personas / customer segmentation strategies for your brand.
  • Session 4: One-liner participant live practice & feedback.
  • Lunch
  • Session 5: Create a unified branded call to action for your target customer.
  • Session 6: Logo / visual marketing asset review, analysis, recommendations.
  • Session 7: Live website review for each participant.
  • Session 8: Applying brand consistency in every corner of your company.

End of Extra Cost Thursday Class Descriptions

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Friday - Sunday Classes

More class descriptions coming soon!.

Grow With Gazelle

Tim Barnes

Come learn about using Gazelle to grow your business. Whether you are just getting started or you have questions that dive deep into how you can best use any of our features to grow. Gazelle's all-in-one business management software for piano technicians is the tool you need and we will be covering how Gazelle has helped piano technicians around the globe (and how it can help you) grow your revenue, save time, and wow your customers.

Creating Estimates That Sell

Tim Barnes

You shouldn't have to feel like a pushy sales person to get your clients to choose to invest in their piano. Creating estimates that sell is all about staying true to who you are and utilizing the full power of Gazelle's Estimate feature in your business. Every year millions of dollars worth of estimates are being created in Gazelle and we will be discussing tips, tricks, and things we have learned helping piano technicians around the globe create better estimates in their business.

Have Heat Gun, Will Travel

Wim Blees

An in depth discussion and demonstration on aligning, spacing, traveling, and burning grand and upright hammers and wippens.

Grand Dampers – The Ring Stops Here

Norman Cantrell, RPT

Grand dampers begin with the pedal and end on top of the strings. This class will cover a step by step approach to regulating grand dampers with a logical and straightforward approach. Take the mystery out of grand dampers and enjoy a ring free piano.

UPRIGHT HAMMER HANGING

Josi Davis Lane and Melanie Brooks, Brooks LTD

Learn expert techniques for hanging upright hammers both in and out of the piano from the team at Brooks LTD. Discover what parts are available on the market and opportunities you have to improve aesthetics, maintenance and performance during the replacement process. Let the voice of experience help you to avoid common pitfalls, build a better tool bag and increase your skill set – and ultimately, your business.

Tone Regulation … what you do before you voice a piano.

Charles Faulk

This class will include hammer shaping, string leveling, ‘rough’ needling, fitting hammers to strings, and voicing. It should be useful to both beginners and anyone who does concert prep.

Circle of Refinement

Kevin Fortenberry

Making maximum improvements to both vertical & grand pianos with CURRENT resources. Discover how some amazing changes can be made to the sound & touch to many pianos when budgets are somewhat limited.

Introduction to the Piano Life Saver

Kelly Hollifield

Struggling with tuning stability related to humidity fluctuations? We have a solution! The Piano Life Saver is a complete climate control system to help minimize tuning stability issues due to changes in humidity. We will provide a broad overview of product function, system selection, basic installation and service. This is a great course to check out whether you are new to the Piano Life Saver system, or just looking to brush up your skills and knowledge.

VOICING HOLISTICALLY

Vince Mrykalo

This class will present a method and procedure I use to voice a piano with moderately worn hammers, starting with the belly. There will be a quick overview of regulation and hammer shaping, alignment and fitting before doing the felt acupuncture. We will then explore various needling methods and tools.

Verticals: From Bobble To Aftertouch

Shane Ohlson

Demystifying the most prevalent vertical piano regulation issues we encounter in the field. This session will focus only on verticals (including spinets) and will allow time for hands-on demonstrations of some of the topics discussed.

The Time of Your Life

Bob Putnam

It will cover: Effective, proven time management skills for the professional.

Keyboard and Action Evaluation for the Rebuilder

Nate Reyburn, RPT

We'll demonstrate practical and objective ways to make your action rebuild will be successful by checking the condition of the keyboard and stack and simple ways to check action geometry. Ramifications of installing a new keyboard and/or action stack. A virtual tour through Reyburn Pianoworks keyboard manufacturing shop which uses the latest CAD and CNC robotics.

PARTIAL HEARING: YOUR GREATEST ASSET
Basic level class

Jack Stebbins

What are partials? What are beats? What is inharmonicity? In our business, PARTIAL HEARING is, indeed, your greatest asset. What’s it all about? Come find out.

JACK’S STACK
Intermediate level class

Jack Stebbins

Do you want to nail F-A at 7 beats per second? I’ll teach you how. The piano can actually dictate that speed and others. Here is a revolutionary strategy for getting the piano to give you those crucial beat speeds in your temperament. It is not black magic. Seriously! Come see how the piano itself can improve your tuning.

Opportunity Mocking - Administering a Mock Tuning Exam (to yourself or others)

Jenny Stokes

With the help of electronic tuning aids, anyone can now take or administer a mock tuning exam. Learn how to set up the piano and the device to give a mock tuning exam to yourself (if you are studying for your RPT exams) or others (if you are helping someone prepare for their RPT exams). Tunelab, Verituner, and Cybertuner will all be covered.

Touch and tone: the pianist’s perspective (two period)

Fred Sturm

Grand Piano Rebuilding Steps - Part 1

Li Yeoh

Grand Piano Rebuilding Steps - Part 2

Li Yeoh

A little acoustic theory and sound board replacement

Jim Watson