I was born into a piano family and became a piano tuner at the age of 20. To be honest, I had a hard start trying to getting enough business so when a friend offered me a high paying sales job in a different industry, I took it. I lasted about 8 months there before realizing I hated working in an office. I hated being told what to do, what to sell and how to sell it. I hated being stuck in one building all day and I felt trapped. I wanted to work with my hands. I wanted to be my own boss. I wanted to control my schedule and my income. So I quit and went back to piano technology. That was about 15 years ago and it was one of the best decisions of my life.
I like what I do. No, I LOVE what I do. Although my main instrument is guitar, I also play piano a bit and love working with tools, wood, steel, and music. Every day I am sounded by music and musicians. I make my own schedule, I set my own prices and I am in complete control of my future.
I have been either an instructor or a student coordinator here at PTA for about 10 years and I can tell you, switching careers is totally do-able! I have watched hundreds of people quit jobs they hate and start their own piano service business. Some of my closest friends in the piano industry, started with our course. I love going to the PTG conventions and meeting student after student who tell us how successful their businesses are and how much fun they are having working on the instrument they love every day.
If any of this resonates with you and you think you might want to check this career out, we have just the thing for you! One of our instructors/owners, David Hayes (also owns Artisan Piano Services) is doing one on one screen share meetings with people interested in our course. During the 30 minute Zoom meeting, David will show you the course from the inside and answer any questions you may have about becoming a piano technician. And the good thing is, getting business is a lot easier now than it was when I started! In fact, our Piano Tuning & Repair Course has two whole lessons on building a piano service business! If that’s not enough, we also have a very in depth course on building an even larger piano service business like Artisan Piano Services.
If you hate your job or simply want a change, now is your time! We are here to help!
