April 2023

Greetings to Our New Members
If you're reading a PTG member e-newsletter for the first time, welcome! If you need anything, please get in touch with your chapter president, Regional Vice President, or the PTG Home Office. Be sure to check out some of the great benefits of PTG membership. To all members, check out the list of new members in each month's Journal and see who's new in your area.
Convention Registration is Open!
Check out these quick links to start planning your
2023 PTG Convention & Technical Institute experience. 
Visit convention.ptg.org for updates and new items.
 
Save Money
As always, a Convention Roommate Connection community is available for those interested in sharing rooms. Check out the Convention Rideshare Connection community if you'd like to carpool.
 
Special Offer for First-Time Convention Attendees
PTG members can save $300 on any 2023 registration. You must call 913-432-9975 to register at the First-Time Rate.
Finance Your Exam Journey
The Piano Technicians Guild Foundation offers scholarships for an exam fee and convention registration available to members who have passed two RPT examinations and plan to take the third exam at the annual convention. Applications are due no later than April 30. Please visit the Foundation website and click on Convention & Exam Scholarships for instructions and to apply online.
Winter 2023 Board Minutes Available
You can find the minutes from the most recent PTG Board of Directors meeting in the Forms and Documents library at www.ptg.org/members/documents. Bylaws and Organizational Policies have also been updated and can also be found in that same library in the Organizational Bylaws, Policies and Documents folder.
The PTG Education Hub: A User’s Guide
The ever expanding PTG Education Hub now has a user guide. Watch this 5-minute video preview of the PTG Education Hub and be amazed at the wide variety of materials already available. Learn more about how to use the Online Journal Search, checkout the wide variety of interactive modules and videos, find a Beginner's Roadmap, mentor resources and more. Check back frequently to see what's new.
What's in the April 2023 Journal?
  • Tuning the Skeleton
  • Making Sense of Cents
  • Old Player Piano Basics
The Piano Technicians Journal is always available 24-7. Read the April issue here.
PTG Academy
Six students completed a Polyester & Lacquer Finish Touchup class presented by Mike Ello, RPT in March at the PTG Home Office. In addition to the classroom work, students also learned real world skills by touching up two pianos in the Jack Wyatt Museum. Visit the PTG Events calendar for a list of upcoming educational events. Contact Kathy Maxwell at kathy@ptg.org if you'd like to be added to a waitlist for the next Polyester class.
Use Your Talents and Make a Difference
The Piano Technician Guild exists because of volunteers. Some of those volunteers are highly visible, such as the Board of Directors. Others aren’t, like the local chapter officers or the dedicated examiners who give RPT exams. All our volunteers play a crucial role in making PTG and your membership experience a success. Many of these opportunities are available to both members and RPTs.
 
As we approach the upcoming PTG Convention and Technical Institute, those volunteer needs are amplified. On the national level, there will be opportunities to serve as a chapter delegate and opportunities to serve on PTG committees. We’re looking for RPT’s to help give exams and we may even need a volunteer or two to help guide visually impaired members or others with special needs around the convention hotel. Reach out to us at ptg@ptg.org and we’ll direct you to the right opportunity for you.
 
Opportunities also abound at the local level. Most chapters are conducting elections this spring. Is it time for you to step up to a local leader position? Can you help with arranging education for chapter meetings or edit a local e-newsletter? Visit the Chapter Resources area, and specifically the Chapter Toolkit, for ideas about how you can find a chapter leadership role.
 
And you will make a difference. In the last few years alone, volunteer efforts have resulted in a successful project to introduce the career of piano technology to beginners, an Education Hub that offers members at all levels access to a wealth of collected knowledge to improve their skills, an online searchable Journal Index, a digital RPT written exam, well-attended regional conferences, local seminars, numerous exam opportunities, and more projects that could have never been accomplished without the commitment, skills and time PTG members are willing to share. Where will your ideas and energy lead you?
Deadline Calendar
Bylaws Proposals are due 5/19/2023 – bylaws@ptg.org. The Bylaws Committee will also review Organizational Policy RFAs if you'd like their feedback. Use the downloadable Request for Action (RFA) form found in the Forms & Documents library in the Members Area at www.ptg.org.

All Reports and RFAs not sent to the Bylaws Committee are due 6/8/2023 – Send to Barbara Cassaday, barbara@ptg.org. Use the downloadable RFA and Committee Report forms found in the Forms & Documents library in the Members Area at www.ptg.org. Submit in Word format.
 
Council Delegate names are due 6/27/2023 – The annual Council meeting will be held Tuesday, July 25. Chapter presidents will be receiving a reminder with an attached Delegate Registration Form.