About Piano Craft Technical School
Piano Craft Technical School's mission is to train the next generation of piano technicians to be competent and proficient in their work, to bring happiness to their clients, and to make a really good living in the process!
The school consists of the most thorough, most detailed library of piano technology knowledge available today. The curriculum consists of many hours of in-depth video demonstrations, hundreds of pages of detailed how-to notes to go along with the courses, and the book From Zero to Six Figures, which outlines a detailed, step-by-step process for building a successful piano tuning business.
We assume you know nothing about working on pianos when you start and that you will be working on some very nice instruments after graduation. To that end, we cover everything you need to know to work on all brands of pianos, including Steinway, Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Pearl River, Samick, and more. We also teach you how to work on every type of piano, from spinets to uprights to grand pianos. Specialized training is also provided to be able to work on concert grands in a performance situation.
Piano Craft Technical School is a remote learning course with regular in-person training opportunities for students. Once enrolled, you have lifetime access to all courses, including any future courses that may be published. Current courses include:
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Introduction to Piano Technology
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Tools and Suppliers
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Tuning 101
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Tuning 201
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Tuning 301
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Upright Regulation
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Grand Regulation
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Repairs
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Troubleshooting
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Voicing
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Grand Action Rebuilding
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Working on Blüthner Pianos
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The Piano Tuning Business
Additionally, students have 24/7 access to a searchable
Knowledge Database, which has tons of information that one can't find elsewhere, including "piano lore," such as answers to why certain pianos are the way they are and things that are typically passed down only by oral tradition. The Knowledge Database also has the answers to many questions students may have as they learn. If the answer isn't there, students have access to real-life piano technicians who are happy to help answer questions.
About the Piano Craft Seminar
Piano Craft Technical School, LLC also offers optional hands-on training opportunities for students who need some in-person help. This multi-day seminar is offered at least once a year and is separate from the main curriculum.
The focus of the Piano Craft Seminar is to help students apply what they've learned in the course in a real-world setting. This is a great way to get real feedback from real piano technicians as you work in small group settings or one-on-one with an instructor.
The Piano Craft Seminar usually runs between three and five days and covers piano tuning, regulation, voicing, and more. It is ideal for students who have finished at least half of the curriculum and need a confidence boost before working on pianos in the real world. This is a great way to kick off your new career, and we highly recommend it for all students.
About the Endorsed Piano Technician Program
When a student completes all the courses, passes all exams, and fulfills all requirements for graduation, a diploma will be issued. That student will then be a graduate of the school and is ready to start working on pianos!
The Endorsed Piano Technician (EPT) program is an optional program for students who are ready to take their skills to the next level. An Endorsed Piano Technician is a graduate of Piano Craft Technical School who has passed a series of in-person, real-world tests to prove his or her competency in piano technology.
The EPT program is separate from graduation and is available only for graduates. To successfully complete the EPT program, the candidate must:
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Graduate from Piano Craft Technical School with at least an 80% overall grade.
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Tune at least 50 different pianos. Records must be kept and submitted to verify this.
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Must complete an in-person evaluation of his or her tuning skills.
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Must complete an in-person evaluation of his or her regulation skills.
Why do we require an in-person evaluation to earn the endorsement? We've seen several cases of people who graduated from other schools of piano technology and received both their diploma and certification, but unfortunately were very incompetent when it came to working on pianos. In one instance, a gentleman had received his certification in piano tuning without even tuning his own piano one time!
Not only is that sloppy, it also brings a bad reputation on the school in question. To avoid that, we take every precaution we can to endorse only technicians who are competent in their work. This necessitates in-person evaluation of one's skills.
About Your Instructor
Benjamin Sanchez is a Register Piano Technician (RPT) with the Piano Technicians Guild and a Master Piano Technician (MPT) with the Master Piano Technicians of America. He was one of the youngest piano technicians in the world to achieve these certifications, earning his RPT at age 20 and his MPT at age 21. He has trained with world-class instructors all across the nation and has successfully completed some of the world's most prestigious training programs for piano technicians, including the renowned Renner Academy. He has written numerous technical and non-technical articles for both the Piano Technicians Journal and the Master Piano Technicians Journal, and served as the editor of the Master Piano Technicians Journal from 2018-2020. He has taught both classes and seminars about the various aspects of piano technology. He is currently a highly sought-after concert technician serving the most discerning (and demanding) of clients in his area.
He has built a successful piano tuning and repair business twice, first in California and then again in Huntsville, Alabama. After being questioned over and over again about how to grow a piano service business, he wrote the book From Zero to Six Figures: A Practical Guide to Starting and Running a Successful Service-Based Business, which was published in 2024 and is included as part of the curriculum.
Benjamin had helped train dozens of new piano technicians prior to starting Piano Craft Technical School. He has the heart of a teacher and makes the success of his students a priority. He has had so many people influence his life and career and sees teaching the next generation of piano technicians as a way to pay it forward.
