Gerald Charles Mead

I was born and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. I grew up in a musical family. My Mother is a church organist and piano teacher. My Father was a retired Pharmacist and drummer. My younger Brother sings, plays trombone & bass guitar. I played the alto sax. We had a family band, and we played out for 30 years, since I was an early teenager.

When I was a senior in high school, I was strongly considering college for a music education degree. I like music, but teaching it..., was something else. I knew that I had a good musical ear, and I had a mechanical aptitude, and I had the inbred desire to be self-employed, (my Grandfather and my Dad were always self-employed) . The formula = Piano Technician.

 I looked at a number of learning options, correspondence courses, (I believe that you can learn piano repair by mail, but for me personally... not piano tuning?), or becoming an apprentice to an established technician, (I was told that I could learn their way to tune & repair...along with their good & bad habits), or... I could start at a piano factory and work my way up(starting with a broom?) The only option for me was a resident school that was a serious learning center that offered a complete program. I found and chose the Sims School of Piano Technology in Columbus Georgia. 
I was very impressed with the instructor and founder of the school James R. Sims. At the Sims School I was exposed to various ways to tune pianos, including electronic tuning devices. I personally choose to tune by ear. I also learned how to repair simple problems...all the way up to complete rebuilding.

 At the Sims School, we had guest speakers visit and tell us the facts of life in the real world of music and piano tuning. We even went on a field trip to visit 2 piano factories.

 In conclusion, I graduated from the Sims school of Piano Technology not with... "The sum total of wisdom & knowledge", I left with a well rounded solid foundation that I have built upon these last 30 years, constantly growing in experience and enjoying a successful piano service business..... Thank you James...

 My class picture and we even made the front cover of the P.T.G. Journal

 (a note the reader: James Sims has long ago closed the school and has since moved to Tallahassee Florida and is now in business with his son Randy,..... Jims Pianos

Now in Business...

In 1979 I moved my family to Florida to join the rest of my family (parents and brother & his family). I had to start my Piano Service business from scratch all over again! I soon hooked up with more Factory Authorized Piano Dealers in the Tampa Bay area. Steinway, Bosendorfer, Schimmel, Yamaha, Baldwin. I am currently doing warranty work for Adams Pianos.
I also for the last 21 years have serviced the Music Dept. at Florida College.

 I am divorced and have 2 grown sons (no interest in piano work). I live in the outskirts of Tampa Bay. I enjoy 'free lance' television camera work, producing/video editing, I also shoot and edit weddings on DVD, camping, canoeing, target shooting, watching professional NHRA drag racing, Jazz piano, Internet 'surfin, and trips when I can get away.