Robert Steimle's Schools

• Indiana University , Class of 1985 MBA in Business Administration

Robert Steimle's Publications

• History of the Piano, by Robert Steimle, Robert Steimle September, 2010 Outside of my professional work as a controller at Janesville Acoustics, I enjoy classical music and jazz, and I also play the piano. What follows is a brief description of the history of the instrument that we all know but often take for granted. The piano is a fairly modern instrument, coming into its current form in the beginning of the 19th century. In fact, changes to the structure of the modern piano continued well into the 20th century, and although the instrument has been standardized, alternative pianos do exist. For instance, the standard concert grand piano made by Steinway & Sons, as well as most upright pianos, go down to a low A. The Bösendorfer company, however, with a history stretching back to the 1820s, produces pianos that go down more than half an octave further, to a low C. The late jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, among many other world-famous performers, play or played Bösendorfer pianos because of their tone and extended range. Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori is usually credited as the inventor of the piano, and the first model was made in the late 17th century. In building the instrument, Cristofori sought to solve a problem that many instrument makers previously had grappled with: could an instrument combine the dynamic variability of the clavichord with the carrying power of the harpsichord? The clavichord is an earlier instrument that uses struck strings, like the piano, but it is very quiet and cannot be used in ensemble settings. The harpsichord, on the other hand, uses plucked strings and is loud enough to play with a group of instruments, but its loudness cannot be varied, making it less expressive. Cristofori’s first pianos were box shaped and quiet by modern standards. They also lacked the sustain of modern pianos and had a significantly smaller range. Over time, a variety of modifications were made: the range was expanded; piano strings were strengthened, thickened, and duplicated to increase durability, loudness, and sustain; pedals were introduced; an iron or steel frame was developed; and improvements were made to the key mechanism, the sounding board, and the layout of the strings within the instrument. When interpreting the works of great composers from the past, many period performers and scholars study the pianos available to the composers who wrote the music. Mozart’s piano concerti are quite different when played on a Mozart-era piano, and even as late as Brahms, the low range of the piano had a significantly different character.

• Herman Melville, Robert Steimle December, 2010 Enjoying a range of classic literature, Robert Steimle lists Herman Melville, the renowned 19th century American novelist, among his favorite writers. Raised in New York City by a prominent Boston family, Melville attended the New York Male School until his father fell on hard times and moved the family to Albany. Melville’s father declared bankruptcy in Albany and died soon thereafter, leaving his family poor when Melville was only 12 years old. Determined to support himself, Melville eventually accepted a position as surveyor on the Erie Canal. When he failed, he became a cabin boy. Having studied the classics at Albany Academy, Melville also taught at a local school. Eventually, he set sail on a whaling ship, abandoning the crew in the Marquesas Islands to live among the Typee natives. Three weeks later, he left on another ship, stopping in Hawaii on his way to Boston. Melville wrote extensively about his travels and published his first book, Typee, which became a bestseller in England. He subsequently published Omoo, Redburn, White-Jacket, and Mardi, none of which was as well received as his first book was. Melville’s timeless novel, Moby-Dick, hit the shelves in 1851 and was greeted with immediate critical success, though it never sold well during his lifetime. In fact, Melville did not live to see the initial run of 3,000 copies sold. Today, however, Moby-Dick is widely held as one of the greatest literary works of all time. The novel follows the sailor Ishmael, who serves under the command of Captain Ahab. The crew’s meandering course, Ishmael discovers, resulted from Ahab’s drive for vengeance against a legendary white sperm whale named Moby Dick. In a previous encounter, the whale decimated Ahab’s boat and took his leg. On the surface, the novel discusses whaling and life at sea. Through his masterful use of symbolism and metaphor, however, Melville manages to address a number of pertinent issues in the work, including racism, sanity, obsession, religion, and, of course, vengeance.

• Robert Steimle on Continuing Education March, 2011 By Robert Steimle As part of my commitment to effective leadership, particularly in the constantly evolving field of automotive and industrial manufacturing, I continually pursue opportunities to update my knowledge and enhance my skills. More than a decade after earning my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Pittsburgh, I enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne while working full time as a Plant Controller and Administrative Manager at Dana Corporation. At the university’s Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences, I completed foundational studies in business administration and developed a strong grasp of strategic management, skills that served me well as I progressed through management roles at Dana Corporation. At Dana Corporation, I began taking additional courses in order to remain current in industry developments and to hone my abilities as a leader and executive. In the last quarter century, I have completed at least 40 hours of continuing education every year. In addition to becoming a Dana Certified Supervisor, I also completed extensive Six Sigma training, eventually achieving certification as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. A widely adopted management strategy that originated in the 1980s, Six Sigma takes its name from statistical terminology; in a quantitative model, a Six Sigma process is one that results in fewer than 3.4 defects per million products. To achieve this standard, Six Sigma methodology works to eliminate defects and variations in both manufacturing and business. Six Sigma projects rely on a system of Green Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts to either improve existing processes or develop new ones entirely. The more recent “Lean” designation refers to a production strategy that minimizes waste. Outside of my personal professional development, I also served as a founding member of Michigan Technological Education College and as a member of the Indiana Vocational Technical College Regional Board of Directors. I continue to support the value of continuing education, and I remain dedicated to ventures that promote a lifetime of learning.

• A Brief Summary of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn April, 2011 By Robert Steimle Written as a continuation of the events in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in the U.S. in 1885. Told from the perspective of Huck Finn, this book colorfully describes people and the environment along the Mississippi River. The novel is commonly known for its satirical commentary on Southern society with an honest critique of racism and common racial slurs at the center of the novel’s plot. At the beginning of the novel, Huck Finn is committed to behaving himself so that he can stay in cohorts with his friend Tom Sawyer. Soon, Huck’s father reappears in the town and starts abusing the boy. Tired of the continual mistreatment, Huck Finn fakes his own death and takes to Jackson’s island in the middle of the Mississippi River. After a few days, a runaway slave named Jim crosses paths with Huckleberry. They find an abandoned log raft and travel downriver, hoping to reach the Ohio River and make their way to the free states, where slavery is prohibited. During their time on the river, Huck Finn and Jim encounter scoundrels who belong to a gang of robbers and a gang of slave hunters. Huckleberry routinely sticks up for Jim, despite his moral confusion about Jim being property of a local woman. The pair eventually, though reluctantly, team up with two con artists who claim to be a duke and a dauphin as they make their way down the Mississippi. These two commit an evil deed and sell Jim to a local farmer. The buyers are soon exposed as none other than Tom Sawyer’s aunt and uncle. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer quickly meet up again and construct a plan to free Jim, which goes as planned but involves Tom getting shot. Jim helps Tom, an act that ends up in his recapture, and Tom Sawyer later reveals that Jim is a free man because his owner died and wrote in her will that Jim would be free after her death. This novel tackled several social institutions, and it is commonly recognized as a great American novel. The vulgar language used throughout brought some critical review of The Adventures of Huck Finn in the 20th century, but the book still remains a classic.

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