Jim Coleman Sr. is a second generation piano technician.

He was doing bridle straps and shaping hammers by the age of 10. After receiving a Batchelor degree in Music Education (1950) and teaching Band, Orchestra and Chorus for two years, he returned to piano service in '52. He helped form the Phoenix Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild in 1960. He taught his first class at an Annual Convention in 1961 and has taught some piano technical subject almost every year since.

He received the "Man of Note" award of PTG in 1976. He was placed in the "Hall of Fame" at the PTG headquarters in Kansas City, KS in early 1990's, and was given the highest PTG award (The Golden Hammer) in 1996.

Even though limited to a wheelchair in 2000, he still teaches at 2 or 3 Conferences a year for PTG. He helped develop the present Tuning test for Registered Piano Technicians in '78. He teamed up with George Defebaugh to develop instructional video tapes and will soon offer DVDs of similar material.