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REVIEW
THE
VOL. LXXXII. No. 19 Published Every SaUrday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y., May 8, 1926
"^fijfft Y
Cents
How Retail Dealers Are Creating a
New Market for the Piano
Charles H. Yahrling, of Youngstown, Ohio, in Endorsing the Review's Analysis of the Present Conditions
in the Piano Industry, Tells of the Work His House Is Doing in Teaching Children to Play
the Piano—Robert N. Watkin, of Dallas, Also Endorses the Review's Position
T
H E recent series of articles appearing in
The Review, and especially that in the
April 24 issue, entitled "Why a New Mar-
ket Must Be Created for the Piano," has
attracted wide attention in the piano industry,
both manufacturer and merchant uniting in their
agreement with the facts which have been stated
in the series and recognizing the responsibility
which confronts the industry at the present
time.
The following letter received from Charles
H. Yahrling, of the Yahrling-Rayner Music Co.,
Youngstown, O., describing the children's
classes which that firm is conducting in its city,
is typical of the expressions of support for The
Review's campaign, which are coming from
many sections of the trade:
"Youngstown, O., April 28, 1926.
"Editor, The Music Trade Review—I have
read with much interest your editorial in last
week's Review regarding the necessity ot
teaching the younger generation to become
music makers instead of listeners, and I am
quite in accord with your ideas in this matter.
"I have been preaching for some time past
the advisability of creating a desire to perform,
and then teaching them how. Believing that
it is always necessary for one to practice what
he preaches, I am enclosing herewith clipping
from our daily paper, the Youngstown Tele-
gram of March 29, giving an outline of the
Melody Way piano classes which we are hold-
ing in our store and from which we are receiv-
ing astounding results.
"At present we are teaching eight classes con-
taining from twenty to twenty-four pupils, and
it is surprising to know that a large majority
of the pupils are playing pieces with both hands
with only four lessons. We expect to continue
these classes indefinitely.
"Trusting your paper will see the advisa-
bility of keeping up the propaganda of teaching
children to play instead of listening, as I believe
that this is the salvation of the music industry,
and thanking you for past courtesies, I wish to
remain,
"Yours very truly,
"CHAS. H. YAHRLING."
The article to which Mr. Yahrling refers fol-
lows:
"Learning to play the piano without a piano
Learning songs with the notes nothing but
black figures on a piece of pasteboard. Ac-
tually playing pieces after four lessons. It
sounds like the pipe dream of a child who hated
to practice, but it's being done in Youngstown.
"Bethel Bailey is turning the trick. Her
r
i 1 HE recent article appearing in The
•*• Review, entitled "Why a New Market
Must Be Created for the Piano," has at-
tracted wide attention in the piano industry,
and its analysis of the relative position of
the output of the industry to the advance in
the population and prosperity of the coun-
try has driven home to the trade the seri-
ousness of the condition which confronts
piano men at the present day. On this page
are printed two letters from prominent deal-
ers endorsing The Review's stand and tell-
ing of the work they are doing.
school is at the Yahrling-Rayner Co., and sev-
eral hundred youngsters are in her Saturday
and after-school classes. She is using the W.
Otto Miessner training method. As shown in
the picture, the children are seated at long
tables. Before every child is a duplicate of
the piano keyboard. But it's nothing but paste-
board.
"One starts out without any music at all.
Children catch the idea and meaning of rhythm
and melody by singing little songs, swaying
back and forth in time with the music. Exer-
cises, finger drills, technique, play no part at first.
Rhythmic games, delightful little songs are sung
under Miss Bailey's direction. These have been
all simply arranged as piano pieces. Then the
children are given the 'key-finder,' an ingenious
contrivance which they use with their paste-
board keyboard which has the various notes
marked with their names. They find the proper
key and away they go playing music.
"Such earnest practice one never-saw as, that
which goes on over the dummy keyboards. As
soon as the children can sing the songs with the
words and the 'do-re-mi' syllables, they are
shown how to find the melody, a phrase at a
time, on the keyboard, with the help of the
Miessner key-finder. The syllables are used
because they express the language the children
have learned at school.
"First thing you know every child in the class
is busy playing his piece on his keyboard and
one small person is permitted to sit at the piano
and play it with music. One at a time they
advance to the piano. Almost entirely, they are
letter perfect. The whole thing is the more re-
markable in that many of the pupiis do not
have pianos in their homes and all their prac-
ticing is done on the keyboard that produces
no music.
"The method used follows very closely that
adopted in the public schools in reading classes.
Fathers and mothers learned their letters, then
words, then sentences. Not so to-day. The
children learn to read, then words, then letters.
And they learn far more rapidly than the old
way, a step at a time.
"Miss Bailey is teaching twenty or more chil-
dren at a time. The stunt has its effect. There
is classwork, teamwork. If Johnny can't answer
the questions, Mary can and Johnny is shown
up. Next time Johnny is on his toes and comes
through with the correct answer. Always the
children work with real music, real folk songs
and singing games which hold their interest.
The method is as complete a revolution in music
teaching as the old way of teaching reading has
been revolutionized.
"Chords are taught in their simplest form as
they occur in the pieces. The chords are found
by the key-finder. The children sing the chords
by syllable, spell them by letters and learn to
play them by correct fingering. But technique
development follows developing a liking for
music.
"No such system has been developed in years.
The rush and gamble of modern life has had
its effect. Children don't have time any more
to practice this and practice that. They have
to take dancing, swimming, physical culture, vio-
lin, saxaphonc, singing and drawing lessons as
well as piano lessons. So they're learning more
music in one lesson to-day than they used to
learn in five.
(Continued on page 4)