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THE
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VOL. LXXXIV. No. 16 Published Every Saturday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y., April 16,1927
Group Instruction
Bto
*JS S°fS?
Demonstration of Class Piano Play-
ing in Palace Theatre, Dallas, Tex.
and Its Publicity Values
Demonstration of This Method of Piano Teaching by Dallas Pub-
lic School Children During Convention of Superintendents' Di-
vision of National Educational Ass'n Proves Outstanding Example
HERE does not, or at least should not, music itself, as well as for makers of the in-
exist in the trade at the present time any " struments that produce the music, and in this
question as to the value of group piano case particularly, the piano.
In Dallas, Tex., recently, as has already been
instruction, not only for stimulating interest in
that instrument on the part of school children reported in The Review, some hundreds of
throughout the country by making simple the educators from all sections of the country
process of* learning, but also for stimulating the gathered to attend the conference of the
desire to buy pianos for the homes in the minds Superintendents' Division of the National
Educational Association and found the subject
of parents and the public generally.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 school of music in the schools of sufficient importance
children are studying the piano in the public to devote a considerable part of several ses-
schools alone under the group instruction sions to the discussion of its various phases
method, with many thousand additional children and to demonstrations of the results of such
receiving such instruction through the interest work.
One of these demonstrations of particular
and progressiveness of music merchants. The
main thought, of course, is to make such group interest to the piano trade was the massed
instruction one of the basic factors in the pub- piano concert held at the Palace Theatre in
lic school curricula of the country, and the Dallas during the period of the convention
process that has already been made in that under the auspices of Mrs. Carrie Munger
direction is not generally realized even by those Long, head of the class piano instruction in
interested in the movement and in compara- the Dallas public schools. On this occasion
there were 200 children on the stage, all of
tively close touch with it.
Educators generally are beginning to realize them attending the elementary schools and
that group piano instruction is of definite value ranging in groups from those hardly out of
to the child from many angles, having seen the the kindergarten to the older youngsters just
method demonstrated with sufficient success to about ready to graduate.
The program was extensive, well diversified
warrant them advocating its establishment in
the schools of their respective communities. and designed to depict most graphically the
Where such courses have been introduced there excellent progress that can be made by children
is every evidence that they may be considered within a comparatively short time under the
as a permanent part of the educational picture, group • instruction system. In some of the
which, of course, is important for the future of selections as many as thirty youngsters at a
T
time performed on the ten Miessner pianos
on the stage, and the audience, which filled the
theatre, was made up for the most part of
educators, who came to see for themselves just
what could be accomplished, and found fre-
quent occasion to be enthusiastic.
The group instruction plan in the Dallas
schools has been in operation for something
over a year and Mrs. Long, head of the work,
has at her command a number of well-trained
instructors.
The public exhibition of the actual accom-
plishments under this plan, with youngsters not
yet in their teens playing tuneful melodies upon
the piano while facing a crowded theatre, af-
forded an unusually fine demonstration of the
possibilities of the idea, and Mrs. Long was
justly proud of the results as demonstrated. It
is believed to have been the largest and most
important affair of its kind thus far held, and
many educators left the conference for their
homes fully convinced as to the practicability
of group instruction as well as its desirability.
The methods by which retail piano dealers
may tie up effectively with group piano instruc-
tion in the schools without in any sense lending
an air of commercialism to the venture has been
demonstrated most capably by the Will A.
Watkin Co., which was not only largely in-
fluential in having the Dallas schools adopt the
system, but has lent assistance whole-heartedly
whenever required or desired.