Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
CHICAGO AND THE MIDDLE WEST
Frank W. Kirk, Manager, 333 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago
How Gulbransen Puts an Entire City
in Hands of the Research Laboratory
A. G. Gulbransen, President of the Gulbransen Co., Describes the Retail Merchandising
Research Which Is Being Undertaken by That Piano Manufacturer
F N business, years ago, problems worked
themselves out. Commerce went along in
rather an even tenor, and the perplexing ques-
tions that came up somehow or other found
their own solution.
Doing business, competing in the market, was
comparatively a simple matter. Some men
worked hard and intelligently and made a big
success. Others with less hard work and less
intelligence, had to drop out of the race.
To-day the scene has changed. Science plays
a leading part in business. Not that the busi-
ness world particularly desired scientific re-
search, but the problems became so confusing,
competition became so acute, that business had
to turn to more accurate, more dependable
ways and means of working out its problems
than had been in vogue theretofore.
Careful Analysis Needed
Progressive industries have adopted careful
analysis, not only in their manufacturing divi-
sion, but in retailing as well. The question is
not whether competition is keenest in the
manufacturing or in the sales end, but the fact
to be faced is that it is keener than it has ever
been in both ends of business.
Our company for a period of upwards of five
years, has maintained a research department in
the manufacturing end. Here materials have
been measured and weighed and tested in vari-
ous ways, so that their behavior in actual use
in Gulbransen instruments might be determined
in advance. Thousands of dollars in trouble
and delay and ill-will of customers have been
saved through this work.
Tone Research a Great Work
Another important bit of research work has
been in connection with tone analysis and de-
velopment. At the present time this is one of
the outstanding bits of work going on in the
Gulbransen institution. Well-paid men of ability
and experience are employed in this department
to conduct the work of improving and develop-
ing Gulbransen tone. Piano tene will probably
never reach perfection, and will always offer a
field for further research work.
In the merchandising end of the business, re-
search work is going on that is possibly more
spectacular, more dramatic than factory re-
search work.
With the exception of a few instruments sent
about the country to meet varying conditions
of use and climate, factory research work is
carried on within the four walls of the institu-
tion itself.
Whole Towns Studied
But the merchandising research work is far
spread. Whole towns are analyzed, scientifi-
cally and thoroughly. Recently the Gulbransen
Research Department has taken cities in vari-
ous parts of the country, and called on each
and every home in those cities to learn the
true facts of the piano situation, and how the
dealer may overcome the problems that he
daily faces.
Entire crews of research workers have been
thrown into such towns in a vast co-operative
movement to learn the facts.
With no greater knowledge of a city than a
map spread before them these research workers
have cut the map into sections, sent out work-
ers in each district to conduct their investiga-
tions and have them wait for the results.
It is like the chemist in the laboratory who
knows not what are the constituents of a
product and who gets his measuring, weighing
and analyzing instruments into play and qufckly
determines the exact substances of which the
product is composed. He knows not and cares
not what the world tells him of its qualities, he
puts it to the test and finds the exact ratio of
each and every chemical of which it is made
up.
Practical Tests Give Answer
In our merchandising research work, the
facts have been gathered by the investigators
in the field, careful analysis is next. The prob-
lem which it has been undertaken to solve is
analyzed from the standpoint of what have
been found to be the facts, not any one or two
or three men's opinions in the matter. The
solution is worked out as nearly as it can be,
and then again the Merchandising Research
Department goes to work to carry out selling
based on a plan evolved in the laboratory.
As this test goes on the reports come in daily
as to results being produced. Changes are
made, and the new plans evolved from day to
day are given a thorough trial. Finally the
most resultful way seems to have been found
and word of it is passed along for the benefit
of the entire Gulbransen organization of
dealers.
Jt requires but little imagination to realize
that this is intensely interesting and very
resultful work. It is in the new order of things.
An industry must have great resources to do
work of this sort, but once done it represents
real service to the retailer. Merchandise placed
on the dealer's floor profits the manufacturer
not at all. Progressive industries in all lines
have found it necessary to work out scientific
and practical ways and means of putting their
products into the hands of the public.
Class Piano Instruction Is Adopted
by Public School System of Chicago
System of Teaching to Be Inaugurated with the Beginning of the Fall Term— Adop-
tion Result of Chicago Piano & Organ Association's Efforts
' T V H R O U G H the efforts of the Chicago Piano
& Organ Association, a system of class
piano instruction in Chicago public schools will
be inaugurated at the beginning of the Fall
term which will enable every pupil to learn to
play the piano.
The Chicago Piano & Organ Association for
some time past has endeavored to promote
piano instruction, and several months ago a
special committee was appointed by President
Roger O'Connor to carry on this work. Its
main duty was to present the piano from a cul-
tural and educational standpoint to the Chicago
education board.
The announcement of the adoption of group
piano instruction by Chicago public schools
was made by Win. J. Bogan, superintendent,
following the recent appointment of a new staff
of music instructors for the local schools,
headed by Dr. J. Lewis Brown, supervisor.
"Music permeates every phase of life and is
needed abundantly in every home," said Mr.
Bogan in discussing the plan. "I feel that it is
of far more importance to a child to learn
something of music than to learn arithmetic.
Through this new method, recently tested out
in the Roger Sullivan Junior High School, it
is our hope to provide instruction in piano to
every school child.
"During the next school year the piano
classes will be held after school hours and a
small fee will be charged for instruction. Later
when the board is able to provide for it in the
school budget, the system will be made a part
of the regular curriculum.
"Children show little spontaneity in the in-
dividual method of teaching piano. There is
something compulsory about it. In the class-
room method the children are able to play to-
gether, and that is invaluable in catching their
interest.
"The class rooms devoted to piano instruc-
tion will be equipped with two pianos and a
set of dummy keyboards. While two children
are playing the pianos, a class of twenty to
twenty-five will follow the movements of the
11
same exercises on the individual keyboards. In
an hour each pupil will have gone through the
exercise several times, and will have played the
piano once."
"With its great orchestras, opera companies
and choral societies, Chicago is truly a music
center," Mr. Bogan continued. "The public
schools should feel some responsibility in sup-
porting these groups. Out of our 500,000 school
children, we should produce some great artists
who will add to this city's fame."
Wurlitzer Go. Announces
New Recording Organ
The Chicago office of the Rudolph Wurlitzer
Co., which is the headquarters for the Central
Western sale of pipe organs made by the
company for homes, churches and theatres,
announces a development in pipe organ manu-
facture. The announcement was made recently
by Rudolph Wurlitzer, president of the com-
pany, to the Chicago Commerce as follows:
"We have developed a new Wurlitzer recording
organ which we are shortly launching in
Chicago. This remarkable instrument repro-
duces the playing of the great organists faith-
fully and can also be played by hand. It will
be sold at $6,500 and we believe that at this
low price hundreds of them will be sold in
the Chicago territory."
Bush & Lane Slogan
"If it's a Bush & Lane, its quality is guar-
anteed—that's all you need to know about a
piano." This is the new slogan that the Bush
& Lane Piano Co., of Holland, Mich., has
adopted for all its advertising starting with
October. In due time this slogan will appear
in all Bush & Lane piano advertising to the
dealer, in newspaper advertisements, circulars,
catalogs, etc.
(Continued on page 12)