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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
November, 1931
he has no thought of becoming a professional. If his talent wishers, and plays the selection before his audience.
"If Tommy has this opportunity he will then understand
were very great you probably would send him to some well-
established teacher or conservatory, and in either case an that the object of his practicing is to prepare for a perform-
important part of his training would be playing in public. ance. As soon as he is ready he will exhibit his piece in
In the conservatory he would play frequently before the public, and if he becomes accustomed to this procedure from
other students and the faculty, perhaps before some invited the beginning of his studies his nervousness will be but slight
for the first time and less with each
guests. The well-established private
succeeding ordeal, provided that he
teacher would require all the students
plays frequently. A public perform-
to play before each other, perhaps
ance of this kind will teach him
before their parents and friends. It
more about the piece than he ever
is this opportunity, among other
can learn in solitary practice. If he
things, which attracts the talented
plays well before children of his own
student to conservatories or to the
age Aunt Martha will never again
classes of a teacher who is so suc-
embarrass him."
cessful that he has many students,
perhaps several assistants with their
After referring some results noted
pupils, and a large room in which
personally, in cases where private
to bring them all together, with at
teahers brought their pupils together
least two pianos, so that they can
for Juvenile piano recitals, and em-
do concerted work. The private
phasizing the fact that there should
teacher who is just starting out is
hi no public criticism of the playing,
rarely equipped to supply room, the
.Mr. Erskine goes on to say—and this
pianos or the audience. It follows
is particularly important to the
quite naturally that the students of
piano dealer—
average talent, though they need
"There are by-products of these
this opportunity more than most
children's recitals which ought to be
others, are the least likely to get it.
mentioned in order.
"In the first place, I said that the
"Yet the opportunity can easily
advantage of holding these meetings
be made available if the music
in the piano dealer's warerooms is
teachers will co-operate with each
JOHN ERSKINE
that good pianos are found there and
other and if the parents will help
the music teachers. In any community where piano lessons they are likely to be in tune. There is no article of furniture
are given the children could meet weekly or fortnightly to about which the average household is more ignorant than the
perform in each other's presence the new piece they have piano. We expect the instrument to function perfectly for
just learned. The parents ought to be there, too, and any seveial years, like the dining room table, without repairs.
other friends who can be persuaded to come. They might Only in the rarest of homes is the piano kept in tune. The
meet in the home of the children themselves. The most violinist tunes his instrument every few minutes, and the
convenient place, hoiuever, would be the ivareroom of the guitar player, even the ukulele player. For some reason we
local piano dealer. There are few dealers who would not expect the piano to stay in tune for years, or at most we
co-operate in such a program, and the advantage of the ivare- concede a tuning every three or four months. I have heard
room over the private home is that good pianos can always some people speak as though to tune a piano more often
would be to humor the instrument in a bad habit. But
be found there and they are likely to be in tune.*
"Semi-public recitals of this kind for the average child pianos get out of tune on the slightest excuse. You can put
need only the simplest organization, but they presuppose what yours out of tune, within a few minutes after the departure
I admit is sometimes hard to find, a spirit of confidence of the tuner, by opening a window and changing the tem-
among the teachers themselves. For some strange reason perature of the room. The point is that the piano will
music teachers are more distrustful of each other than any always be either in tune or out, and to play it out of tune
other kind of artist. Yet these children's recitals are so is torture for the player, or if it isn't torture there's some-
obviously innocent that even temperamental teachers will thing wrong with him musically.
experiment with them. If the teachers, then, will agree on
"In the second place, pianos need more than tuning. With
a committee to have charge of the program there need be constant use the felts on the hammers become hard and pro-
no other machinery. Each teacher sends to the committee duce a sound which is metallic and nerve-racking. The
the name of the pupil who is ready to play a piece. The tuner, if he knows his business, can soften the felts and
child appears, with his teachers, his relatives or other well
{Please turn to page 12)
* Italics are ours.
Head of Juilliard Musical Foundation
outlines the many advantages of group
piano study and practice in holding
youthful interest, and tells what piano
dealers can do to assist young piano
students and their teachers.