Music Trade Review

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LOEHNER'S KIDS BAND
BROUGHT PUBLICITY
AND MORE BUSINESS
Milwaukee music merchant aroused wide
musical interest through the formation
of junior harmonica bands—Newspaper and
other merchants cooperate in campaign
EDWIN LOEHNER
T
HE average music store proprietor fully realizes the
value of catering to the juvenile element as a direct
means for interesting parents 1 in the musical education
of the children and consequently in building sales. Every
dealer who has given serious thought to the plans for foster-
ing group instruction on the piano or on band and orchestra
instruments has usually found the effort productive of good
business. It may take a little trouble and expense, but
it means not only the development of immediate sales but
also the building up of a future market, for the children of
today are the big buyers of tomorrow.
An example of what may be accomplished in securing the
interest and support of youngsters is illustrated in the case
of the Loehner Music Shop, of Milwaukee. With the co-
operation of its community newspaper, the Loehner Music
Shop formed the Kids Harmonica Band. Membership in
this band was confined to 100 youngsters and harmonica les-
sons were given every Saturday morning. Children between
the ages of eight and fifteen were invited to leave their names
and addresses at the music shop if interested in joining the
band.
A competent instructor was engaged to give lessons to the
kiddies, and their parents were invited to come to the store
to listen to them practice. As the members enrolled, their
names appeared in the community weekly, giving an added
incentive for them to become members of the band.
After the band had been formed and had practiced together
for several weeks, arrangements were made for its appearance
on the stage of the theatre in the community. The event
received publicity in the community weekly, which has a cir-
culation of 20,000, and so did the band all during its forma-
tive period and up to the time of its personal appearance at
the theatre.
Mr. Loehner believes that any 'progressive music dealer can
promote a similar band in his community. In Milwaukee
alone there are approximately twenty community newspapers,
which are published every week or bi-monthly. The editors
of these papers in most instances are willing to cooperate in
the formation of an organization of this kind, especially since
there is a growing tendency for cooperation between merchants
in a community in the promotion of sales and other com-
munity events.
Children who already had harmonicas were invited to bring
them and it was 1 pointed out that musical instruction on the
instrument was free of charge. At the same time the young-
sters and their parents were advised that the Loehner store
carried a complete line of mouth organs. During the period
in which the band was being formed, the music concern also
offered free lessons on the Spanish and Hawaiian guitar.
Through the harmonica band, the store was able to waken
in many of the children the desire to play other instru-
ments and in this manner was instrumental in creating cus-
tomers for saxophones, trombones, guitars and similar instru-
ments.
The parents were pleased to send their children to participate
in these lessons, for they knew that they were being well cared
for and at the same time were acquiring a musical education.
The membership in the band was originally set at fifty, but
as this number was acquired in a very short time, it was
raised to 100.
The band was made doubly interesting to the children
because it meant the appearance of their names in the news-
paper when they had enrolled and in addition there were the
prospects of appearing on the stage of the theatre in their
community. Their appearance at the theatre was in connec-
tion with a special merchandising event in which other mer-
chants: in the community cooperated and which resulted in an
excellent amount of advertising for the Loehner Music Shop.
Mr. Loehner found, as have many other dealers, that the
interest of the child affords an open sesame to the heart of
the adult and that, although the campaign was started with
inexpensive harmonicas, a surprising number of the parents
displayed an ambition to purchase band and string instruments
for their youngsters. This meant sales.
THE M U S I C
TRADE
REVIEW, April, 1932