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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, FEBRUARY, 191>0
to pianos, except a page ad in the newspapers.
Now look over what has been printed in the
papers during the past few years about pianos.
That, in itself, I think, is an accomplishment
that we can be well proud of. We certainly
have put the piano before the public in a
way that it never has been before, and it is
producing results.
"Now, gentlemen, in closing I would like to
just express this one hope, and that is this:
Through these sales clinics, and incidentally,
you probably know we contemplate holding a
series of them throughout the country so that
we will really cover the country from coast
to coast—I hope that we will have closer co-
operation between the merchants and the man-
ufacturers, and that by our combined efforts
we can really realize a future for our indus-
try that will be a source of pride for us
throughout the entire 1940, and forever more."
dation for Music in Newark, the Jersey City
Teachers' Concerts, the newly organized Jersey
City Symphonic Group, and many others of
importance.
"Although there now is a greater appre-
11
place in the newly completed Armory in Jersey
City, the idea occurred to me to place the new
model pianos with the new mod^l cars. I fig-
ured, naturally, large crowds of people would
visit the Show and at the same time they
National Bureau Exhibit
After each guest had arisen and given
his name and the firm he represented,
Mr. Jacob stated that C. M. Tremaine
of the National Bureau for the Ad-
vancement of Music was present and
had erected in the lobby an exhibit of
the activities of the Bureau ih the in-
terest of National Music Week, with
which the National Piano Manufactur-
ers Association are collaborating by pro-
moting its "Spring Peak" campaign.
Mr. Selz then spoke about the "Spring
Peak" kits which are again being pre-
pared for the dealers' use next May dur-
ing National Music Week.
He then introduced Norman Dine,
head of the Lewis & Conger "Sleep
Shop" in New York, whose address on
"Selling Sleep" was most interesting.
Comments on this address then fol-
lowed by Samuel Metz, treasurer of the
Doll-Metz Company, Jersey City, New
Jersey, as follows:
"Quite contrary to Mr. Dine's very interest-
ing job of putting people to sleep, I have the
amusing and entertaining job of keening them
awake. Seriously speakinp- the. piano dealers
are very fortunate in the fact that music, the
greatest of all arts, is more popular now than
ever before. Music teachers throughout the
country report increases in the number of pu-
pils. Last Spring, the National Broadcasting
Co. announced that thousands had responded
to the radio study course in piano lessons that
were then being broadcast.
"Music, and very particularly piano playing,
is being added to the curricula of high schools,
and Normal courses for class instructions are
being given in 122 institutions. Already more
than 5,000 cities have asked the National Bu-
reau for the Advancement of Music, for infor-
mation regarding improved teaching methods.
"During the past twelve months, there has
been a decided tendency on the part of most
families to again sponsor music in the home.
More and more children are taking piano in-
struction, and the lure of piano instruction has
even embraced countless adults. This is ful-
filling my prediction of six years ago.
"Radio, which spelled doom for us years
ago, is now partly responsible for our present
great boom in the piano industry. Through
that particular medium, music of every type—
opera, symphonic, swing or ballad can be heard
in almost every home. There is now an effort
as never before, to make the public music
conscious. During the past few years, civic
interest in music has been aroused by a series
of popular priced concerts, and by a more
widespread teaching of music in the schools.
In my own locality we have the Griffith Foun-
Everybody Talks at the Clinic
Top L. to R.—Melville Clark, Lawrence H. Selz, C. Albert Jacob. Jr., and Burdett Green; Top Cen-
ten Samuel Metz, Norman Dine and Russell Pierce; Center: John H. Gettell, Joseph L. Seltzer,
Ray Fagan and J. L. M. Smith; Bottom Center: Selz and Ed. Weeks broadcasting, Frank E. Edgar and
Tony Zender, Lima, O.; Bottom: Jerome F. Murphy and Ed. Weeks enjoy a good one, Gustave and
Henry Behning, father and son.
ciation of classical music than heretofore, there
is still today a relatively small number of
talented pianists. The great rank and file of
people whom we come in contact with, and
whom we consider as potential buyers, are not
really musicians, in the accepted sense of the
word.
"However, they do want to play for their
own fun, amusement and recreation—and make
no mistake about it, they do want to play.
They have the urge for self-expression, in-
herent in all of us, and what pleasanter way
can we express ourselves, than at the piano ?
Mr. Metz then paid a tribute to the work
of Lawrence H. Selz and the national advertis-
ing done by piano manufacturers.
"It was a wonderful accomplishment," he
continued, "when the manufacturers put their
heads together and created the new consoles
within the reach of everyone's purse.
A Profitable Promotion
"About four years ago while the Hudson
County Auto Show was being planned, to take
would, no doubt, look over the pianos. I took
this up with the auto show committee and was
invited to participate. I then arranged for a
very attractive booth. A well-known pianist
was engaged to play at various intervals dur-
ing the afternoon and evening. This arrange-
ment has been repeated each year for the
past four years. We have been invited again
to have our display at the 1940 auto show
which will be held next month. Each year
we have been official headquarters for the
Show, all programme and entertainment an-
nouncements are broadcasted by a personally
supervised microphone from our booth to reach
the crowd within the building. From my ex-
perience I would advise all dealers to partici-
pate in auto shows in their community. I
have found it very profitable.
"Another venture I entered into was to ex-
hibit a new model piano before a large crowd
of women attending the DeBoth Home Makers
Cooking School, which was sponsored by two
Hudson County newspapers, each holding four
nightly sessions. During this school period