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Five Years of AMC Progress Has Resulted
In National Demand for School Music
by LOUIS G. LaMAIR
N 195T the music industry had many President American Music Conference
opportunities to see the value of the
music promotion-program of the
American Music Conference. Hundreds
of additional schools began offering in-
strumental instruction. More adult music
groups are active than ever before. The
amount of attention given to musical
activity in the press, radio and television
is at an all-time high. And the sales
figures show that musical merchandise
fared better during the year than other
consumer durable goods—a sure sign
of a healthy foundation of demand.
Where five years ago it was necessary
to plead the case for music in the school
curriculum, today AMC is constantly
LOUIS G. LaMAIR
meeting requests from local groups for
help in accomplishing this goal. It is
sic in recreation, church music and
more frequent today to see parents'
other areas, concentrated activity was
groups protesting an inadequate music
begun in the fields of music as in-
program than to hear of protests against
dustrial recreation, fretted instruments
existing musical activities.
and accordion in school music, and the
music programs of parochial and pri-
Five years ago editors generally con-
vate schools.
sidered music by amateurs a "dead"
Organizational Activity
subject. Today the circulation of such
Cooperation with music educators is
stories runs into the hundreds of mil-
an important factor in AMC's success-
lions each year. Radio, television and
ful work in the school field. Dr. John C.
advertisements of all kinds reflect a new
Kendel, who became vice-president on
attitude—widespread interest in people
January 1, is a past-president of the
making their own music. The atmos-
Music Educators National Conference.
phere is so receptive that a leading
His counsel and his experience in the
movie producer is investing S2.000.000
music education world have proved in-
in a film about school bands and is con-
valuable in guiding our activities and in
fident the public will flock to see it; it
working with the MENC. He was a
is reported another studio is prepared
featured speaker at MENC regional
to make a movie based on the life of
meetings at Oklahoma City; Missoula,
Sousa; and a third has already released
Mont.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; and Richmond,
a movie short stimulated by the wide-
spread publicity AMC gave to the Uni- Va. Later he spoke before meetings of
state music educators' groups in Kan-
versity of Michigan band.
sas and Indiana.
In 1951 AMC undertook several im-
Also, Dr. Kendel has been asked to
portant additional areas in which music
serve on a national committee of school
can be advanced. While not letting up
bandmasters to work on plans for en-
at all in its promotion of music in the
hancing understanding and appreciation
schools, musical activitv for adults, mu-
I
SILL
(Continued from Page 6)
the parent on the idea of getting a
piano.
Practicability of Piano Class Study
There is still much to be done before
piano class study is common in our
schools, but the greatest obstacle has
been overcome, as pointed out by Dr.
Raymond Burrows when he said re-
cently that there is no longer any ques-
tion in the minds of educators about the
8
practicability of piano class study. It
took years of patient work and hundreds
of demonstrations to accomplish this
and we are indebted to those leaders in
the educational field, as well as mem-
bers of our industry and the American
Music Conference, for the untiring work
they have done during the past five
years to accomplish this.
Any forecast for 1952 is impractical.
There are too many elements involved
which are beyond our control. The out-
of bands among school administrators
and general educators.
Relations have also been most cordial
with the Catholic Music Educators As-
sociation, the National Federation of
Music Clubs, the Music Committee of
the National Association of Parents and
Teachers. Kiwanis International and
other influential organizations.
The field staff of Edgar Borup,
Marion Egbert and Edward Kalb has
done a fine job in helping many or-
ganizations and school systems to or-
ganize music programs. Their work has
been universally praised by officials of
the groups they have served, and they
have been ambassadors of good will
both for AMC and for the cause of
music.
During the year, members of the
AMC staff worked with school officials,
on request, in Fentress County, Tenn.;
Pitt and Polk Counties, N. Car.; Brown
County, S. Dak.; Ascension Parish, La.;
the State of Mississippi; West Allis,
Wis.; Holland, Traverse City, Sault
Sainte Marie and Kalamazoo, Mich.;
Clifton, N. J.; and Juneau, Polk and
Burnett Counties, Wis.
Workshops in recreational music,
stringed instruments and other activitv
were held in New York State, Massachu-
setts, Prince Georges County, Md. and
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Workshops in keyboard experience
were held in San Antonio, Tex.; Jack-
son, Miss.; Washington, D. C ; Colum-
bia, S. Car.; Los Angeles, Cal.; New
York City; San Diego, Cal.; Kalama-
zoo. Mich.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Raleigh,
N. Car.
Keyboard workshops have been ar-
ranged for early 1952 in Portland, Me.;
Denver; Wichita; and Huntington, W.
Ya., while plans are being worked out
(Turn to Page 12)
look for piano sales should be favor-
able, if we are allowed to make the
goods, because almost everybody will
be working, with wages and crop prices
high. Even after allowing for increased
living costs and higher taxes, savings
deposits are still increasing at an amaz-
ing rate, so there is more spendable
money available than ever before. As
good salesmen, with a wonderful prod-
uct to sell, could we ask for a better
opportunity?
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, DECEMBER, 1951