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The Jfusk
Established 1879
REVIEW
VOL. I l l - N o . 5
THE
PIONEER
May, 1952
PUBLICATION
2,866lh Issue
O F T H E MUSIC
I N D U S T R Y
Blaine-Wildermuth Inc. Completes Two Years
of Successful Group Piano Classes
"THERE is no doubt but tbat the in-
' terest in group piano lessons is
steadily growing, and information is
not only being sought by music educa-
tors but also by many piano merchants
throughout the country who wish to
avail themselves of ways and means of
inaugurating group piano lessons either
in their warerooms or possibly in stu-
dios which they may control.
\u outstanding achievement of this
kind has been the group piano teaching
for beginners which was established
two years ago by the Blaine-Wilder-
muth. Inc., Toledo, Ohio, of which
H. C. Wildermuth is President.
Mr. Wildermuth grasped the impor-
tance of this system to increase the in-
terest in the piano, after he had seen
several demonstrations at the various
Conventions including those of the Na-
tional Association of Music Merchants
and of the Music Merchants Association
of Ohio, of which at one time he was
President. Last year the piano lessons
which he inaugurated worked out very
satisfactorily.
Use Play by Color System
This year he has a staff of three good
piano teachers, and he states that the
teachers like to start the pupils with
Wolfe's Play-by-Color system, claiming
that the children grasp the tones, melo-
dies and positions of the keys much
quicker, especially in the first course
which consists of 10 lessons. "Later,
however," he states, "the teachers use
other methods in giving the pupils more
advance instruction."
In working out the program, Mr.
Wildermuth states that small classes
work much more successfully than
large classes, and that they have learned
by experience that it pays to start ad-
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, MAY, 1952
vertising for fall classes, about the
middle of August, or about two weeks
atory. who attended the Cincinnati Con-
servatory of Music, and who has had a
THE SPRING CLASS OF GROUP PIANO INSTRUCTION AS IT STARTED
LESSONS AT THE BLAINE-WILDERMUTH WAREROOMS IN TOLEDO, O.
before school starts. The spring classes
were started this year in March and are
proving highly successful.
"We feel that our investment in pro-
motional work has paid splendid divi-
dends," said Mr. Wildermuth recently,
"not only in promoting goodwill but
also in creating substantial sales for
the store, and we are planning to con-
tinue these lessons from year to year,
as we can readily see that as new gen-
erations come along we are making
friends who will eventually make good
piano buyers."
The teachers include Mrs. Sherman
Hawley, a graduate of Toledo Conserv-
long experience in teaching in schools
as well as privately; Miss Ava Finch
also studied at the Cincinnati Conserva-
tory of Music and Bowling Green Uni-
versity. She is organist at the Central
Methodist Church in Toledo as well as
being choirmaster. Miss Finch has an
assistant teacher. Miss Charlotte Hahn
of Millbury, Ohio, who helps in the
group piano teaching.
The courses are kept as simple as
possible, and the idea is to follow
through on the "Play for Fun" method
so that the children will enjoy playing
simple selections almost from the
beginning.