Music Trade Review

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from pianos. This request is made for
the following reasons:—
1. Pianos are sold primarily for edu-
cational purposes and the tax. is
therefore, a tax on education.
2. Owning and learning to play the
piano is not a luxury but a part
of the American way of life.
3. The reasons for the original im-
position of this tax no longer exist.
4. The piano industry is a small in-
dustry which has never fully re-
covered from the effects of the
depression following \^orld War I.
to actually play the piano sometime
during the day and play upon silent
keyboards during the rest of the les-
son. This plan has proven popular
with teachers, supervisors and gen-
eral administrators.'
"In addition, here is a practice piano
keyboard which is very similar to a
real piano keyboard and which is made
by the same company which manufac-
turers keyboards actually used in pi-
anos. Under present law. such key-
boards are not subject to the excise tax
and rightly so, because they are a tool
of education. When such a keyboard is
built into a piano and used for the
same purpose—education—it is subject
to the tax if that piano is used in the
home.
"The essentiality of musical educa-
tion has long been recognized by
American educators. Such training is
now required in public and parochial
schools, and is provided on a much
Exhibit T
larger scale through practice and pri-
vate instruction in the home.
"That our government recognizes the
"In this the piano is the basic mu-
fundamental need for pianos in educa-
sical instrument.
tion is indicated by a letter attached
(Exhibit I) addressed on May 21. 1952
Keyboard Experience
by T. L. Roswell, Associate Director,
Division of Civilian Education Re-
"The American Music Conference, a
quirements. Federal Security Agency,
non-profit organization for the advance-
to Harry J. Holbrook, Director, Con-
ment of music and music education, is
sumers' Durable Goods Division. Na-
chiefly responsible for the significant
tional Production Authority. To quote
and rapid development of "keyboard
in part—
experience" which is generally taught
'Since there is no satisfactory sub-
with a paper piano keyboard such as
stitute for copper in manufacturing
I have in my hand and one of which
certain strings used in the piano, this
I should like to give to each of you
policy has the effect of reducing pro-
gentlemen if I may. These are used in
duction to the lower percentage allowed
thousands of elementary schools in the under the copper allocation and is hav-
United States to instruct students by
ing an undesirable effect upon the edu-
class method the basic fundamentals of
cational program of the Nation. There-
music. The greatest living authority on
fore, it is deemed desirable that care-
the subject is Dr. John C. Kendall.
ful consideration be given to modify-
Vice President of the American Music-
ing the policy under which allotments
Conference, formerly President of the of copper are made to the manufactur-
Music Educators National Conference
ers of pianos. It appears that a per-
and formerly Director of Music Educa-
centage of copper equal to that of steel,
tion for the Denver Public Schools.
in proportion to the base period of con-
We quote from Dr. Kendall's report to
sumption, is essential.
the National Piano Manufacturers As-
"Recent surveys have established the
sociation on June 9th, 1953—
fact that more than 85 per cent of all
pianos are used for educational pur-
'Basically all music education is
poses. In this country the prevailing
founded upon the knowledge that can
practice has been for the student of
be gained from the study of the key-
piano to start his training in the home
board. In the keyboard experience
through the medium of a private in-
program, the emphasis is no longer
structor. Each year more emphasis is
based upon developing piano soloists
placed on group instruction in the
although we know that as a result
schools. It is also necessary for the
of this basic training many children
student to have a practice instrument
will find it desirable to carry on with
their piano experience. In this pro- in his home if he is to make satisfac-
tory progress in the field of music.
gram the entire class of children are
given keyboard lessons as a part of
the music education program, the
Piano the Basic Instrument
keyboard work being offered in lieu
of the regular vocal class, one or
"The piano is recognized as the basic
two days a week. In these classes
instrument for all instruction in music.
every child is given an opportunity
There are more than 50.000 music edu-
cators in the United States. More than
one-half of these educators are mem-
bers of the Music Educators National
Conference, Department of Music of
the National Education Association.
This organization has wholeheartedly
endorsed the proposal as outlined
above. The Office of Education, in turn,
offers its endorsement and requests
your favorable consideration of an ade-
quate allocation of copper for the man-
ufacturers of pianos.'
"Further evidence is afforded by a
survey (Exhibit II) completed by Dr.
Albert Haring of Indiana University.
who is Consultant to the American Mu-
sic Conference, for the National As-
sociation of Music Merchants which
established that 82 per cent of all pi-
anos sold are purchased for education-
al purposes.
Tax On Home
Training Inequitable
"In recognition of their educational
value. Congress in 1948. removed the
tax on all pianos sold to religious and
non-profit educational institutions (H.
R. 6808). This accounts for only 10
per cent of the pianos sold.
"Unfortunately, pianos purchased for
education outside the school room, or
as shown by Table II, approximately
72% of the total, are still subject to
tax.
"This we respectfully suggest is in-
equitable. We find it difficult to under-
stand why the piano the student prac-
tices on at school is exempt from tax
but the one he uses at home for the
same purpose is subject to tax. They
are utilized for a common objective
and we believe there should be no dis-
tinction.
"It is well established that children
should begin their piano lessons while
they are young, preferably about 9 or
10 years of age. If education is not
then started, it is seldom that a child
ever learns to play the piano.
"That parents wish to give their chil-
dren such education in the home was
revealed by a survey for the National
Piano Manufacturers Association of
America, Inc. by Foote, Cone & Beld-
ing, national advertising and research
agency. (Exhibit III).
In its report Foote. Cone & Belding
showed this conclusion: "Middle and
upper middle class families constitute
the most promising market segment
particularly in the $3,000 to $5,000
bracket. As far as the desire to own
a piano is concerned, the grestest num-
ber of prospects earn under $3,000 a
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. OCTOBER, 1953