Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
tivities. In fact, in two of our schools
— Ebinger and Gregory — the regular
school music organizations have been
meeting at night, giving young gradu-
ates the opportunity to continue par-
ticipating in them."
After school hours, the 60 schools
now under the Chicago plan officially
change their status to "social centers."
Father and Son in Dayton
In Dayton, Ohio, fathers dusted off
old trombones and fiddles to sit in with
their children in the school orchestra
of the U. S. Grant Elementary school.
Citizens' committees in towns all over
America are faced with the need for
new schools and are contemplating how
extensively to build. In larger high
school districts many new building con-
tracts call for fine arts buildings with
music wings, including practice rooms,
auditoriums and music libraries.
C. V. Buttleman, executive secretary
of the Music Educators National Con-
ference, and one of the country's lead-
ing authorities on school music rooms
and equipment, points out:
"The ideal provision for music in the
schools should be based on a balance
between the needs of the school and the
local taxpayers' ability to pay. When
arrangements are made for adult use of
the same school buildings, the taxpayer
is spending his dollar more efficiently."
While not all sections of the country
are able to provide extensive music de-
partments, the increasing recognition of
the importance of music is giving it
more space than ever. Buttleman ex-
plains that adequate space and acoustics
are the first considerations for school
administrators planning to move music
to larger quarters.
Practice in Hallway
Crowded conditions haven't quelled
the desire for music at the Robberson
school, Springfield, Mo., where grade
school students practice, 20 at a time,
in the hallway waiting for a music
room. Thomas Begosian, music instruc-
tor at Robberson, says:
"Our hallway music sessions are tem-
porary until better provisions can be
made. In order to derive all the bene-
fits of music, the students should have
not only more room but better acous-
tics."
More room for expanded music
classes prompted the building of a music
department building adjacent to the
North Little Rock High school in Little
Rock, Ark. And in Attleboro, Mass.,
remodeling is providing larger quarters
for music. Robert V. McGowan of the
Attleboro school building committee,
points out:
"We have a very limited building
budget, but construction of a large base-
ment music room with acoustical tile
walls and ceiling is answering our need
for expansion."
r
The Detroit System
The supervisor of the music education
department of the Detroit public
schools, Homer C. LaGassey, feels that
Detroiters are providing their children
with one of the best over-all school
music programs, because, he says, "The
parents themselves recognize the value
of music.
"The proper physical setting for
learning is essential in all fields. Mak-
ing music is a creative and emotional
activity and should take place in rooms
that are acoustically engineered and
fully equipped. The decor and light-
ing should contribute to a pleasant at-
mosphere that lends a subtle aid to sen-
sitive music teaching."
The building committee in Detroit
has provided that all new elementary
schools will include an instrumental
music room acoustically treated and
equipped. Detroit's intermediate schools
have undergone remodeling of music
rooms to include more room for both
practice and storage. All 21 of Detroit's
high schools have modernized music fa-
cilities including lighting, storage,
sound treatment and recording equip-
ment.
Parent Teachers Association Heads
Hear AMC Services at 4 Day Meeting
AMC, represented by Fieldman
Marion Egbert and Vice President John
C. Kendel, demonstrated musical tech-
niques to 225 PTA music chairmen in
four day-long meetings. Held in Lake
Charles, Hammond and Monroe, La.,
and in East Lansing, Mich., the work-
shops attracted the district music repre-
sentatives from more than 200 commun-
ities in the two states.
In working with PTA groups. AMC
covers extensively the important part
the PTA can play in encouraging school
music. The clinics included group sing-
ing, methods of integrating PTA and
school music objectives, effective expan-
sion of school music, explanation of
keyboard experience and leadership
training.
years president, the American Music
Conference, through its board of direc-
tors, honors his unselfish dedication to
bringing the benefits of music to Amer-
ica's children and adults. His distin-
guished leadership, inspiration and
counsel have made possible the success-
ful contribution of the American Music
Conference to the advancement of Amer-
ican life through music. He has left a
lasting tradition of extraordinary serv-
ice and accomplishment for the Amer-
ican Music Conference and its sponsors
to carry on in enriching the lives of
millions. In appreciation, he has been
elected to honorary membership for
life."
Summer School Workshops
Both NEA, largest newspaper syndi-
cate in the country, and Metro, another
large newspaper feature service, are
currently carrying prominent AMC
stories on school music in their annual
back-to-school sections. Distributed to
hundreds of local newspapers, these
services result in extensive publicity for
musical activity among school-age
youngsters. Articles in both services
were prepared by the AMC public re-
lations counsel.
AMC teacher-training workshops for
college music majors and classroom
teachers were held during June and July
in 21 colleges in 11 states. One of the
most efficient ways to present the teacher
clinics, working with summer school
sessions gives AMC an opportunity to
encourage hundreds of teachers to in-
crease students' music participation. In
two states alone, Missouri and Iowa,
more than 600 teachers attending col-
lege summer sessions were given demon-
strations of AMC methods.
Louis G. LaMair, president of AMC,
was honored for his service to the con-
ference at the annual banquet follow-
ing the 1954 Music Industry Trade
Show. A citation, signed by each of the
current members of the AMC board of
directors, was presented to LaMair. It
read:
"In deepest appreciation to Louis G.
LaMair, a founder and for its first seven
'
Back-to-School Music Promoted
Outstanding clippings from AMC re-
leases in July included the school music
feature "Now They All Make Music"'
in Conquest, Protestant youth publica-
tion ; "The Organ Comes Home," in the
Catholic Free Press; and the Army
Times. The Billboard ran a comprehen-
sive article on the music industry with
AMC's help on research. Country Gen-
tleman, leading farm magazine, featured
an article "The Pitch for Make-it-Your-
self Music" in the August issue.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1954
!