MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1927
SHAPING P U N S FOR
JUNE CONVENTION
San Francisco contest by Mr. Shirley Walker.
(Allowing twenty minutes for each talk and ample
time for discussion, followed by the group instruc-
tions and "What Has Been Accomplished." This
talk to be given by Mr. W. Otto Miessner and some-
one else representing the other group instructions.)
Arrangements for the Big Gathering of the
Music Trade at Hotel Stevens, Chicago,
Are Progressing and the Promise Is
for Most Enthusiastic Meeting.
9:30 A. M.—Uniform Carrying Charge Schedule, by
W. Lee White.
10:00 A. M.—Carrying Charges and Its Benefits to
the Merchants, by Mr. Andrews of the
Hudson Company.
10:30 A. M.—Junior Salesmanship and Their Train-
ing, by Charles E. Wells.
11:00 A. M.—National Laws Enabling Manufactur-
ers to Fix Re-Sale Prices, by Fred-
erick P. Stieff.
11:30 A. M— The Effects of Tradeins in Price Cut-
ting, by C. Alfred Wagner.
Following this unfinished and new business, report
of Nominating Committee, election of officers.
The program came to the Chicago committee of
arrangements early this week and active work has
now begun to make this year's gathering a notable
one. First of all, it is proposed to make the gath-
ering wholesome, normal and worth-while. President
Uhl emphasizes one particular feature of the ses-
sions when he adds a note to the daily program of
events, as follows: "The programs will be started
promptly at 9:30, if I am the only one in the con-
vention hall."
Plenty of Entertainment
The members of the Chicago committee of arrange-
ments are filled with enthusiasm and are planning
to give visitors to the convention a royal welcome
and good time. It is proposed to do away with a
lot of superfluity at the convention, but there will
be enough in variety of entertainment to please every
visitor.
The Travelers' Dinner.
At last Monday's meeting Matt Kennedy, presi-
dent of the Piano Travelers' Association, announced
that the Travelers' dinner and frolic will take place
Monday night, June 6, at the Drake Hotel. An in-
teresting program is being made up which will be
ready for announcement within two weeks.
The Exhibits.
It is already settled that there will be a sufficient
number of exhibits to add to the interest of the con-
vention week. A number of the prominent piano
manufacturers have arranged for rooms in which to
display 'their instruments, and industries in other
departments of the business will also be represented.
Presto-Times has the names of some of the con-
spicuous displays but does not give them until the
list is more complete.
Everything at this time points to a rousing con-
vention—perhaps the best in the history of the trade.
The new Stevens Hotel is proclaimed as the largest
in the world. The music men will hold one of the
first conventions that the great establishment on
Michigan boulevard, Chicago, will know. And this
is one of the minor attractions, which insure a gather-
ing both large and enthusiastic.
THE SUGGESTED PROGRAM
Ample Provision for the Talkers, and Diversified
Entertainments for Everybody and His Wife,
with Exhibits in Great Numbers.
The official program, at least a tentative program,
of arrangements for the National Association of
Music Merchants' convention, June 5-9, at the Ste-
ED. H. UHL,
vens Hotel, Chicago, is out this week, duly vised
by President Edward H. Uhl, and is as follows:
June 5.
10:00 A. M.—Meeting of the Auxiliary Board.
2:00 P. M—Meeting of the Board of Control.
June 6.
9:00 A. M.—Registration and reception.
10:00 A. M.—Meeting of the Advisory Board.
12:30 P. M.—General luncheon meeting Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce.
2:30 P. M.—(Time to be left open for meetings of
several of the affiliated associations who
have applied for charters but not com-
pleted for their application requirements.
June 9.
June 7.
NOTES IN BRIEF FROM
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
National and State Association Day.
9:30 A. M.—Order of business. Reports of officers
as scheduled in Article XII of By-
laws, Sec. 2, Nos. 1 to 10, as listed.
10:30 A. M.—Report of Resolution Committee.
10:45 A. M.—Report on Promotion Stamps by Chair-
man William C. Hamilton.
11:00 A. M.—Chairman of Auxiliary Board report on
Chartered Associations.
11:15 A. M.—Talks from different Presidents on
State Association, or their delegates, on
"What They Have Accomplished in
Their State Association."
12:30 P. M.—State Laws and Legislation—"The
Function of the State Association," by
C. J. Roberts.
June 8.
Piano Contest Day.
Chicago contest by Mr. Peter Mayer.
Milwaukee contest by Mr. Edmund Gram.
Detroit Contest by Mr. Frank J. Bayley.
Prominent Store Will Have New Location; Steinway
and Baldwin Pianos in Special Places.
Rapp & Lennox Piano Company have finally de-
cided to locate at North and Meridian streets. The
wareroom will have a window space of 18x90, with
18 feet on Meridian street and 90 feet on North street,
and a basement under the entire floor space which
will be used for storage and used instruments.
A special instrument, in the Art Style, of the Bald-
win was used at the Home Complete Show in the
French Chateau of the Pettis Dry Goods Company.
The Baldwin Concert Grand was used during the
past week at the Keith Theater by the Goodrich
Silver Town Cord orchestra.
Manual and Williams gave one of their popular
concerts at Bedford High School, Bedford, Indiana,
and used two Steinway & Sons grands. One of the
instruments was shipped from Cincinnati and the
other from the Pearson Piano Company of Indian-
apolis.
$2 The Year
MOVIES HELP THE
DETROIT CONTEST
Keith's New Theatre Tries Out the Entries for
Piano Tournament, and Three Other Big
Film Houses in the Go-ahead Musical
City Will Follow Suit.
"ENTER YOUR CHILD" THE CRY
Last Year Only One School Taught the Piano, and
This Year the School Board Had Added
Ten More.
The moving picture houses are now being enlisted
in the Detroit campaign to arouse widespread public
interest in children playing the piano. Saturday
morning, April 16, all the entries in the contest were
invited by Manager Emery of the beautiful new
Keith Uptown Theater, 5,000 seats, which, in spite
of a downpour of rain, proved a success warranting
its repetition next Saturday. The children were given
an explanation and demonstration of the big Wur-
litzer organ, followed by a talk upon the importance
of the piano, the basic instrument, and demonstration
by several of last years' contest champions. Pictures
were secured for publication in Detroit Times.
The Dealers Boost.
Paul Schilling has taken charge of the personal
visits to each of the sixty Catholic parishes in the
interest of the contest, in the absence of Phil Sadow-
ski, who is on one of his frequent Florida trips. This
campaign is showing excellent results. Paul relates
the sale of a $450 piano in December as a direct
result of last year's contest under peculiar circum-
stances.
It seems that the parents of a little girl, although
she w T as not even a school champion, were so well
pleased that they considered the little girl worthy of
a good piano and the family budget being exhausted,
the father volunteered to go without smoking cr
chewing until a down payment could be thus saved,
and then to continue in order to keep up the instal-
ments. Paul feels that when a contest will get a
father to make such a sacrifice that enough is said.
(Paul chews tobacco.)
School Boards and Contests.
It seems to be a great difficulty of other cities, in
attempting to launch a piano playing contest, to sell
the idea to the school board. Detroit had the same
difficulty but today the Detroit school authorities are
cooperating to assist in selling the idea to other
cities, and have written several letters of commenda-
tion. Last week Superintendent of Schools Frank
Cody sent a very strong night-letter to the superin-
tendent of Baltimore schools in recommendation.
Every principal in the Detroit schools has received
written instructions from the superintendent, and the
cooperation is complete.
In fact the 1926 piano playing contest was a great
demonstration to the teachers and school board of
the latent interest of the children in playing the
piano. Last year only one school, the Northern High,
taught the piano, with 57 pupils, but as a result of last
year's contest, the school board added ten more
schools. This semester in the Central High there are
214 enrolled, under the direction of Mr. Sikes.
>
Busy Frank J. Bayley.
;
Mr. Sikes relates that he appeared before the Janu-
ary graduation class of the Winterhalter school,
numbering 76 pupils. He asked: "How many have
pianos at home?" Seventy-six hands. He inquired:
"How many play the piano?" Three hands. He then
asked: "How many would like to take up the piano
in high school?" Fifty-six hands. Mr. Sikes is for
the piano and wishes to go on record that the contest
is the thing to get the children and parents inter-
ested in the basic instrument, because otherwise 'they
all like to take up small instruments and get into the
school bands and orchestras.
If Frank J. Bayley accepts all the invitations he is
receiving to attend association conventions and city
associations, he will be a very busy man the next few
months.
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