Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
PIANOS IN SCHOOLS
OF CALIFORNIA
Report of President Shirley Walker, of the
Music Trades Association of Northern
California, Outlines Activities and
Results of Well-Planned Effort.
PUBLICITY AND PROGRESS
Trade Associations in Other Cities May Find Help-
ful Suggestions in This Story from
the West.
The trade generally will be interested in the annual
report of Shirley Walker, president of the Music
Trades Association of Northern California. The pol-
icy of this association is not to police its members.
It has one idea, and that is to accomplish, by co-
operative effort, work that will mean more interest
in music in localities where its members reside. And,
after all, this is the only proper reason for a music
trades association, and wherever music trades associa-
tions have tried other activities, such as controlling
the activities of the members along the lines of trade-
ins, prices, terms, advertising, etc., those associations
have failed.
Any state or local association that consistently
adheres to the policy of the Northern California asso-
ciation is bound to find enough to do, and can accom-
plish more results.
Since the election of the present board of directors
to office on March 9, 1926, Mr. Walker reports the
following activities and accomplishment during the
past year:
Providing Keyboards for Schools.
The board realizes the importance of getting more
music into the public schools. One of the most for-
ward steps which has been taken all over the United
States is the teaching of the piano by class instruc-
tion. Mr. Glen Wood, superintendent of music in
the Oakland public schools, sought our aid in supply-
ing the Oakland schools with five octave keyboards
and possessing normal piano tension. While class in-
struction in pianos is usually given by charts, Mr.
Wood preferred to use the actual keyboard. He had
had one of these keyboards made up in an Oakland
high school at a cost of $18, which was prohibitive.
Not being standard equipment, he could not place a
requisition with the Board of Education for a quan-
tity of these keyboards. A number of keyboards
must be actually used before the funds can be sought
from the city for future keyboards.
Mr. Wood had made a survey of the Oakland pub-
lic schools which showed that five thousand children
would take piano instruction if the proper school
facilities were provided and if this instruction would
be given during the regular school hours. The Board
felt that it could not use the funds of the Association
for a purely local purpose, but raised a special fund
of $600 from the Oakland Piano Merchants. Bids
were secured from piano factories and 75 keyboards
were finally ordered at a cost of $8 each.
These keyboards arrived the latter part of January
and were turned over to Mr. Wood. They are now
in use in the Oakland public schools and when all
the classes are organized will take care of the instruc-
tion of 1,500 children. It is also hoped that this plan
will be followed by the school departments of other
California cities.
Sponsoring a Piano Playing Contest.
Learning of the great success of the piano playing
contest which was held last year in Detroit, your
Board secured full particulars with an idea of having
such a contest in San Francisco. Your Board has
been impressed with the idea that the piano busi-
CHRISTMAN
UPRIGHTS, GRANDS, PLAYERS
AND REPRODUCING PIANOS
THE FAMOUS "STUDIO GRAND"
"The First Touch Tells"
(Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.)
CHRISTMAN PIANO CO.. Inc.
597 East 137th Street.
NEW YORK
April 23, 1927.
ness must have more publicity in order to compete
against other merchandise in the p'ublic eye. There-
fore this contest appealed to the Board as an effective
publicity stunt. At the time we were securing data,
we received a proposition from the San Francisco
Call who offered 'to put on a contest similar to the
one put on in Detroit. Negotiations between the
Board and the San Francisco Call covered a period of Third Week of Preliminary Tests of Chicago
several months, with the result that this contest is
Children Held in Various Parts of City
now being held. As the contest was of a purely local
Shows Increased Attendance of Pa-
nature, the Board felt that funds for the same should
not be taken from the treasury of the Association.
rents and Friends of Contestants.
'
A committee was appointed by the president to
raise
the
necessary
funds
of
$5,500
and
also
to
advise
w T ith the San Francisco Call in the management of the
contest. This committee also secured as extra prizes
two grand pianos from eastern manufacturers. The Youthful Piano Players of Greater Chicago Tourna-
first announcement of this contest appeared in The
ment Exhibit Proficiency Surprising to Artists
Call on February 7, and large publicity has appeared
every night of its publication. This publicity will
and Teachers Among the Auditors.
(Continued on page 21.)
The Greater Chicago Piano Playing Tournament
contests are now entering on the third week of 'the
preliminary tests. This week's meetings were held at
school halls and assembly halls in various parts of the
city and in the store of the Reichardt Piano Co., 1311
Milwaukee avenue, and Lyon & Healy Hall, Jackson
and Wabash.
Piano Club Participates.
First Meeting of N. Y. State Music Merchants
The master of ceremonies for each of these meet-
Promises to Include Large Proportion
ings were selected from Piano Club members at the
of Dealers.
Monday noonday luncheon as well as assistants to
A good attendance was present at the regular master of ceremonies.
weekly meeting of the Syracuse Committee arranging
Last week's performances went through amazingly
the first convention of the New York State Music well, with an apparent increase in attendance night
Merchants. The meeting was held at the Chamber
by night at each succeeding meeting. It is now
of Commerce in Syracuse, on Thursday, April 14th. expected that the preliminary tests will continue for
All committee reports were enthusiastically received. the next six weeks, in fact, up to the time of the
Practically all members of the state committee have music convention, June 5-10.
been notified that large delegations will come from
At the Monday Piano Club luncheon this week
their respective territories. Hyde, from Cortland, little 10-year-old Doris McCauley, a gold medal win-
reports: "The majority of them will be present at ner at one of the contests last week, played three of
the convention." From Slason, of the firm bearing the contest selections in a very interesting manner,
his name, in Malone, we hear: "I am writing a per- in fact, her performance was such as to creditably
sonal letter to each concern engaged in either the take the place of the regular "artists' hour" enter-
piano, talking machine or radio business, urging their
tainment of the day. Others of these little gold
attendance." C. H. Sambalino, president of Buck- medal winners will possibly be brought to the club
ingham & Moak Co., of Utica, writes: "I imagine on entertainment days to show what is being accom-
that all from this section will be there " John J. plished.
Glynn, president of the New York Piano Merchants'
Interest by Music Houses.
Association, of New York City, writes: "Chairman
Of the preliminary tests last week the Crane Tech-
Schoenwaldt has called a meeting for Thursday noon
nical High School on the West Side brought out
of this week and we are taking steps to get as many a large number of both participants and visitors, and .
as possible of our members to attend."
at the Senn school there were over two hundred.
The program, almost complete in every detail, was Over a hundred gold medal winners were selected.
submitted for the approval of the committee. All As the program shows many of the tests this week
agreed that it should prove most interesting, both have been given at other places than at school audi-
from a business promotion and entertainment point toriums; at Lyon & Healy's, the W. W. Kimball Co.,
of view.
the Reichert Music Co., and other places—a good
Chairman S. H. Morecroft announced that the Rev. indication of the interest the music houses are taking
Bernard C. Clausen, of 'the First Baptist Church, in the tournament.
Syracuse, one of the city's most talented speakers,
As already mentioned by Presto-Times in a test
had accepted an invitation to address the convention there are three judges and five other officials, such
dinner guests. Dr. Clausen probably addresses more as a master of ceremonies, a secretary and assistant
audiences than any other Syracusan, and he is much and two ushers and members of the supervising com-
sought after. The committee also heartily approved
mittee and three members selected from the Chicago
•the announcement that Miss Violet V. Collins, of the
Piano Club or from the sales forces of the fifty and
Miessner Institute of Music, Milwaukee, Wis., would more music houses of Chicago that have contributed
be on hand to conduct the Group Piano Instruction to the support of the tournament.
Demonstration. Miss Collins has considerable ability
Medals for Proficiency.
along this line and it is believed she will add much to
The winners at each test exhibition are given a gold
the success of the convention.
medal and have the privilege of entering the district
contest in May. Every child, whether she or he is
a winner or not at these preliminaries, receives a gold-
engraved certificate, as a "consolation" prize, and the
ones who win the gold medal prizes will enter the
district tests and in May, if they emerge successfully
they will be entitled to appear in the semi-finals
Notwithstanding Refusal of School Board to Partici- which are also to be staged in May. The semi-final
pate, the Maryland City Is Musically Inclined.
winners will be presented with diamond rings and will
Plans for the piano playing contest that is to be become eligible to appear in the grand finals.
Although arrangements for the grand finals have
put on in Baltimore, is progressing satisfactorily not-
withstanding that the School Board has turned down not been completed by the supervising committee as
participation as being "contrary to their rules"; since yet, it is planned to hold them at the Coliseum, where
such a proposition has never before been put on in 12,000 persons can be accommodated as spectators.
The supervising committee will make the grand finals
Baltimore, they could not see beyond their noses.
While it was a disappointment, it is not going to the big feature of the National Music Industries'
hinder the piano contest leaders in the least. They convention, which will be staged at the Hotel Ste-
have decided to enlist the motion picture houses for vens the week of June 6, and negotiations are now-
the try-outs in the morning and the larger theaters going on to obtain the Coliseum for the night of
for the final contest. The music dealers of Balti- either Tuesday, June 7, or Wednesday, June 8, so
more are very enthusiastic, and the local press, espe- as to avoid conflicting with the big annual banquet
cially the Baltimore American, is doing splendid of the National Association of Music Merchants 'the
night of Thursday, June 9. The Chicago Piano Club
work for the forthcoming event.
has many interesting activities in the tournament, as
well as others in the trade interested in the advance-
ment of piano instruction for the children.
GREAT INTEREST
IN PIANO CONTESTS
ABILITY IS AMAZING
SYRACUSE CONVENTION
IS MAKING PROGRESS
BALTIMORE'S PIANO CONTEST
PLANS ARE PROGRESSING
THE JEWETT PIANOS
Reliable Grand, Upright and Player Pianos
JEWETT PIANO CO., Boston Factories: Leominster, Mass.
AN ERROR IN NAME.
By the substitution of the letter "K" for "H" in a
reference to the fact that Arthur Hahn had succeeded
Mr. Marshall in the house of Krakauer Bros., of New
York, an error appeared in Presto-Times of April 2.
Mr. Hahn is one of the well-known piano men and
his part in adding friends in the trade to the famous
industry has already made itself felt. Nevertheless,
the mistake was regretted and an apology is presented
to Krakauer Bros.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/