MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
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THE MORE MUSIC,
THE FEWER CRIMES
So Says F. J. Loesch—C. D. Greenleaf Tells
Conn Gathering of New Plans to Sell
Musical Instruments—J. F. Boyer on
New Band Instrumentation.
"If more boys and girls would learn to play musical
instruments there would be less crime in America,"
the Hon. Frank J. Loesch, member of Hoover's Na-
tional Crime Committee and former special prosecutor
of Chicago, told 250 executives, stockholders and
friends of C G. Conn, Ltd., its subsidiary and affil-
iated companies at a gathering- in Elkhart, Ind. The
occasion was a dinner and "get-together" meeting
given by the officers and board of directors of C. G.
Conn, Ltd., in the Athenian Ballroom, Hotel Elkhart,
February 18.
"The boy band is a definite influence in curbing the
wayward impulses in the growing child," Mr. Loesch
continued. "For a number of years the Union League
Roys' Club of Chicago had a 50-piece band, composed
of boys under 18 years of age. This band has been
"(JIVE YOUR BOY A HORN AND HE WON'T WANT
A 'GAT.' " SAYS FRANK J. L.OESCH. MEMBER OF
MOOVtSR'S NATIONAL. CRIME COMMITTEE AND
FORMER SPECIAL, PROSECUTOR OF CHICAGO.
a big factor in the work of this club in reducing
juvenile delinquency in its district by more than 80
per cent. Besides the band, the club has an orchestra
of 20 and a drum and bugle corps of 54 boys.
"These musical organizations have been the means
of making good citizens out of many of the boys of
our city who might otherwise have become com-
munity parasites, if not actual criminals.
"Many other men who have made a study of crime
agree with me in recommending music, and especially
the band, as a character builder and a deterrent to
crime."
Telegram from Sousa.
John Philip Sousa was an invited guest, but was
unable to attend. However, he sent the following
telegram:
"I am as much interested in the get-together dinner
of executives, stockholders and friends of Conn and
its subsidiary and affiliated companies. Sorry it will
be impossible to be present. The fine work you and
your associates arc doing to promote instrumental
music in America is most gratifying to us. Greetings
and best wishes. John Philip Sousa."
James F. Boyer, secretary of C. G. Conn, Ltd., and
CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH, 1930
director of Music and Public Relations, demonstrated
a new wind band arrangement, composed of one-
third brass, one-third saxophones and one-third wood-
winds. The critics present were enthusiastic over the
remarkable results obtained and voted, unanimously,
for the new instrumentation.
New Wind Band Instrumentation.
In explaining the new wind band instrumentation,
Mr. Boyer said: "Modernization of the instrumenta-
tion for military and concert bands is the present
interesting movement in America's musical advance-
ment and is right in line with the many other modern-
istic movements in our country. And why not?
Surely music, through its form of rendition, color,
etc., is entitled to advancement, and a new instrumen-
tation is one of the most effective vehicles for an
advance.
"There has always been an apparent 'gap' between
the woodwind and brass choirs of the band. The
logical instruments to fill that gap are the saxophones
in a complete choir form, being reed-brass instru-
ments. The reed quality blends with the reed or
woodwind choir, while the brass saxophone body lends
itself most desirably to the brass choir.
"In experimenting with this new arrangement, 'Poet
and Peasant Overture' was suggested for a test, and
Mayhew Lake, prominent New York arranger, was
engaged to make the new arrangement. It was then
given a test demonstration at the Mecca Temple in
New York City by forty-eight select musicians of
the metropolis. The critics and musicians performing,
who were present at this demonstration, realized at
once that a new era in band instrumentation had
dawned and that they were a part of this new advent
in America's musical advancement.
Other Leaders' Experiences.
"Arthur Pryor, the well-known bandmaster and
composer, has the following to say: 'I know that a
large saxophone ensemble, with the parts arranged as
"Mike" Lake arranges them, will prove a valuable
addition to any band.'
"Carl Hdouarde, for many years music director of
the Strand Theater Concert Orchestra, after hearing
the new arrangement containing the addition of the
full saxophone choir, said: 'After hearing the demon-
stration at Mecca Temple and hearing the old ar-
rangement followed by the special new Lake arrange-
ment, which included a large ensemble of saxophones,
I am convinced that a large saxophone section, prob-
erly arranged, is a wonderful asset to any band.' "
President Greenleaf on Conditions.
C. D. Greenleaf, president, gave a review of the
general conditions in the industry and indicated
briefly some of the things which had been done to
meet the existing conditions. He called attention to
the decline in the piano and talking machine business
during the past few years and the effect which this
has had on the weakening of the retail music dealers,
owing to the fact that these items had formerly been
the backbone of the retail music business.
"The music dealers have endeavored to compen-
sate for this loss of business by the adoption of the
radio," he said, "but this has often been unprofitable
from a retail standpoint, although it has absorbed a
major portion of their efforts. As a result of this
condition many dealers have had to go out of busi-
ness, others are seriously financially embarrassed and
there has been a general loss of initiative. The talk-
ing movies have had an adverse effect on the pro-
fessional musicians, throwing a good many out of
employment, so that there have been during the past
few years a great many adverse conditions to over-
come.
Reasonable Distribution.
"One of the things which the Conn company has
done to offset this situation is the devolpment of its
own stores to the number of about twenty. These
stores now handle a considerable portion of the Conn
business. However, it has never been and is not now
the policy of the company to go into the retail busi-
ness on an indefinite scale. No stores have ever been
established where satisfactory independent dealers
could he obtained. While the company has no desire
to dominate the retail field, nevertheless it cannot sit
idly by and see its business strangled because local
dealers are unwilling or unable to satisfactorily market
the product. If the business is to be maintained in a
healthful condition it must have a reasonable distri-
bution of its product in every section of the country.
"If for any reason it is unable to get this distribu-
ISHIK'll
Monthly—
Fifteenth of Kacl Month
tion through the retailer, then it must get it in some
other manner. Notwithstanding these conditions, in
a good many sections dealers are still active and their
business is important. The company maintains, of
course, its cooperation with such dealers and aids
them in every possible way to expand their business.
We are looking forward to the time when the demand
for musical instruments of all kinds again become
more vigorous, as it must eventually, which will in
turn cause a revival of the retail music business and
a consequent strengthening of tlio retail dealers.
Closer Coordination.
"One of the vital problems of all industries at the
present time is the constantly increasing cost of dis-
tribution. A larger and larger share of the price
•THE TWO IMPLEMENTS HELP HERE ARE NEVER
USED BY THE SAME BOY. 11 SAYS FKANK J. 1>()ESCH.
which the consumer pays is absorbed by t'.ie intangible
costs. In order to meet this situation, as well as
achieve reduction in manufacturing costs during the
past year the Conn company has achieved a closer
coordination between itself and several other formerly
independent units of the business. It is believed that
this will result in much greater savings, much greater
efficiency and in the ability to serve our customers
to much greater advantage.
"The result has been that we have now built up a
homogeneous manufacturing and merchandising unit
which manufactures or handles everything in the field
of band and orchestral instruments. We have just
created and are still further perfecting a specialized
selling organization which will devote its entire atten-
tion to this field. We believe that we have demon-
strated that there is a large potential market and that
with proper sales and promotional methods it can he
adequately developed.
As to Competition.
"This company is, of course, not the only one in
the field. There are various other strong organiza-
tions which also cover certain parts of it, although
none cover it as widely as this company does. We
welcome strong and effective competition and, in fact,
we will consider competition of this kind as a distinct
asset, because it helps to meet the real competition,
which is that oi other industries which are striving
very strenuously for the consumer's favor. It is a
big job to sell to the American people the advan-
tages of music and we welcome all the assistance
which we can get from other branches of the industry.
Weak competition is always more or less demoralizing,
because it merely follows the lines of least resistance
and tries to capitalize on work done by others. How-
ever, such competition usually carries the seeds of
its own destruction and in the long run need not be
given serious consideration.
Great Possibilities.
"We feel that there arc great possibilities in this
business. Love of music is one of the fundamentals of
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