Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JiUSIC TJ^DE
Musical Merchandise
Published by The Music Trade Review, 383 Madison Avenue, New York
C. D. Green leaf Once More Heads
the Band Instrument Makers
Other Officers Elected at the Annual Meeting of the National Band Instrument Makers*
Association Were K. D. Shinkman, Vice-President, and Frank Holt on, Secre-
tary and Treasurer—Association Discusses Wider Promotion Methods
T
H E annual convention of the National to participate in the national school band contest.
Band Instrument Manufacturers Associa-
Need for Credits
tion was called to order by President Carl
"We have found by experience that while
D. Greenleaf, who presented his annual report school bands can be made to be very success-
as follows:
ful, even when all practicing is done outside of
"You are of course aware of the fact, through
the statistics published by our Association, that
the business done by our branch of the indus-
try for 1925 was about the same as that done in
1924 and in 1923. In other words, it is ap-
parent, that the volume of our business has been
• practically stationary for three years, after a
period of several years when a substantial
growth was made each year. This gives rise
to the question whether our industry has now
reached its natural level and whether, there-
fore, it will be impossible to increase it mate-
rially in the future, except insofar as it in-
creases through the natural growth of the popu-
lation and the purchasing power. There may,
of course, easily be a difference of opinion as
to whether or not this is true. Personally, I do
not think that it is true. I do not believe that
we have anywhere near reached the satura-
tion point as regards our type of instruments,
but I think it may be a fact that in order to
continue a steady growth we may perhaps have
C. D. Greenleaf
to change our method somewhat.
Music Fundamental
school hours and when no school credit is given
"We know, of course, that music is one of the for this work, yet it would greatly stimulate
fundamental elements of human nature. Except the interest in bands if instrumental instruc-
for this fact, it would be very difficult for us to tion were given in the public schools as a part
create anything like a universal demand for of the regular curriculum. If this were the case,
instruments which require as much education not only would those joining the band make
and practice in their use as ours do. Facts be- much more rapid progress, but there would be
ing as they are, however, I see no reason why a much greater incentive for more people to
we may not eventually expect to interest in our join the bands, which would mean more and
product a much larger proportion of the popu- larger bands. I feel, therefore, that the move-
lation than is now interested in it. To bring ment in which the National Chamber is now
this about,. however, will be a matter of interesting itself through the Bureau for the
Advancement of Music, namely, the movement
education which is naturally rather slow.
for including instrumental instruction in the
School Band Work
"We have already spent considerable time and curricula of all schools, is one of fundamental
effort in interesting schools in the use of our importance to our industry and one in which
product and I believe all will agree that the re- we should participate vigorously.
Social and Moral Forces
sults obtained have been reasonably satisfactory.
"In trying to bring this about, I think there
The growth of the school band idea has been
quite rapid during the past two or three years. are many arguments which could be used which
This subject will be covered fully in another have never been used. Music has usually been
report, but I will merely say in passing that advocated purely as a cultural subject, but there
this year a national contest was held in Fostoria are other phases which have a stronger appeal
in which bands from a number of States par- to the public in general. One is the value of
ticipated. The national contest itself is, from music as a social and moral force. In these
our standpoint, the least important part of the days when it is such a problem with many
program because the thing which we are parents what to do to place the proper in-
primarily interested in is the large number of fluences around their growing children, I be-
school bands from which the bands were chosen lieve that the musical organization, both band
and orchestra, can be made to be a powerful in-
fluence and that if this idea can be properly sold
to the parents of this country they will not only
be willing to have instrumental instruction in-
troduced in the school, but will demand that it
be introduced. Another point which I think
should be investigated is the educational value
of music in creating alertness of mind and in
aiding general mental development. Some pre-
liminary investigations have already been made
which tend to show that children who had taken
music for a reasonable length of time averaged
higher in their school standing than those chil-
dren who had not. If further investigation
bears this out, this will furnish an additional
very strong argument for including musical in-
strumental instruction in the schools. This
whole subject is one which, in my judgment,
should be investigated very carefully and I am
inclined to be of the opinion that it would be
well worth while for the music industries, as a
whole, to embark in a co-operative advertising
campaign along these lines. I am further of the
opinion that if the members of our industry will
form their own advertising along these lines,
rather than follow along some of the older
ideas in advertising, it will not only be more
constructive but will tend to still further elimi-
nate some of the abuses remaining in the busi-
ness. •
Code of Ethics
"With reference to the Code of Ethics which
we adopted some years ago, I think you will all
agree that so far as the manufacturers are con-
cerned the practices aimed at by the Code of
Ethics have been practically eliminated. We
are all aware, however, '.hat there have been
all too many cases when our dealers have fol-
lowed unsound practices in allowing excessive
discounts and paying excessive prices for
second-hand instruments. This, of course, has a
very bad effect on the industry as it makes the
dealers ask for continually larger discounts,
which they in turn immediately give away to
their customers so that the competitive condi-
tions remain just as before. The solution of
this problem lies with the dealers and not with
the manufacturers. It seems apparent that in-
asmuch as these conditions arise through com-
petition and in many cases because false repre-
sentations are made to certain dealers as to
what their competitors are doing, or have
offered to do, that the real solution of this
difficulty lies in closer co-operation of the deal-
ers with each other. If they could sit around
a common lunch table each week or twice a
month, I believe that this excessive and un-