Music Trade Review

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110-Piece Scotch Band, Ft. Orange Post, American Legion, Albany^ N. Y.
Organizing the Band—
The Larkin House System
Carl W. Joseph, Manager of Well Known Albany Music
House, Describes His Organization Methods for Bands
HEN Carl W. Joseph was appointed
manager of the Larkin Music House, 454
Broadway, Albany, N. Y., four years ago,
he set out to organize a band in every patriotic
and civic organization in Albany and its vicin-
ity. He came East after fourteen years on the
sales force of the Frank Holton Band Instru-
ment Co., Elkhorn, Wis., thoroughly equipped
to inaugurate this idea in Albany.
To-day his idea of organizing community
bands has been fully realized, for he has
trained and furnished the instruments for twen-
ty or more groups, ranging from thirty to 110
pieces, in and near Albany.
One of Joseph's latest band classes, the Ft.
Orange Post of the American Legion of Al-
bany, recently introduced its 110 piece band in
a public function, attractively arrayed in Scotch
kilts and furnished with as many new instru-
ments. This public demonstration of the local
American Legion post marked the climax of
Joseph's band instrument sales efforts after six
months' labor. The net result of this sale to-
taled forty snares, forty bugles, twenty-five bag-
pipes, three bass drums, two cymbals, and a
special assortment of sheet music for each
player.
"My plan of organizing band groups," said
W
Mr. Joseph in explaining his group training
methods, "does not entail any expense on the
part of the organization until I thoroughly train
the pupils in the time requirement of three
months. In the case of selling the idea of
training a group of raw men of the Ft. Orange
Post as band musicians, I was faced with the
usual delays in having my proposition exam-
ined by members of the executive committee.
After receiving the approval of the executive
staff, several other officials had to be individual-
ly sold before I could get a foothold. At last it
came before the membership body and a few
members there were also skeptical as to the
feasibility of starting a post band.
"This procedure of association routine of
having officials and committees pass on my
ba,nd innovation almost became boresome, but
I soon found out that all such details had to
be ironed out in all organizations. After sev-
eral months' delay in this routine of investiga-
tion, I finally started with a select group of
forty legion men. Instruments were loaned
them on a rental basis, charged to the post,
and the rehearsals were held in the rear of the
Larkin Music House for the first month. As
the original chosen few improved in playing,
I kept adding new members until the end of
the second month our class increased to sixty
men.
"Our instruction facilities became so cramped
we were obliged to look out for bigger quar-
ters. The Tenth Infantry Armory was offered
for rehearsal purpose and with this addition of
space we increased from sixty to 100 men. By
this time I ha,d five experienced bandmasters
assisting me in our weekly class. We made this
exceptional progress in training the 110 men
to become qualified band players in the short
period of three months, through the well
planned method of instruction adopted by
Francis Larkin."
During Larkin's twenty-two years as band
master he wrote several courses for the begin-
ner. It is one of these courses, known as
"Step By Step Band Method," issued in sep-
arate sheets, one sheet to the lesson, that Jo-
seph follows out in organizing his new bands.
He claims it is worked out in simple form to
cover thirty-three weekly lessons allowing for-
ty-five minutes to the lesson.
Over fifty students are at present taking up
Larkin's individual course in a specially ar-
ranged studio in the rear of his Albany store.
In reviewing some of the bands recently or-
(Continued on page 9)