Music Trade Review
Issue: 1927 Vol. 85 N. 8 - Page 3
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THE
REVIEW
VOL. 85. No. 8 Published Weekly. Federated Business Publications, Inc., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y., Aug. 2 0 , 1 9 2 7
81n
10 Cent
*J? CopIe
Per ' Tear *
Carnival of Music
Features Michigan Meet
Close to Half a Million People Attend Carnival of Music
Under Auspices of Detroit Piano Merchants and in Con-
nection With Michigan Music Merchants Convention There
Frank J. Bayley
President, Michigan Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation
T ^ v E T R O I T , MICH., August 18.—This week
I E the city of Detroit is being given over
*~~^ to music—and officially. It is a remark-
able demonstration for the visiting and some
doubting members of the trade that it is en-
tirely possible to enlist the full support of
municipal authorities in the cause of music if
the proper effort can only be made by the mem-
bers of the trade.
In the classified telephone directory of De-
troit twenty-nine piano dealers, or if the nine
branches of Grinnell Bros, be counted, thirty-
tight, are listed, yet the trade, with the city
itself and merchants in other lines of business,
has raised a fund in excess of $25,000 for the
support of a street carnival that has packed
Washington boulevard with a crowd estimated
at close to half a million people, all attracted
by the desire to see the winners of the second
Greater Detroit Piano Playing Contest, the
Prince and Princess of Music, and the 430 win-
ners of the school piano championships in pro-
cession, as well as to have the privilege of
listening and dancing to eight of the city's lead-
ing bands and eight orchestras on one of the
city's leading boulevards.
As a tribute to music this has never been
equaled in the United States and it provides an
example that might well be followed by other
cities, even though it may not be equaled
Throughout the entire event the point has been
strongly emphasized that it is being held under
the auspices of the piano merchants of Detroit
and that the piano itself is th'e basic musical in-
strument.
The convention itself opened on Monday
noon with a luncheon that made up in enthu-
siasm what it lacked in numbers. Frank J.
Bayley, president of the Michigan Music Mer-
chants' Association, was the toastmaster. In his
opening address he outlined the extent of the
celebration in connection with the selection oi
the contest winner, and to the fact that, al-
though Detroit has but 316 public schools, there
are 430 school champions, since many suburban
communities insisted that their children have a
chance to participate in the contest.
Mr Bayley stressed the importance of having
piano instruction in the public schools as a
regular part of the curriculum, stating that if
Rochester, N. Y., with but 40,000 children,
could have 25 per cent of them, or 10,000, tak-
ing courses in group instruction on the piano
regularly, Detroit, on the same basis, should
have 75,000 children following similar courses.
He called attention to what propaganda and
publicity had done for aeronautices, declaring
that whereas before Lindbergh flew to Paris
there were but twelve real airports in the
United States, 1,057 airports near various cities
and towns have been contracted for or planned
since the completion of his flight.
W. E. Guylee, president of the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association, was the next
speaker. Mr. Guylee paid a high tribute to the
work of the Detroit music merchants, declaring
that the city is tuned for music just as it is for
motors, and that the demand for good music
would increase in a similar ratio to the de-
mand for music. He said that at the present
time there were over 100,000 children through-
out the country taking group piano instruction
officially and that there were probably as many
more children and adults taking group piano
instruction through the media of the news-
papers and the radio.
The speaker maintained that the piano is the
basic musical instrument, the only one by which
3
it is possible to secure rhythm, harmony and
melody. He declared that the piano industry
had before it the greatest of opportunities since
the country today has ten times the buying
power of twenty years ago, although he ad-
W. E. Guylee
President, National Piano Mfrs.' Association
mitted that while pianos were the principal
product purchased on the deferred payment
plan twenty years ago, last year they stood
thirty-first and received but one-thirtieth of the
money invested in installment purchases.
At present, Mr. Guylee stated, there are ap-
proximately 9,000,000 pianos in American
homes, but 2,000,000 of those are only fit for the
scrap heap. With 27,000,000 homes in the coun-
(Continued on page 4)
THE
REVIEW
VOL. 85. No. 8 Published Weekly. Federated Business Publications, Inc., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y., Aug. 2 0 , 1 9 2 7
81n
10 Cent
*J? CopIe
Per ' Tear *
Carnival of Music
Features Michigan Meet
Close to Half a Million People Attend Carnival of Music
Under Auspices of Detroit Piano Merchants and in Con-
nection With Michigan Music Merchants Convention There
Frank J. Bayley
President, Michigan Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation
T ^ v E T R O I T , MICH., August 18.—This week
I E the city of Detroit is being given over
*~~^ to music—and officially. It is a remark-
able demonstration for the visiting and some
doubting members of the trade that it is en-
tirely possible to enlist the full support of
municipal authorities in the cause of music if
the proper effort can only be made by the mem-
bers of the trade.
In the classified telephone directory of De-
troit twenty-nine piano dealers, or if the nine
branches of Grinnell Bros, be counted, thirty-
tight, are listed, yet the trade, with the city
itself and merchants in other lines of business,
has raised a fund in excess of $25,000 for the
support of a street carnival that has packed
Washington boulevard with a crowd estimated
at close to half a million people, all attracted
by the desire to see the winners of the second
Greater Detroit Piano Playing Contest, the
Prince and Princess of Music, and the 430 win-
ners of the school piano championships in pro-
cession, as well as to have the privilege of
listening and dancing to eight of the city's lead-
ing bands and eight orchestras on one of the
city's leading boulevards.
As a tribute to music this has never been
equaled in the United States and it provides an
example that might well be followed by other
cities, even though it may not be equaled
Throughout the entire event the point has been
strongly emphasized that it is being held under
the auspices of the piano merchants of Detroit
and that the piano itself is th'e basic musical in-
strument.
The convention itself opened on Monday
noon with a luncheon that made up in enthu-
siasm what it lacked in numbers. Frank J.
Bayley, president of the Michigan Music Mer-
chants' Association, was the toastmaster. In his
opening address he outlined the extent of the
celebration in connection with the selection oi
the contest winner, and to the fact that, al-
though Detroit has but 316 public schools, there
are 430 school champions, since many suburban
communities insisted that their children have a
chance to participate in the contest.
Mr Bayley stressed the importance of having
piano instruction in the public schools as a
regular part of the curriculum, stating that if
Rochester, N. Y., with but 40,000 children,
could have 25 per cent of them, or 10,000, tak-
ing courses in group instruction on the piano
regularly, Detroit, on the same basis, should
have 75,000 children following similar courses.
He called attention to what propaganda and
publicity had done for aeronautices, declaring
that whereas before Lindbergh flew to Paris
there were but twelve real airports in the
United States, 1,057 airports near various cities
and towns have been contracted for or planned
since the completion of his flight.
W. E. Guylee, president of the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association, was the next
speaker. Mr. Guylee paid a high tribute to the
work of the Detroit music merchants, declaring
that the city is tuned for music just as it is for
motors, and that the demand for good music
would increase in a similar ratio to the de-
mand for music. He said that at the present
time there were over 100,000 children through-
out the country taking group piano instruction
officially and that there were probably as many
more children and adults taking group piano
instruction through the media of the news-
papers and the radio.
The speaker maintained that the piano is the
basic musical instrument, the only one by which
3
it is possible to secure rhythm, harmony and
melody. He declared that the piano industry
had before it the greatest of opportunities since
the country today has ten times the buying
power of twenty years ago, although he ad-
W. E. Guylee
President, National Piano Mfrs.' Association
mitted that while pianos were the principal
product purchased on the deferred payment
plan twenty years ago, last year they stood
thirty-first and received but one-thirtieth of the
money invested in installment purchases.
At present, Mr. Guylee stated, there are ap-
proximately 9,000,000 pianos in American
homes, but 2,000,000 of those are only fit for the
scrap heap. With 27,000,000 homes in the coun-
(Continued on page 4)
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