Music Trade Review

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rchestras
are Moldrcm's
Specialty
Karl Moldrem
romp around during rest periods, but when their
leader taps his music rack they are all attention.
Mr. Moldrem has trained the orchestra in
accordance with the ideas set forth in the
method developed by himself which is pub-
lished by the Century Music Co. of New York
and is designed to present the fundamentals
of music in a manner easily understood by the
kindergarten 'child who has learned his alpha-
bet and his numerals. He states that the suc-
cess of the method lies not alone in the sim-
plicity but depends in no small measure on the
spirit of co-operation shown by the parents of
the child. Where the baby's mother is patient
and thorough in supervising home practice, the
progress made is notable.
This baby orchestra in Hollywood has given
concerts in public to audiences that, in size,
would flatter one of the big symphony organi-
zations, and, despite the fact that two or three
thousand people are facing the youthful play-
(Plcasr turn to page 32)
H
OW old must a child be before it can
be successfully trained in orchestra
playing? There are those who claim
that youngsters are most susceptible
to training between the ages of ten and twelve
and progress from then on with the result that
in many localities orchestras of boys and girls
are recruited from youngsters of those ages
and up.
As a matter of fact, Karl Moldrem, who is
connected with the Wurlitzer Co. store in Los
Angeles, has demonstrated that youngsters of
four or five years, properly directed, can be
organized into a most acceptable orchestra,
taught to take their work seriously and made
to show marked ability as musicians.
Proof of this fact is found in the Holly-
wood Baby Orchestra organized some time ago
by Mr. Moldrem. It meant the importation of
tiny violins of almost toy size and a great
amount of patience, but the result has been a
musical group that has won for itself a nation-
.wide reputation. A recent photograph- of the
orchestra reproduced herewith gives some idea
of the youthfulness of its members who play
under the baton of a four-year-old conductor.
Newspapers have given the orchestra much
publicity and what has impressed the writers
particularly is the seriousness with which
the youngsters go about their playing. They
The Hollywood Baby Orchestra—(Inset) Karol Kay, Soloist
30