Music Trade Review
Issue: 1930 Vol. 89 N. 8 - Page 23
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Published by The Music Trade Review, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York
Now Its the
CAchestra
for the Youngsters
HE toy cannon is be-
ing forsaken for the
cymbals. The sword
is dropped for sticks
in gay colors. The toma-
hawk is replaced by the tam-
bourine.
In short, young
America has gone musical,
and wants the world to hear
it!
From the nursery tod-
dler to the blase third
grader, the children are scrambling for places
in the toy orchestras and rhythm bands, and,
believe me, they know their instruments! The
amount of money being spent to equip these
amazing aggregations is nobody's business, but
the kind and quality of instruments needed are
surely the concern of the wide-awake dealer.
The first demand in this line is sturdiness.
Young enthusiasm runs high, and lusty thumps
and wallops are dealt in the effort to add one's
best to the ensemble. Flimsy things are soon
done for, and the teachers and supervisors of
music are so keen that word of a poor brand
spreads among the fraternity like a prairie fire.
On the other hand, a worthy product gets rec-
ommended far and wide.
Another pleasing feature is color. Color does
not imply gaudy stripes and a futuristic scheme,
but it does mean the generous use of good,
clear, plain colors—a glowing red, a brilliant
blue and a congenial green. One company of
instrument makers does much with a vivid red.
Instruments which present problems of pitch
are not popular. They axe for the individual
child and are not practical for group work. The
song whistles, toy clarinets, etc., are in this
class. The metallaphones are not in favor be-
T
Miss J. Lilian Vandevere, National Chairman of
Toy Orchestras and Rhythm Bands for the Na-
tional Federation of Music Clubs, Describes the
Types of Instruments Being Recommended and
Purchased for Toy Orchestras and Rhythm Bands
cause they are rarely tuned with the average
piano. They are usually in the key of C sharp
instead of in C. Another strong objection to
these is the flimsy boxes in which they are
packed.
Taking the instruments in order, the follow-
ing suggestions are offered by one who has
seen many grades of instruments in actual use
in demonstration classes:
Triangles: These should be resonant and
not too light in weight.
Tambourines:
Durable heads a,nd heavy
jingles are essential. A colored rim is attrac-
tive.
Drums: Strings with leather slides for ad-
justing the tension of the head are impractical.
The metal rods are much better. The better
the head, the better the chance of sale. There
is needed a small flat drum like a snare drum,
for the smaller children. Tin drums are not
welcome in any Toy Orchestra, as their
raucous din drowns everything else.
Castanets: The single pair on a handle are
being widely used. The teachers themselves
have an idea that the finger castanets are hard
to play, and are skeptical about them for chil-
dren.
23
Cymbals: Cymbals must
be resonant and should be
made so that they will not
curl. If they are small and
•too concave, they give a
tinny sound, not a mellow
clang. Knob handles seem
more adapted to the small
folk than the strap handles.
Bells: Many of the small
bells on handles are too
light. Other bells that are
heavier sound like sleigh bells. Their tone is
a heavy jangle rather than a tinkle. Bells, like
a ball on a handle do not last long, for the
halves of the bell loosen and the bit of metal
that makes the tone drops out.
Rhythm Sticks: These should be half an
inch in diameter, smooth and colored.
The
bright, shiny finish in plain red, blue, green
or yellow is very good. Twelve inches is the
proper length.
Xylophones: The all wooden ones are sat-
isfactory, and also the tubular metal chimes.
Fifteen notes in the key of C is a good com-
pass. Good, small xylophones are expensive,
but they are so popular with the children that
they cannot be overlooked or left out of the
stock in trade.
Tone Block: The Chinese wood block that
the trap drummer uses has been in demand,
but it is comparatively expensive, and the great-
est drawback is that it cannot be played with-
out something on which to rest it. A hollow
block with a handle that can be held in the
left hand is the answer to the problem.
Whistles: These are enjoyed by the chil-
dren, but as the whistle is obviously an indi-
(Please turn to page 25)
Published by The Music Trade Review, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York
Now Its the
CAchestra
for the Youngsters
HE toy cannon is be-
ing forsaken for the
cymbals. The sword
is dropped for sticks
in gay colors. The toma-
hawk is replaced by the tam-
bourine.
In short, young
America has gone musical,
and wants the world to hear
it!
From the nursery tod-
dler to the blase third
grader, the children are scrambling for places
in the toy orchestras and rhythm bands, and,
believe me, they know their instruments! The
amount of money being spent to equip these
amazing aggregations is nobody's business, but
the kind and quality of instruments needed are
surely the concern of the wide-awake dealer.
The first demand in this line is sturdiness.
Young enthusiasm runs high, and lusty thumps
and wallops are dealt in the effort to add one's
best to the ensemble. Flimsy things are soon
done for, and the teachers and supervisors of
music are so keen that word of a poor brand
spreads among the fraternity like a prairie fire.
On the other hand, a worthy product gets rec-
ommended far and wide.
Another pleasing feature is color. Color does
not imply gaudy stripes and a futuristic scheme,
but it does mean the generous use of good,
clear, plain colors—a glowing red, a brilliant
blue and a congenial green. One company of
instrument makers does much with a vivid red.
Instruments which present problems of pitch
are not popular. They axe for the individual
child and are not practical for group work. The
song whistles, toy clarinets, etc., are in this
class. The metallaphones are not in favor be-
T
Miss J. Lilian Vandevere, National Chairman of
Toy Orchestras and Rhythm Bands for the Na-
tional Federation of Music Clubs, Describes the
Types of Instruments Being Recommended and
Purchased for Toy Orchestras and Rhythm Bands
cause they are rarely tuned with the average
piano. They are usually in the key of C sharp
instead of in C. Another strong objection to
these is the flimsy boxes in which they are
packed.
Taking the instruments in order, the follow-
ing suggestions are offered by one who has
seen many grades of instruments in actual use
in demonstration classes:
Triangles: These should be resonant and
not too light in weight.
Tambourines:
Durable heads a,nd heavy
jingles are essential. A colored rim is attrac-
tive.
Drums: Strings with leather slides for ad-
justing the tension of the head are impractical.
The metal rods are much better. The better
the head, the better the chance of sale. There
is needed a small flat drum like a snare drum,
for the smaller children. Tin drums are not
welcome in any Toy Orchestra, as their
raucous din drowns everything else.
Castanets: The single pair on a handle are
being widely used. The teachers themselves
have an idea that the finger castanets are hard
to play, and are skeptical about them for chil-
dren.
23
Cymbals: Cymbals must
be resonant and should be
made so that they will not
curl. If they are small and
•too concave, they give a
tinny sound, not a mellow
clang. Knob handles seem
more adapted to the small
folk than the strap handles.
Bells: Many of the small
bells on handles are too
light. Other bells that are
heavier sound like sleigh bells. Their tone is
a heavy jangle rather than a tinkle. Bells, like
a ball on a handle do not last long, for the
halves of the bell loosen and the bit of metal
that makes the tone drops out.
Rhythm Sticks: These should be half an
inch in diameter, smooth and colored.
The
bright, shiny finish in plain red, blue, green
or yellow is very good. Twelve inches is the
proper length.
Xylophones: The all wooden ones are sat-
isfactory, and also the tubular metal chimes.
Fifteen notes in the key of C is a good com-
pass. Good, small xylophones are expensive,
but they are so popular with the children that
they cannot be overlooked or left out of the
stock in trade.
Tone Block: The Chinese wood block that
the trap drummer uses has been in demand,
but it is comparatively expensive, and the great-
est drawback is that it cannot be played with-
out something on which to rest it. A hollow
block with a handle that can be held in the
left hand is the answer to the problem.
Whistles: These are enjoyed by the chil-
dren, but as the whistle is obviously an indi-
(Please turn to page 25)
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