Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
"Business Week" Praises
Work of The AMC.
Defining the reasons why the music
business is booming today, "Business
Week" magazine's September 22 issue
featured a lengthy article on "Music
Industry Cashes In By Blowing Its Own
Horn." The two-page spread and two
turn-page columns, illustrated by Amer-
ican Music Conference photos of school
music classes, was devoted to facts and
figures showing the upswing in interest
in instrumental music among both chil-
dren and adults.
Crediting AMC's promotional activi-
ties with sparking this growing interest,
the article pointed to the increasing
number of school orchestras and ama-
teur community orchestras that testify
to the success of the music industry in
creating a demand for instruments in
the schools and homes.
Using the 450 school systems that
have added piano classes to their cur-
ricula as an example, Business Week
emphasized AMC's efficient coverage of
territory through staff field men and
described the slidefilms, pamphlets,
manuals, and reprints of magazine arti-
cles which have not only stimulated the
national interest in music-playing but
nurtured its growth to the widespread
benefit of the industry.
Ninety percent of the band instru-
ment sales were attributed to school
children and 65% of the pianos were
sold for children's home instruction
under private music teachers.
In another interesting paragraph, it
states: "Approximately 2,000 teachers
attended the 23 workshops held during
the past year. In 1949 more than 450
school systems added piano classes to
their curriculum, at least in part as a
result of the Music Conference's 'com-
parative analysis' of their music offer-
ing."
The National Association of Music
Merchants has just issued a four-page
folder reproducing in full the story
18
which appeared in "Business Week" in-
cluding five illustrations, and entitled:
"Look At This Proof That Your Music
Promotion Program is Paying Off."
It was also pointed out that, since
the war the number of school bands
has grown by 40% and that the Amer-
ican Music Conference now estimates
that there are about 31,000 school
bands and 15,000 school orchestras.
Also, that there are more than 700 com-
munity orchestras, whereas before the
war there were fewer than 50.
Regarding sales, it states that by the
end of the year the music industry
will capture more than $300,000,000 in
retail sales, whereas pianos will ac-
count for at least half of the dollar
volume, with band instruments second.
"Sales in 1950." says the article,
"were reported by the National Asso-
ciation of Music Merchants at about
$235,000,000. The best postwar year
up to now was 1948 when sales reached
$250,000,000. Just before the war, sales
were only at $81,000,000 in 1939 and
),000,000 in 1941."
Music Advances In Industry
Industrial music programs promise
to open new fields for development by
AMC.
An exploration into the possi-
bilities was held November 4-6 with a
workshop for industrial executives at
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This
first in a projected series of workshops
is the result of cooperation between
AMC and the Industrial Section of the
North Carolina Recreation Society.
The success of this initial program
may result in similar demonstrations
throughout the country.
Magazine Features "Keyboard
Experience"
Emphasizing the success of the first
pilot class in keyboard experience, or-
ganized for the Little Flower School in
Chicago, Illinois, in 1949, The School
Musician magazine recently featured an
article by Sister Mary Yvonne, who has
carried out this 3-year experiment in
class piano. In the article, Sister Mary
Yvonne pointed out that the children
"responded with enthusiasm," and she
described the first recital, after four
months' training, which. was received
by equally enthusiastic parents. A story
of an AMC program which "has proved
to be such a successful tool in the basic
music education of Little Flower chil-
dren," the article was prominently fea-
tured in the October issue.
AMC Article in Comics Magazines
Following the recent publication of
AMC features on the musical activ-
ities of children in school and at home,
the National Comics Publications car-
ried "Grown-ups Tune Up, Too" in sev-
eral of their comics magazines. The
two-page article, underscoring the value
of music-playing for adults as a re-
lease from tension and a means of fam-
ily unity, was based on AMC material
and quoted the American Music Con-
ference's findings on the reasons for
this musical trend which has resulted
in a postwar boom in musical activity.
Survey Shows Decline in Use
of American Music
According to the National Music
Council's annual survey of major sym-
phony orchestra programs for 1950-
51,
the number of compositions
by native-born musicians on these
programs has been steadily declining
during the past three seasons. During
1950.51 the major orchestras performed
the smallest number of American works
since the 1941-42 season. The percent-
age of American compositions played,
7.3%, was the lowest ever recorded in
these surveys, except for the 1940-41
season.
At the last Executive Committee meet-
ing of the National Music Council it
was decided to bring this situation to
the attention of the daily and music
press of the country, to music schools,
and to other agencies, with the request
that action be taken to arouse national
interest in a campaign to remedy this
serious condition in our musical life.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, NOVEMBER, 1951