Music Trade Review
Issue: 1951 Vol. 110 N. 9 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The Jiusic [Jftade
Established 1879
VOL. 110-No. 9
THE
PIONEER
September, 1951
2,858th Issue
REVIEW
PUBLICATION
OF T H E MUSIC
I N D U S T R Y
Five Years of Group Piano Lesson
Progress and Suggestions for Future
by DR. RAYMOND BURROWS
Former Chairman of Piano Instruction Committee
T
HE five year story of the M.E.N.C.
piano committee is a long narra-
tive, full of details too intricate to be
completely captured in any single report.
It is a human story, telling of the per-
sonal growth, development and service
of over two hundred leaders and com-
mittee workers. It is a newsy story,
parts of which have flashed across the
front pages of large and small dailies
from coast to coast, including the New
York Times and some of the most widely
read tabloids. It is a grass roots story,
telling of activities in every corner of
the continental United States and
Hawaii. It is a heart warming story,
telling of classrooms and home circles
made happier and richer by the freer
use of music. It is a story of sacrifice,
involving the generous contribution of
time and effort by hard pressed pro-
fessional workers. It is a success story,
telling of seemingly insurmountable
obstacles which have been overcome. It
is an unfinished story, with much impor-
tant work to be accomplished in the
years to come.
Development of Personnel
In the fall of 1946, a national piano
committee of seven members was ap-
pointed by the M.E.N.C. President.
For one of the five years an eighth mem-
ber was appointed to fill a leave of
absence. Six of these members are
professors or administrators in colleges
where their work deals entirely or in
part with the training of piano teachers.
One is the director of piano classes in
a city school system, and the other
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1951
RAYMOND BURROWS TEACHING
GROUP OF CHILDREN
directs all the school instrumental pro-
grams in a large city. The first job was
to pool the resources of this group and
to prepare for united action. . . .
The sharing of ideas and mutual
strengthening of resources articulated
itself in three important ways. First,
the committee undertook major prob-
lems in common such as the preparation
of the Handbook for Class Piano Teach-
ing, and the organization of sessions for
piano teachers at the national conference
meetings. Secondly, the individual
members gathered ideas for their own
activities in writing; demonstration
teaching; contacting, schools, parent and
teachers; lecturing and conducting
panel discussions; and organizing the
piano sessions at the six divisional con-
ference meetings. Thirdly, the national
committee members, who were them-
selves chairmen of the six divisional
piano committees, gathered from each
other strength and inspiration for
developing leadership among their state
and local chairmen.
The real challenge of the piano com-
mittee program rests with the state and
local piano chairmen. It is on this army
of enthusiasts we have depended and
must continue to depend for carrying
the message of piano classes to parents,
teachers, administrators and children in
every city and state. The national com-
mittee has tried through literature, con-
ferences, correspondence and every pos-
sible means to prepare them with advice
and encouragement for their work. One
year we went so far as to conduct six
divisional leadership meetings, to which
each state chairman came for a two day
concentrated session of planning and
leadership training, including actual
demonstration of the various technics
used in our nation-wide educational
program. These leadership meetings
were expensive in terms of travel and
maintenance budget, but they were
vastly rewarding in terms of building
professional leaders.
Surveying the Situation
One of the first jobs the committee
faced was to find out what piano teach-
ing was going on in the schools of
America, so that we could improve and
extend the present instruction. We
started with an informal survey con-
ducted through personal visits and
questionnaires sent by local committee
The Jiusic [Jftade
Established 1879
VOL. 110-No. 9
THE
PIONEER
September, 1951
2,858th Issue
REVIEW
PUBLICATION
OF T H E MUSIC
I N D U S T R Y
Five Years of Group Piano Lesson
Progress and Suggestions for Future
by DR. RAYMOND BURROWS
Former Chairman of Piano Instruction Committee
T
HE five year story of the M.E.N.C.
piano committee is a long narra-
tive, full of details too intricate to be
completely captured in any single report.
It is a human story, telling of the per-
sonal growth, development and service
of over two hundred leaders and com-
mittee workers. It is a newsy story,
parts of which have flashed across the
front pages of large and small dailies
from coast to coast, including the New
York Times and some of the most widely
read tabloids. It is a grass roots story,
telling of activities in every corner of
the continental United States and
Hawaii. It is a heart warming story,
telling of classrooms and home circles
made happier and richer by the freer
use of music. It is a story of sacrifice,
involving the generous contribution of
time and effort by hard pressed pro-
fessional workers. It is a success story,
telling of seemingly insurmountable
obstacles which have been overcome. It
is an unfinished story, with much impor-
tant work to be accomplished in the
years to come.
Development of Personnel
In the fall of 1946, a national piano
committee of seven members was ap-
pointed by the M.E.N.C. President.
For one of the five years an eighth mem-
ber was appointed to fill a leave of
absence. Six of these members are
professors or administrators in colleges
where their work deals entirely or in
part with the training of piano teachers.
One is the director of piano classes in
a city school system, and the other
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1951
RAYMOND BURROWS TEACHING
GROUP OF CHILDREN
directs all the school instrumental pro-
grams in a large city. The first job was
to pool the resources of this group and
to prepare for united action. . . .
The sharing of ideas and mutual
strengthening of resources articulated
itself in three important ways. First,
the committee undertook major prob-
lems in common such as the preparation
of the Handbook for Class Piano Teach-
ing, and the organization of sessions for
piano teachers at the national conference
meetings. Secondly, the individual
members gathered ideas for their own
activities in writing; demonstration
teaching; contacting, schools, parent and
teachers; lecturing and conducting
panel discussions; and organizing the
piano sessions at the six divisional con-
ference meetings. Thirdly, the national
committee members, who were them-
selves chairmen of the six divisional
piano committees, gathered from each
other strength and inspiration for
developing leadership among their state
and local chairmen.
The real challenge of the piano com-
mittee program rests with the state and
local piano chairmen. It is on this army
of enthusiasts we have depended and
must continue to depend for carrying
the message of piano classes to parents,
teachers, administrators and children in
every city and state. The national com-
mittee has tried through literature, con-
ferences, correspondence and every pos-
sible means to prepare them with advice
and encouragement for their work. One
year we went so far as to conduct six
divisional leadership meetings, to which
each state chairman came for a two day
concentrated session of planning and
leadership training, including actual
demonstration of the various technics
used in our nation-wide educational
program. These leadership meetings
were expensive in terms of travel and
maintenance budget, but they were
vastly rewarding in terms of building
professional leaders.
Surveying the Situation
One of the first jobs the committee
faced was to find out what piano teach-
ing was going on in the schools of
America, so that we could improve and
extend the present instruction. We
started with an informal survey con-
ducted through personal visits and
questionnaires sent by local committee
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).