Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
AMC Committee Reviews Gains
At a recent meeting of the Public
Relations Committee of the American
Music Conference. Dr. John C. Kendel
announced that plans for the coopera-
tion of AMC with the International
Churchman's Exposition management
are being made and that a music clinic
will be offered in connection with this
activity. Thousands of church leaders
will attend.
In his report Dr. Kendel noted that
considerable interest is apparent among
manufacturers and wholesalers in the
proposed plan to hold string clinics,
though a definite decision on the advisa-
bility of holding the clinics awaits fur-
ther reports from the trade.
Philip Lesly, AMC public relations
counsel, told the committee that the
public opinion campaign during the
first quarter of 1953 "reached the high-
est point in AMC's history."
Lesly appointed to the increased em-
phasis on music among major publica-
tions, such. as Time, Good Housekeep-
ing, Coronet, American Business, the
New York Times and others resulting
from AMC publicity activity, asid
pointed to a number of stories scheduled
to appear in top publications to in-
dicate that the increase in musical in-
terest is continuing at a rapid rate.
Interest on "Music Clipping
Month"
According to present indications "Mu-
sic Clipping Month," April 15-May 15.
has proved a success in alerting people
affiliated with the music industry to note
the value of publicity in newspapers
and magazines and remind them that-
the country is becoming more music
minded all the time. Publicity aimed
at increasing the present high interest
in music is also beamed by AMC
through television, radio, business and
industrial publications and other media.
Eisenhower's Harmonica Pushes
Sales
An article in the American Maga-
zine, inspired by AMC publicity on the
President being an enthusiastic harmon-
ica player, mentioned that manufac-
18
turers said that "the revelation of Presi-
dent Eisenhower's hankering for making
music with the mouth has added such a
push that we're becoming the mouth-
organest-playing people on earth"
Field Workers Continue Successes
Group workshops and class reading
demonstrations throughout the country,
led by AMC field men. are reaching in-
creasing numbers of teachers. h\ Eay-
ettville. N. C. AMC field representative
Marion Egbert helped set up a recrea-
tion group workshop with the coopera-
tion of Selwyn Orcutt. superintendent
of recreation and parks. Egbert also
worked with a workshop for teachers
conducted by AMC at the College of St.
Rose. Albany. \ . Y. Field representa-
tive Ed Kalb conducted a similar work-
shop at Bastrop. La.
Public School Dep'f. Buys 96
Tru-Touch Practice Keyboards
Demand for the Tru-Touch Practice
Keyboards which were introduced by
Pratt. Read & Co.. Inc., Ivoryton, Conn,
in April has been steadily increasing.
The most recent order received by the
largest piano supply house, was for 96
units and was placed by the West Hart-
ford (Connecticut) Public School Dept.
It is believed that other school systems
will adopt these silent keyboards to
supplement their class piano activity as
soon as their new budgets are drawn up.
Before offering the Tru-Touch boards
to the public, Pratt, Read put them
through rigorous testing, first in their
own laboratories and then in the field.
Twelve of the units have been in steady
use for over six months at the Hale-
Ray School. Moodus, Conn., where class
piano instruction was started several
years ago under the direction of the
late Ray Burrows. The following is
quoted from a letter written by Mrs.
Charlotte W. Schonberg. Supervisor of
Music, to Pratt Read.
"They are very neat and attractive in
appearance and immediately became
"our little pianos'. The keyboard of
four octaves, with key action so like
that of a real piano made lessons so
much more interesting, and the teach-
ing and development of scales, arpeg-
gios and some finger techniques actual-
ly possible. Interest in the class lesson
increased from the first day we received
them, and has continued on a much
higher level than before. I only wish
each student might have one for home
use where no piano is available, until
such time as a piano might be deemed
necessary."
Pratt Read developed this training
aid at the insistence of musical educa-
tors and music dealers as a contribu-
tion to the piano teaching program. Be-
cause the main aim is to further music
education, and hence the sales of true
pianos, a unique selling program has
beeen adopted. The keyboards are
priced at $25.00 net. boxed and ready
for shipment, f.o.b. Ivoryton, Conn. No
dealer discounts are offered nor are
prices scaled for volume orders. This
fills the requirement of the dealers and
educators that as many of the boards
as possible be gotten into the hands of
students at a minimum cost. Some
dealers have used them as a source of
profit by applying their usual mark-ups
for this type of item, while others have
merely added the cost of freight and
handling to the original price in the
hope of making their profit from the
eventual piano sale to students who use
them in their training.
WuHitler Comptroller is Elected
to Controllers Institute of America
Roy W. Carlson, comptroller. The
Rudoph Wurlitzer Co.. Chicago, has
been elected to membership in the Con-
trollers Institute of America.
Established in 1931, the Institute is
a non-profit organization of controllers
and finance officers from all lines of
business—banking, manufacturing, dis-
tribution, utilities, transportation, etc.
The total membership exceeds 4.100.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JULY,
1953