Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Band and Orchestra Leaders Choose
Piano For Basic Training in AMC Poll
A background of music study involv-
ing the use of piano keyboards is one
of the greatest assets a beginning in-
strument student can have, according to
school band and orchestra leaders who
were polled by the American Music
Conference.
AMC mailed questionnaires to 2,000
instrumental directors in public and
parochial schools across the nation to
determine what they felt was the best
pre-band preparation for teaching in-
strumental music. The return of 1,001
answers included a cross section of di-
rectors from large and small communi-
ties, industrial and rural areas, in all
sections of the country.
In all five questions on the survey,
the piano keyboard was predominantly
mentioned as most significant in con-
tributing to the effectiveness of further
music training.
Asked "What musical knowledge
would you like your students to have as
a preparation for the instrumental pro-
gram?" 65 per cent of the instrumental
directors named technical music funda-
mentals, such as a knowledge of
rhythms, names of notes, key signatures,
etc. More than 35 per cent of the re-
turns specifically named piano as a
method of teaching the needed funda-
mentals. Used frequently was the term
"keyboard experience." a name given to
the technique of using the piano key-
board in teaching fundamental music
in the schools.
Asked "What teaching tools do you
consider most helpful in teaching note
reading in the classroom music pro-
gram?" the music educators listed sev-
eral approaches on each return. Melody
(pre-band) instruments were named on
65 per cent of the returns, and on 58
per cent the piano keyboard was men-
tioned specifically. Other tools, in or-
der of importance to the instrument di-
rectors, included bells, vocal exercises,
pitchpipe. rhythm, and visual aids.
More than 95 per cent of the direc-
tors say "Yes!'' to the question, "Do
you find a student who has already
studied an instrument more proficient
in the study of another instrument in
your class?"
Piano was listed by 76 per cent of
the educators polled as a valuable in-
strument to precede the band and or-
chestra instrumental study. They list-
ed piano in answer to the question: "If
you find students who have studied any
particular instrument more successful
in the class instrumental program, state
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1954
which instrument has given them the
best foundation." Others, in order of
importance according to the directors,
were: woodwinds, strings, brass, per-
cussion and fretted instruments.
The directors answered an emphatic.
95 per cent, "Yes" to the final ques-
tion: "Do you find that on the whole a
student who has had some piano ex-
perience before entering your instru-
mental instruction class learns more
rapidly than students who have not had
such experience?"
Dr. John C. Kendel, vice-president of
the American Music Conference, noted:
"The importance of the piano in the
survey results reaffirms our belief that
the piano is and will continue to be a
basic instrument in music education—
valuable to group instrumental pro-
grams on all instruments."
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