Presto

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
Eriabli.hed IM4. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
IO Cent,; $2.00 a Yea,
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1925
PRACTICAL PLANS FOR "MAKING AMERICA MUSICAL"
Illuminating Interview With Kenneth M. Bradley, President of Bush Conservatory, Founded by Practical Piano
Man, Tells How Desire for Musical Instruments Is Stimulated at the Cost of Ten Cents a Lesson
Recent articles in Presto and other papers through-
out the country, concerning the success of class in-
struction in public schools on musical instruments
has aroused much interest and favorable comment.
An interview was sought by the writer, at the re-
quest of Presto, with Kenneth M. Bradley, who has
been president and director of Bush Conservatory of
Chicago since it was founded. We all know that this
nationally known institution was founded by that
KENNETH M. BUADLTOY.
well-known musical enthusiast, William Lincoln
Bush, who to a host of friends is known as "Billy"
Bush.
President Bradley is a nationally known educator,
He was the first to agitate the organization of the
National Association of Schools of Music and Allied
Arts, and he is the president of that organization,
which is financed by the Carnegie Corporation.
The Future of Music.
Mr. Bradley, like other musicians of vision, real-
izes that the future musical salvation of America lies
in the general dissemination of music in all grades of
society, the broadening of its influence everywhere,
until it becomes as general as education itself. And
there is no other agency that can bring this about so
successfully as the public school system.
"The growth of the teaching of singing in the
schools," said the educator, "and the elements of
musical knowledge has become general in the United
States and has been an appreciable factor in raising
the level of musical taste. The more recent develop-
ment of methods for teaching piano and other instru-
ments in class-groups is another decade, through
bringing an immense number of young people in
touch with the pleasure of music-making.
"Not that I expect any great number of geniuses
to be discovered. These will come to the front by
themselves—through the sheer impulse for self-ex-
pression. You cannot expect that, any more than you
can expect that vast numbers of brilliant writers or
great scientists, noted mathematicians, will come from
the millions of youngsters who labor daily over their
lessons.
Three Thousand a Week.
"But by these classes, where, as in Kansas City
under Helen Curtis, you can give three thousand les-
sons a week, bringing correct, though elementary, in-
struction to three thousand children, you have an in-
calculable influence and stimulus toward musical per-
formance. The fascination of the child mind for
actually playing the piano in groups leads to an active
interest in practice, which the ordinary private lesson
might not so stimulate, and you have immediately
directed the interest of large numbers of children at-
tractively toward piano playing.
"Take other instruments. Violin classes have
shown a big increase in the last two or three years.
In the wood-wind and brass instruments large groups
of young players in various schools and high schools
throughout the country have been so well trained in
the rudiments of performance on their instruments
and in musical notation that they can form orches-
tras and bands and have given creditable public
programs.
A Great Stimulus.
"You can see what a big stimulus all this is for a
genuinely musical America, with a thousand pupils
studying where a hundred studied before, and ten
thousand youngsters getting acquainted with the fas-
cinations of musical performance and receiving a
musical impulse that will last all through their lives.
"That is a genuine democratizing of music that will
make our entire nation truly musical. It will enable
us to accomplish in a few years what it has taken
Europe hundreds of years to acquire—namely, a musi-
cal feeling as deep and instinctive as the language
itself."
<
A Practical Idealist.
'
Mr. Bradley is an idealist, but a practical man as
well. His judgments are based not only on the
worth of an idea, but on its intrinsic values also.
And so it is that he sees in the growth of class
methods of instruction for instruments an increase
of musical appreciation in America, and also many
practical advantages.
First, the stimulus to the private teacher's class,
which will be increased by those desiring lessons
after the time when the class lessons cease—the aver-
age piano course covers the fourth and fifth grade of
school only, as well as those whose parents, discov-
ering Mary's or Jimmie's talent, take pride in giving
them private instruction.
"And, then," adds Mr. Bradley, with a bit of
humor, "it will weed out the untalented, inexpensively
for their narents. For the class teacher can soon tell
the degree of talent in the various students and she
can conscientiously recommend (at ten cents a les-
son!) that one or another has not the gift to make it
worth while to continue. But for one who is advised
not to study there will be scores who are found well
suited and even talented for the study of music.
Thus the parents are saved much time and expense
and worry in deciding to continue Mary's or Jimmie's
music lessons.
Will Help Music Trade.
"The music trades will benefit immensely by this
widespread interest in music, and where one piano is
sold now ten will move, because the enthusiastic
youngster at home who loves her piano class begs
her father for a piano so she can 'get her lessons.'
The charts used in the class recitation are not so in-
teresting for practice purposes as the actual sound-
producing piano used in the class room. Little Mary
begins to ask for one, and the little daughter usually
gets what she wants.
"In fact, I think that if the school board of a com-
munity does not appreciate the value to be derived
from such instruction the music trade of any fair
sized city would be justified in employing a class
piano instructor, for the number of pianos sold in
the community would more than pay for the salary
of such an instructor.
"It is a big movement." said Mr. Bradley, in con-
clusion, "and the constant increase of the number of
cities which are installing the courses, like Kansas
City, where Miss Curtis teaches, who is now giving
a Normal course in class piano instruction at Bush
Conservator}', Lincoln, Neb.; Gary, Ind., Chicago
Heights. 111.; Green Bay, Wis., and other places,
show that the idea has begun to take root. In a
decade we will see big returns. In twenty-five years
we should find a progressive musical spirit in the
tiniest hamlet. Then we can claim that we are a
genuinely musical nation, whereas now our music has
not gone very far below the surface."
A. K. C.
principal studio of WTAM by the Willard Storage
Battery Co., located at East 133rd street. This popu-
lar station now has two of these well-known pianos,
the other being at the downtown studio in the East
9th street store of the Euclid Music Co. Another
Baldwin grand has just been purchased by E. S.
Miller, the well known pianist, for his Cleveland
Senate Bill 52, Affording Garnishee Rights to home.
The Dreher Outing.
Merchants, Makes It Possible to Recover
The Dreher Piano Co. closed their doors all day
from Class of Buyers Who Willfully
Saturday, July 25th, for their first annual outing. It
was a most successful affair. The employees in the
Evade Payments.
shop and office journeyed by auto to "Regnatz's," a
popular hostelry, on Warren road, early in the morn-
ing, and at 10 o'clock the picnic officially began. Mr.
Bowie, manager of the phonograph department, was
the program director and he was the busiest man in
Dreher Piano Co. Entertains and Head of the House the crowd.
Distributes Gifts to Employees with Firm
There was a baseball match between the shop and
the office and sales force, which resulted in favor of
for Twenty or More Years.
the latter. Later, however, the shop got revenge by
Music merchants of Ohio and others who extend defeating their opponents in a tug-of-war.
credit on merchandise not classified as necessities are
The feature of the occasion was the presentation
rejoicing over the passage of the new garnishee bill, by Henry Dreher of appropriate gifts to all those
known as Senate Bill 52. Through its passage it is employees who had been with the firm for twenty
now possible to collect 10 per cent from the income or more years. The affair was so enjoyable that it is
of any debtor who owes on a piano, talking machine hoped to make it an annual event from now on.
or other merchandise. On necessities the amount
Bryan Records Sell.
now collectible is 20 per cent instead of 10 per cent
The Cleveland branch of the Starr Piano Co. is
as formerly.
finding a very brisk demand for the Gennett records
In the event- a debtor has no income and owns a of William Jennings Bryan. Just a few days prior
passenger automobile, under the new law this can be to the Commoner's death, Mr. Nusley, sales manager,
levied upon. Copies of the new law are expected in had made a special window trim of them.
the near future. In the meantime attorneys are pre-
Miss Renie Burdett, in charge of the record and
paring to get judgments against deadbeats who have roll department, was warmly thanked by officials of
always considered themselves immune.
the new library for her loan of a large number of
The sale of the bankrupt stock of the H. B. Bruck wonderful steel etchings of historical subjects, such
& Sons Co. has ended and the fixtures, etc., have all as battles of the Civil War, battle of Lake Erie, por-
traits of Lincoln, Washington and other presidents,
been disposed of and the store closed.
A Baldwin grand has been purchased for use in the etc.
NEW LAW TO HELP
OHIO COLLECTIONS
CALL FOR BRYAN RECORDS
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