Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
August 13, 1927.
EFFECTIVE AIDFORJWELODY WAY
Kohler Industries, New York, Offers Dealers Free Use of Its Expert Adver=
tising Men to Effect Tie=Up With Melody Club Lessons in Evening World
The Melody Way Club of the New York Evening
World is absorbing the interest of the public in a
most amazing way and piano men have great faith
in its potency to stimulate piano sales now and in a
constantly increasing manner as the months pass.
The club, to which membership buttons have been
distributed, got its first lesson July 30 on the two
MINO(
MELODY WAY KEY FINDER
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Herbert Simpson, president of Kohler & Campbell,
Inc., New York, is one of the most enthusiastic ad-
vocates of the Melody Way plan of piano instruc-
tion and was among the first to note its potentiali-
ties for increasing interest in the piano. At his
direction the advertising and* sales promotion divi-
sion of his company has cleverly provided for dealers
means for effective tie-ups with the Melody Way
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interesting pages devoted to the purpose. The ap-
pearance of the pages vastly stimulated the ambition
of new thousands of children and grown-ups and
evoked an urgent call for membership blanks from
all points.
The Melody Way was devised by W. Otto Miess-
ner of the Miessner Institute of Milwaukee, and he
has written his method into a series of lessons for
the Evening W r orld. The method is extremely easy.
No long hours of fingering practice and tedious scale
exercises are necessary, a fact which seemed like a
revolution in piano study methods to the newspaper
readers. Many thousands of Evening World readers
proved the effectiveness of the method by playing
a simple melody after studying the hrst lesson.
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while the lessons are running in the Evening World.
The advertising aids include a series of suggestive
advertisements. The company also has offered the
services of the department for making copy.
The efforts of Mr. Simpson are directed to-
wards inducing dealers to take advantage of the
public interest in the Melody Way plan. The Kohler
Industries are not mentioned in any way in the propa-
ganda. Mr. Simpson believes the plan is of a degree
of magnitude to aid an entire trade, not individual
houses. The free offer of the services of the adver-
tising and sales promotion division of Kohler Indus-
tries is a contribution of the company to further the
success of a merchandising plan that Mr. Simpson
believes is sound and possible of great results.
rewarded, since all of them are doing everything
possible in promoting it. Their display window
feature pianos which will be offered as prizes, adjoin-
ing which are notices that boys and girls enroll, if
they would win one of them. The instruments to
Eager Aspirants for Fame in Piano Tournament be offered as prizes are valued at from $400 to $1,500.
New and larger quarters will be taken in Balti-
Continue to Enroll for Event.
more, Md., by the Christensen School of Popular
A large number of additional entries for the Music at 122-124 West Franklin street, to which the
Greater Baltimore Piano Playing Contest have school will be moved during the coming month. The
brought the number of entrants well over the 2,000 school is now located at 201 Park avenue, where it
mark. This number of boys and girls represents has been for a number of years. The school is
virtually every public, private and, parochial school devoted exclusively to teaching the playing of popu-
in Baltimore and the suburbs. This number is ex- lar music on piano, violin, trombone and other in-
pected to be swelled considerably before the pre- struments. William J. Watkins is head of the
liminaries are held, which are scheduled to be staged school.
shortly after the resumption of the new scholastic
year, early in September.
BLAINE NOT TO MISS CONVENTION.
Letters have been received by the contest manager
U. M. Blaine, president of the Whitney-Blaine-
from children who are out of the city on vacation, Wildermuth Company, Inc.. 820-22 Adams street,
expressing their desire of participating in the con- Toledo, Ohio, says he will be at the Michigan Music
test. Because of this the closing dates for the entries
Merchants' Association convention in Detroit next
have been extended so that all children who may so week, and perhaps one or two others from his firm
desire will be able to take part in the event.
will be there also. Mr. Blaine is acquainted with
Frank Bailey, Roy Maypole and many of the other
The piano playing tournament, which is being
sponsored by the Music Trades Association of Bal- trade boosters of Detroit. Toledoans all have a good
timore, and which is endorsed by civic and profes- feeling for Detroit. For, irrespective of size, the one
sional leaders, including Governor Ritchie of Mary- city is no more ambitious than the other. Toledo is
now forecasting great growth anent becoming a
land and Mayor Broening of Baltimore, will be a
signal success if efforts of the piano merchants are seaport. Its population is 30\818.
PROGRESS OF CONTEST
IN BALTIMORE, MD.
Sturdy Little Piano, Used as Show Window
Detcur by Uncontrolled Sedan Reported
Uninjured by Dealer.
"Referring to the damage by automobile to our
store last Saturday afternoon," writes the Kops
Piano House, Great Falls, Mont., to the Starr Piano
Co., Richmond, lnd., alluding to a description in a
local newspaper, "you will note mention of the for-
ward works of the machine being on a $600.00
piano.
"It is true that the machine was on the piano.
However, the price is somewhat exaggerated as the
particular instrument happened to be a Starr D
Minum in the satin walnut finish, serial No. 207586.
We had just finished a window trim and had placed
this little piano in the center of our window together
with phonographs and records.
"The piano was hit head on, thrown over and
crawled upon by the machine and then used as a
battering ram to damage other musical instruments,
fixtures, etc., for a length of about sixty feet into
our store. It was necessary to lift the machine
completely off the piano and we want to compliment
you on the strength of this little instrument which
should really be termed T H E L I T T L E (IIANT.
Outside of case marks and the crushing of a few
keys as well as the fall board the instrument is in
excellent condition and will come out nicely and
probably make some home happy."
The story published in last week's Presto-Times
told how the machine of P. O. Trainor plunged into
the Kops Piano House, 508 Central avenue, and did
some $4,000 damage.
Trainor had parked his car in front of the music
house and is thought to have left the machine in
gear. When he stepped on the starter the car
plunged forward, crossed the sidewalk, crashed
through the plate glass store front and for a distance
of 60 feet lived a riotous life.
GEORGE SCHROEDER SUCCEEDS
IN FINANCIAL WORLD
President of the Schroeder Piano Company Also
Directs Important Business in Financing.
George Schroeder, president of the Schroeder Piano
Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., with branches in Pitts-
burgh, Butler, Charleroi, New Castle and Blairsville,
is also directing owner of the George Schroeder
Company, mergers and financing.
The genius of Mr. Schroeder became manifest
anew when he succeeded in arranging a series of
large mergers in the public utility field last year.
The largest of these operations was the consolida-
tion of the Columbia Gas Company, owned by the
Wittmers, and the Peoples Gas Company, a sub-
sidiary of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey,
which amounted to $12,000,000. The latest mergers
to be consummated by Mr. Schroeder is that of the
Pittsburgh Gazette Times and Chronicle Telegraph
with the Hearst interests, which involved a consider-
able sum of money, and which will benefit all the
merchants in the Pittsburgh field. Mr. Schroeder
states that there are now over $60,000,000 worth of
deals pending.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER HELPS SALESMEN
Outside Salesmen must be equipped so as to "show the goods." The season for country piano selling is approaching. Help your sales-
men by furnishing them with the New Bowen Piano Loader, which serves as a wareroom far from the store. Ti is the unlv safe
delivery system for dealers, either in city or country. It costs little. Write for particulars.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston Salem, N. C.
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