Presto
Issue: 1929 2237 - Page 5
MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a
1 Year
Copy
$1.25
10 M o n t h s . . . $1.00
6 Months. .75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 15, 1929
Issued Semi-Monthly
First and Third Saturdays
PROGRESS OF GROUP TEACHING IN SCHOOLS TYING UP TO
A GOOD HOUSE
The Actual Practice of This Method of Teaching Children to Play the Piano
Is Becoming Nation=Wide With Gratifying Results
The spread of piano class lessons denotes an en-
gagement along a very wide frontier line. Piano
•classes lead, hut other musical instruction is also
'being taught in classes.
The leader in this nation-wide movement is C. M.
Tremaine of New York, but different cities are vying
with one another to speed up the good work.
As for Chicago, its promotional efforts along this
line were made subject matter by Adam Schneider
for an informing talk at a recent meeting of the Piano
Club. The story of last year's work, he said, showed
upwards of 10,000 pupils enrolled in the piano classes
of the public and parochial schools, and it would not
surprise him, if the work was not interfered with by
outside interests, to find 30,000 to 40,000 pupils en-
rolled for piano lessons before the end of the semes-
ter. A shortage of teachers for the groups is one of
the hindrances.
Mr. Schneider asked his audience of piano men to
imagine the possibilities of 800,000 pupils in the
schools of Chicago, with probably 400,000 of them of
the ages ready to take piano lessons. What a line-up
>fpr future piano prospects was to be seen here!
Using Loaned Pianos.
There was a shortage of pianos in the schools on
which to play. Last year the piano men of Chicago
loaned about 79 pianos for use in the schools—some
firms lending 3, others 5 and up to 12 or 15, and up
to October 8 this year, Mr. Schneider says, 102 pianos
have been loaned for this purpose.
Superintendent of Schools Bogan and his Super-
visor of Music, Dr. J. Lewis Browne, are both enthu-
siastic about the work of the pupils in piano playing
in the public and other schools of Chicago.
Treasurer Schneider's Letter.
The following letter sent to each member of the
Chicago Piano & Organ Association tells the story
of group piano instruction in the Chicago public
schools:
Chicago.
October 1, 1929.
Chicago Piano & Organ Association,
Dear Sir:
Your generous support last year was greatly appre-
ciated. We were able to do a few things that other-
wise would have been left undone.
The greatest single factor making toward better
business is, of course, the child at the piano. Never
before has Chicago had in its Public School System
two men who have seemed to so ally themselves with
our industry in their eagerness for pianos in the home
as Superintendent of Schools Bogan and his Super-
visor of Music, J. Lewis Browne.
When schools closed in June there were approxi-
mately 11,000 enrolled for piano instruction and this
fall, instead of having to begin, as a year ago, from
a standing start, 9,000 pupils are the nucleus with
which the group teachers start building.
Many of your associates in the Piano & Organ
Association are furnishing pianos without cost to.the
schools, but if you do not happen to be one of these,
your loyal support in subscribing for a membership
is of great encouragement.
.
'
•
Sincerely yours,
ADAM SCHNEIDER, Treasurer.
Music Department Dinner.
The following letter is being sent out to the
teachers this week:
Board of Education, City of Chicago,
Educational Administration Building,
460 South State Street.
Department of Music.
October 3, 1929.
To the Teachers of Music,
The Chicago Public Schools.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
• • . . . •
On Friday evening, October 18th, the second annual
Music Department dinner will be held at the Medinah
Athletic Club, Michigan avenue at Illinois street.
Mr. William J. Bogan, superintendent of Schools,
Mr. H. Wallace Caldwell, president of the Board of
Education, and Miss Mabelle Glenn of Kansas City,
president of the National Music Supervisors' Confer-
ence to be held in Chicago in March, will be the
principal speakers.
Rose Lutiger Gannon, contralto, and Henry Sopkin,
violinist, will also appear in a short musical program,
which will be followed by dancing, with music by one
of Chicago's finest orchestras.
This will no doubt be an evening you cannot afford
to miss. Will you not only be present yourself, but
will you make it your business to interest your prin-
cipal and other music lovers in your school. Tickets
will be $3 per cover and may be ordered from Mr.
O. W. Anderson of the Music Department by mail.
Yours for a successful year,
J. L E W I S BROWNE,
ComjjStttee:
Director of Music.
J. Iptyvis Browne,
He'r|>(e.rt H. Sommers,
^.'Anderson.
' Gulbransen Working in the Cause.
The Gulbransen'Company-in one of its sales man-
uals just issued says: "The America of tomorrow is
bound to be a musical nation. Twenty-five million
school children are being taught every year to know
and appreciate music. School credits are being
awarded in nearly all schools throughout our land,
based on music as a necessary part of education and
preparation for life's tasks and enjoyments.
"Piano classes are now being developed in a large
number of public schools and it is only a question of
time when all the children in our public schools will
be able to play this greatest of all musical instru-
ments."
"The phonograph and reproducing piano have con-
tributed toward bringing music closer to us.
"Radio has saturated the entire human race (par-
ticularly in America) with the beauties of music."
NATIONAL BUREAU ADDS
PIANO CLASS EXPERT
Miss Ella H. Mason Appointed by C. M. Tremaine as
Specialist in Promotional Work.
Great interest is being shown in class instruction
in teaching piano playing to the children in public
and other schools this fall throughout the United
States and Canada.
C. M. Tremaine, director of the National Bureau
for the Advancement of Music,, has announced the
appointment of Miss Ella H. Mason as the bureau's
specialist in its piano class promotional work. Miss
Mason is one of the outstanding figures in the field,
having conducted for a number of years, and with
great success, many such classes in the schools of
Rochester.
After studying the piano in Boston with Hans
Ebell, Miss Mason attended the Eastman School of
Music at the University of Rochester and won the
degree of Bachelor of Music. She has also studied
group piano methods at Teachers' College, Columbia
University. She early established herself as a pri-
vate teacher-and devoted-nine-years to piano class
teaching in the Rochester public schools. For two
summers she had charge of the demonstration work
on class teaching at Rutgers College. She had also
conducted teachers' institutes in Toronto and Mon-
treal, During the past summer she had been giving
the teachers' course in class methods at the Uni-
(Continued on page 6)
Just Now More Than Ever Dealers Are Anx-
ious to Make No Error in This Regard,
as Big Factories Increase
Their Output.
With the piano business back on something like its
former footing as one of the leading industries of the
country, dealers may well ask themselves the ques-
tion, "What piano manufacturing concern would it
be well for me to tie to?"
Music merchants realize that the day for picking
up bargain lots has passed, as well as the day for
unloading on their customers old style, cast-aside
instruments. Most good bargains have long since
been taken up and piano factories show, as a rule,
a clean slate in the matter of old and discarded in-
struments. It is now, and henceforth will continue
to be, clean, straight manufacturing coupled with ser-
vice of the highest class. For the dealer it is now
straight work, persistent effort, even to house-to-
house canvassing.
Casting about for a strong, reliable house to tie
to, one of the great houses that comes to mind is the
M. Schulz Company, Chicago. The standing of this
great house in the trade for many years is an un-
questionable record of production and power; of fair
dealing, good money's worth and of various forms of
service and backing to the dealer.
In this connection it might be well to call atten-
tion to the Schulz's wonderful little Marionette piano.
This charming little grand is the same size as the
M. Schulz Reproducing Marionette, with a range of
7?>' notes. The action and touch are precisely the
same as a full-size grand. It is handsomely finished
throughout and is an ideal piano for anyone wishing
a good instrument.
The Marionette is the latest and most amazing
development in the piano industry—a marvelous little
reproducing grand that recreates with volume and
brilliance the recordings of the great concert pianists,
and yet actually requires no more room than an arm-
chair. It is exquisitely attractive in appearance, built
of richly beautiful woods, finished in shaded lacquers,
and with gleaming, ivory keys. Within its compact
dimensions it has the charm and grace of a full-size
grand.
The Marionette scale is the newly developed six-
octave compass, but the reproducing mechanism plays
all standard 88-note reproducing and player rolls.
The mechanism is absolutely noiseless—no hum or
vibration—the case is of highest quality five-ply con-
struction—w r hite mountain spruce sounding board—
imported music wire. Its length is three feet eight
inches and width three feet ten.
EDMONTON SCHOOLS
TAKE FORWARD STEP
Canadian City School Board Makes Provision for
Piano Class Instruction.
A forward step taken by the Edmonton School
Board at Edmonton, Alberta, this year will be the
holding of piano classes. These classes are intended
for. junior pupils or pupils who are just beginning,
and not for pupils who already have had private piano
instruction.
A dummy keyboard for each pupil and one piano
for the entire class will be the equipment used and
during the class each child will have his or her turn
to play the piano. It lias been found in previous
classes of this type that the children attain as good
results in the standard examination as when each child
receives private tuition.
Warren C. Coffin, one of Chicago's best known
musicians, aged 85 years, died on October 2. For the
last 50 years he had been a director of many of the
largest church choirs in Chicago.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a
1 Year
Copy
$1.25
10 M o n t h s . . . $1.00
6 Months. .75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 15, 1929
Issued Semi-Monthly
First and Third Saturdays
PROGRESS OF GROUP TEACHING IN SCHOOLS TYING UP TO
A GOOD HOUSE
The Actual Practice of This Method of Teaching Children to Play the Piano
Is Becoming Nation=Wide With Gratifying Results
The spread of piano class lessons denotes an en-
gagement along a very wide frontier line. Piano
•classes lead, hut other musical instruction is also
'being taught in classes.
The leader in this nation-wide movement is C. M.
Tremaine of New York, but different cities are vying
with one another to speed up the good work.
As for Chicago, its promotional efforts along this
line were made subject matter by Adam Schneider
for an informing talk at a recent meeting of the Piano
Club. The story of last year's work, he said, showed
upwards of 10,000 pupils enrolled in the piano classes
of the public and parochial schools, and it would not
surprise him, if the work was not interfered with by
outside interests, to find 30,000 to 40,000 pupils en-
rolled for piano lessons before the end of the semes-
ter. A shortage of teachers for the groups is one of
the hindrances.
Mr. Schneider asked his audience of piano men to
imagine the possibilities of 800,000 pupils in the
schools of Chicago, with probably 400,000 of them of
the ages ready to take piano lessons. What a line-up
>fpr future piano prospects was to be seen here!
Using Loaned Pianos.
There was a shortage of pianos in the schools on
which to play. Last year the piano men of Chicago
loaned about 79 pianos for use in the schools—some
firms lending 3, others 5 and up to 12 or 15, and up
to October 8 this year, Mr. Schneider says, 102 pianos
have been loaned for this purpose.
Superintendent of Schools Bogan and his Super-
visor of Music, Dr. J. Lewis Browne, are both enthu-
siastic about the work of the pupils in piano playing
in the public and other schools of Chicago.
Treasurer Schneider's Letter.
The following letter sent to each member of the
Chicago Piano & Organ Association tells the story
of group piano instruction in the Chicago public
schools:
Chicago.
October 1, 1929.
Chicago Piano & Organ Association,
Dear Sir:
Your generous support last year was greatly appre-
ciated. We were able to do a few things that other-
wise would have been left undone.
The greatest single factor making toward better
business is, of course, the child at the piano. Never
before has Chicago had in its Public School System
two men who have seemed to so ally themselves with
our industry in their eagerness for pianos in the home
as Superintendent of Schools Bogan and his Super-
visor of Music, J. Lewis Browne.
When schools closed in June there were approxi-
mately 11,000 enrolled for piano instruction and this
fall, instead of having to begin, as a year ago, from
a standing start, 9,000 pupils are the nucleus with
which the group teachers start building.
Many of your associates in the Piano & Organ
Association are furnishing pianos without cost to.the
schools, but if you do not happen to be one of these,
your loyal support in subscribing for a membership
is of great encouragement.
.
'
•
Sincerely yours,
ADAM SCHNEIDER, Treasurer.
Music Department Dinner.
The following letter is being sent out to the
teachers this week:
Board of Education, City of Chicago,
Educational Administration Building,
460 South State Street.
Department of Music.
October 3, 1929.
To the Teachers of Music,
The Chicago Public Schools.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
• • . . . •
On Friday evening, October 18th, the second annual
Music Department dinner will be held at the Medinah
Athletic Club, Michigan avenue at Illinois street.
Mr. William J. Bogan, superintendent of Schools,
Mr. H. Wallace Caldwell, president of the Board of
Education, and Miss Mabelle Glenn of Kansas City,
president of the National Music Supervisors' Confer-
ence to be held in Chicago in March, will be the
principal speakers.
Rose Lutiger Gannon, contralto, and Henry Sopkin,
violinist, will also appear in a short musical program,
which will be followed by dancing, with music by one
of Chicago's finest orchestras.
This will no doubt be an evening you cannot afford
to miss. Will you not only be present yourself, but
will you make it your business to interest your prin-
cipal and other music lovers in your school. Tickets
will be $3 per cover and may be ordered from Mr.
O. W. Anderson of the Music Department by mail.
Yours for a successful year,
J. L E W I S BROWNE,
ComjjStttee:
Director of Music.
J. Iptyvis Browne,
He'r|>(e.rt H. Sommers,
^.'Anderson.
' Gulbransen Working in the Cause.
The Gulbransen'Company-in one of its sales man-
uals just issued says: "The America of tomorrow is
bound to be a musical nation. Twenty-five million
school children are being taught every year to know
and appreciate music. School credits are being
awarded in nearly all schools throughout our land,
based on music as a necessary part of education and
preparation for life's tasks and enjoyments.
"Piano classes are now being developed in a large
number of public schools and it is only a question of
time when all the children in our public schools will
be able to play this greatest of all musical instru-
ments."
"The phonograph and reproducing piano have con-
tributed toward bringing music closer to us.
"Radio has saturated the entire human race (par-
ticularly in America) with the beauties of music."
NATIONAL BUREAU ADDS
PIANO CLASS EXPERT
Miss Ella H. Mason Appointed by C. M. Tremaine as
Specialist in Promotional Work.
Great interest is being shown in class instruction
in teaching piano playing to the children in public
and other schools this fall throughout the United
States and Canada.
C. M. Tremaine, director of the National Bureau
for the Advancement of Music,, has announced the
appointment of Miss Ella H. Mason as the bureau's
specialist in its piano class promotional work. Miss
Mason is one of the outstanding figures in the field,
having conducted for a number of years, and with
great success, many such classes in the schools of
Rochester.
After studying the piano in Boston with Hans
Ebell, Miss Mason attended the Eastman School of
Music at the University of Rochester and won the
degree of Bachelor of Music. She has also studied
group piano methods at Teachers' College, Columbia
University. She early established herself as a pri-
vate teacher-and devoted-nine-years to piano class
teaching in the Rochester public schools. For two
summers she had charge of the demonstration work
on class teaching at Rutgers College. She had also
conducted teachers' institutes in Toronto and Mon-
treal, During the past summer she had been giving
the teachers' course in class methods at the Uni-
(Continued on page 6)
Just Now More Than Ever Dealers Are Anx-
ious to Make No Error in This Regard,
as Big Factories Increase
Their Output.
With the piano business back on something like its
former footing as one of the leading industries of the
country, dealers may well ask themselves the ques-
tion, "What piano manufacturing concern would it
be well for me to tie to?"
Music merchants realize that the day for picking
up bargain lots has passed, as well as the day for
unloading on their customers old style, cast-aside
instruments. Most good bargains have long since
been taken up and piano factories show, as a rule,
a clean slate in the matter of old and discarded in-
struments. It is now, and henceforth will continue
to be, clean, straight manufacturing coupled with ser-
vice of the highest class. For the dealer it is now
straight work, persistent effort, even to house-to-
house canvassing.
Casting about for a strong, reliable house to tie
to, one of the great houses that comes to mind is the
M. Schulz Company, Chicago. The standing of this
great house in the trade for many years is an un-
questionable record of production and power; of fair
dealing, good money's worth and of various forms of
service and backing to the dealer.
In this connection it might be well to call atten-
tion to the Schulz's wonderful little Marionette piano.
This charming little grand is the same size as the
M. Schulz Reproducing Marionette, with a range of
7?>' notes. The action and touch are precisely the
same as a full-size grand. It is handsomely finished
throughout and is an ideal piano for anyone wishing
a good instrument.
The Marionette is the latest and most amazing
development in the piano industry—a marvelous little
reproducing grand that recreates with volume and
brilliance the recordings of the great concert pianists,
and yet actually requires no more room than an arm-
chair. It is exquisitely attractive in appearance, built
of richly beautiful woods, finished in shaded lacquers,
and with gleaming, ivory keys. Within its compact
dimensions it has the charm and grace of a full-size
grand.
The Marionette scale is the newly developed six-
octave compass, but the reproducing mechanism plays
all standard 88-note reproducing and player rolls.
The mechanism is absolutely noiseless—no hum or
vibration—the case is of highest quality five-ply con-
struction—w r hite mountain spruce sounding board—
imported music wire. Its length is three feet eight
inches and width three feet ten.
EDMONTON SCHOOLS
TAKE FORWARD STEP
Canadian City School Board Makes Provision for
Piano Class Instruction.
A forward step taken by the Edmonton School
Board at Edmonton, Alberta, this year will be the
holding of piano classes. These classes are intended
for. junior pupils or pupils who are just beginning,
and not for pupils who already have had private piano
instruction.
A dummy keyboard for each pupil and one piano
for the entire class will be the equipment used and
during the class each child will have his or her turn
to play the piano. It lias been found in previous
classes of this type that the children attain as good
results in the standard examination as when each child
receives private tuition.
Warren C. Coffin, one of Chicago's best known
musicians, aged 85 years, died on October 2. For the
last 50 years he had been a director of many of the
largest church choirs in Chicago.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).