The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-06
MUSIC AS AN EDUCATOR

|
men have advocated the mainten-
ance of Municipal bands by city author
tiles or by subscriptions from the veal
thy classes OF the community. Unfor-
tunately. the present laws of many
commonwealths forbid appropriations
for such projects while the wealthy
citizen is not always a music-lover-
that is, not to the extent vf donating
from the contents of his "dough-bag'
toward the furtherance of a permanent
musical organization. Mr.. George w.
Landers of Clarinda, Iowa, dealer
in band ami orchestra music, and Incl
Gentally director of his home band, has
struck the nail on the head in the
circular he has recently issued and
mailed out to all musicians of his state.
Without state or city assistance 1t is
impossible to secure and retain the
services of q competent band director
as no capable man can afford to give
tlp surety in a large city to assume
charge of a semi-professional aggre-
cation in the smaller sized towns of
from two to five thousand inhabitants.
The reasons for this are quite obvious
as the calls for ones services are but
few in the little places and the usual
sources of income are noticeable by
their absence. Unfortunately for the
community, its native sons who become
adopts on their chosen instruments ma
turally migrate to larger spheres of
usefulness, and il becomes necessary TO
procure from the outside some standard
authority on music 10 head such a
band as is proposed by Mr.. Landers, If
it is TO retain the interest of the COM
munty in which it IS located. as well
as win the admiration of visitors.
Many Industrial plants have found il
much to their advantage to employ men
more or less skilled in the art of mus
sic, who during the luncheon hour can
render a concert of pleasing and in
structive numbers for the general good
will and morale Of the entire staff Of
the industry. The diversion of listening
TO good music by players and vOcalists
made UP from the working forces Of an
industrial plant, has a tendency to pro
mote greater harmony between em-
ployer and employee than hours of ar
bitration talk could ever bring about.
'Tis said that music charms" but it
also soothes and time devoted to the
i,urpose mentioned is profitable to all
hands concerned.
Why is it that large concerns, such
as the Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) Steel
Corporation maintains a band, an Or
ol, n1 81, Leo
from experience that the influence ex-
ertol by good music has a tendency
towards greater efficiency of the work.
man, and in such cases music is not
only great pleasure giver, but prac-
tlcally is an absolute essential to the
business. New England towns have al
ways seen the advertising utility of
shop bands and the writer spent three
most pleasant years in Hartford, Con-
necticut, as director of an organization
allied with manufacturing concern.
What can be said for private concerns
can be doubly said for municipalities,
for the band couE be placed on a salary
list by paying the men for-say two re-
hearsals and one concert per week dur
ing the winter and reverse this by hav-
ing one rehearsal and two concerts dur
ing the summer weeks. A competent
authority on band matters could be Sc
cured at an adequate salary-that is,
providing no local man has aspirations
for the position, and suoh aspirations
should have something more behind
them than u mere desire-and within
a few months every town could boast
Of worthwhile music.
Such q band would be q town edu-
Gator. A small tax paid by the people
would bring them untold joys, and
their band would ever be the pride OF
the townsmen. Being paid for attend
ance at rehearsals would mean greater
efficiency on the part OF the musicians
for there would be no absentees unless
one were too III to make his appearance.
| Such bands would be educators in every
sense of the word, and the writer is
heartily in favor of the move inaugu-
rated by Mr.. George w. Landers. That
he meets with the success he deserves
is the earnest wish Off. r. s. On
Jacobs Orchestra Monthly)