Milford chronicle., 1941-05-02
School Bands Heard
By $4,000 People
lcontInued from FIrst PaEel

of Commerce, thanked the school
musicians, the police and fire
bureaus and all others who par
ticipated in the festival. Mr..
Gassaway introduced Gov. Walter
w. Bacon, who reminded those in
the square that the festival served
as an example Of the freedom in
America.
Bayard Sharp. president Of city
council, speaking for Mayor Albert
w. James, who was out of the
city, welcomed the visitors to
Wilmington.
DR.. Edwin Frankie Goldman,
famed conductor, told the bands
that their playing was greatly inn
proved over last year. He declared
that "we need music today more
than ever BEFORE" and that every
child should be taught to play an
instrument.
Goldman Leads Bandsmen
Then DR.. Goldman mounted. the
conductors stand before the school
musicians, massed on the steps of
Rodney Square with their flags
waving on both sides of the statute
of Caesar Rodney and their big
bass horns glistening at the front
of it. Under the great conductors
baton the massed bands played
National Emblem." para d e
March No. g." and "Cheerio." The
program ended with "The Star
Spangled Banner"
Prior to the start of the pa
rade, French Street from Seventh
to Third was a scene of bedlam, as
players tumbled out of the cara
van of 80 buses bringing them
from P. S. DUPONT School.
Brasses blared in discord as
bandsmen nervously practiced
snatches of music. In several
places. sections of band grouped
about the sidewalk and staged an
extemporaneous concert.
In two spots, pretty majorettes
were practicing their intricate art
of tossing and twirling silver
batOns.
Motion picture cameras were in
abundance, and amateur photo
graphers enjoyed a boom day, as
the bands formed and moved into
the parade.
In. the morning, DR.. Goldman
heard each of the participating
bands play two numbers in the
Pierre S. dupont High School
auditorium. He dictated sugges-
tions for each band, which will be
forwarded to the band directors.
Halls of the school echoed the
notes of martial music through
the entire morning, as the
brilliantly y-uniformed players play
ed before DR.. Goldman.
Beginning at s:45 o'clock bands
from all parts of the state con-
tinued to pour into the p. S. du-
Pont gymnasium, Buses stretched
out in a block-long line near the
school attested to the bands al
ready present.
Walter L. Mitchell, chairman of
the Delaware State Education AS
sociation's music division, was in
charge of the addition schedule,
and supervised the smoothly-oper-
ating system in which the audi
tions we're carried out.
1000 Per Cent Better
After the concert DIR. Goldman
said that the bands had improved
mot 100 per cent, but 1000 per
cent" since last year, both in
dividually and collectively.
without exception, there was
improvement in every band" he
declared DR.. Goldman said that the
massed band playing especially
was much better than last year.
'It was quite thrilling" he said.
The festival was arranged by
the mercantile section of the
Chamber OF Commerce with Elbert
D. Griffenburg as chairman of the
committee. Major C. M. Dillon
was marshal of the parade.
The school bands which par
ticipated were, in their parade
order: Bayard Junior High, Mil
ford, Lewes, Middletown, Bridge
vile, Clayton, Conrad. Harrington,
Caesar Rodney, Claymont, Will
mington High, Seaford, P. s. du-
Pont, Brown Vocational, FELTON,,
Laurel. Greenwood, Georgetown,
Smyrna, Alexis l. dupont, Dover,
and Newark