Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-05-27
MUSIC NOT DISTRACTING

sic was furnished.
MUSIC NOT DISTRACTING
The popular misconception that background
music is distracting or disturbing to those en-
gagged in occupations demanding study or con-
centration is an absolute myth, On the con-
trary, many banks, offices, and laboratories
have found that proper background music aids
concentration and reduces errors among them
the National City Bank of New York and the
Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank, Burroughs
Adding Machine Company and the A. c. Mel
sen Company Chicago.
"Among business and professional men who
have used music a primer, thought stlmu-
liant and otherwise in connection with their
work are Henry Ford, Fiorello LaGuardia,
Hendrix Willem Loon, Albert Einstein,
George Bernard Shaw and Frank Lloyd
Wright Antrim stated in Etude We might
add that nylon was invented while music was
being played - and who knows how much
more?
Care must be exercised in the selection of
such background music, but it is proven med
ical fact that properly selected music actually
increases cerebral circulation. In New Minds
For Old" Esme Wingfried- -Stratford gives some
very enlightening information on the value of
background music in affecting the subconsci-
Gus mind.
DR.. Edward Podolsky, outstanding author
ity on musical therapeutics, quotes Dr. Ira M
Altschuler, noted psychiatrist who treats men,
tally deranged patients with music as attrib-
uting to music the capacity to produce changes
in metabolism respiration, blood pressure,
pulse and endocrine and muscular energy.
(Etude, Nov. 1946) Musical therapy for men,
tai patients at the state hospital at Eloise,
Mich, began in 1888 and today treatments are
given in half-hour periods five times each
week to more than thousand patients. 1t was
found that soft music was 35 per cent more
offo fhot,f fba ipa
timely in quieting insane patients, Dr. PodolSky
states. If music will have such effect on
those afflicted with mental disturbances we
may logically conclude that it will likewise be
beneficial to those who are not so afflicted, in
asmuch as background music is aimed more at
the subconscous mind than the conscious when
used in industry.
NOISE NO OBSTACLE
Noisy factories and departments offer no
insurmountable obstacle Proper engineering
can bring Strauss waltz through the boom
of hammers and presses. The strains of COX
lahoma'' will pierce through the din of the
boiler room and excepting for operations in
volving high-pitched noises such as kissing
and squeakng there is little difficulty involved
in the ordinary factory installation, surprising
as it may seem. Riveting operations and repet-
tive use of air compressors do present prob
lem, but the instances where music is impos-
sible or impractical are rare indeed
Please bear in mind that a turntable
juke-box and stack of phonograph records
can hardly be considered muSic-in-lnduStry.
Invariably the person in charge will naturally
play his or her favorite recordings or
those of friends including distracting Vocals or
types that cannot be accepted by an overall
group in large doses without controversy, such
as hillbilly, be-bop, or boogie-woogie, all of
which are obviously undesirable as background
music A planned program will provide ap-
proximately two and one-haf hours of music
spread over the day at various intervals. The
selection will take into consideration the age,
SEX nationality, regional background and
types. of work performed by the groups en-
ployed. Vocals will be used sparingly, pref
erably during lunch time, the melody will be
clear and familiar, the tempo neither too fast
or too Slow and request numbers will be judi
ciously considered and held within the dictates
of common sense never at any time allowing
the planned program to get out of control.
Morning music will be lively and cheerful.
Marches college songs and hits from current
musical shows with seasonal holiday tunes in
terspersed, are excellent for the periods before
and after working hours while employees are
entering or leaving the plant 1t has been found
that the habit of lining up at the time clocks
suddenly stopped in number of plants with
the introduction of music, notwithstanding the
many previous efforts of management to check
the practice. Too, the hazardous custom of a
few employees racing through the aises and
down stairways the cause of many an accident
at the close of the work period seemed to
come to halt with the advent of music in
the plants
CONTROL THE PROGRAM
The program can be controlled so that cer-
tain areas are furnished music at one period
others at another time, or all may hear the
music simultaneously. The cost of an installa-
ton is negligible, considering the benefits in
volved, and especially considering that an in
stallation automatically furnishes complete
plant paging facilities which are of inestimable
value.
The latest advancement in the field of in
dustral music is known as the Select-O Matte
900" Library, introduced in the spring of
1948 1t is known as the phonograph with the
mechanical brain, and is the most revolution
ary development for the playing of recorded
music since the invention of the phonograph
offering completely automatic service for ID
full hours of music at any intervals desired
with AMIN radio, paging service, outgoing
telephone lines and remote control. Once the
24-hour program timer is set, the programs
will start and stop at any 15-minute interval
desired or play continuously if that is the in
tention until the 900 selections or those chosen