Show A R q 2 I 1 al aa V 4 M R t R 4 s 9 0 4 4 2 to V AP 4 J tl ma ET J hundred high school youngsters heads up shoulders back ctet fee clicking in rhythmic step fifteen hundred instruments poised fifteen hundred pairs of eyes trained on a single leader the flourish of a baton and the biggest band in the world burst into music when the echo of the last note of el co chopitan hid had 0 ed out in the distance 0 osbourne mcconathy the conductor a and in d americal Amerl Ameri cac caa foremost musical educator turned from the vast bright eyed boys and girls and voiced the verdict of the multitude that stood spellbound listening to the music the jazz age cant do anything to a nation that can muster youngsters like these their music will doom the so called flaming youth and will put strength into the social fabric of america this scene was enacted in the elti city park of council bluffs town iowa the last saturday in may when twenty three champion bands played as a massed concert ensemble under the direction of each of the judges to give a colorful to the national school band contest there were bands there from as far east as new york tork as far west as california ns its far north as minnesota and as far south as texas jollet joliet was awarded the national championship by bi nosing out the abraham lincoln high school band of council bluffs by a traction fraction of a point the modesto Cal calif lf high school captured third place and fourth place went to the nicholas senn high school of chicago the national championship for class B bands limited to schools having enrollments under four hun hundred dreL was awarded to the princeton calif band second place in this class was won by the band from Verni tIlLon S D ida grove la ia was third and cleveland okla fourth in addition honorable mention for fine performance even though ahe 1 hex did not win a prize was ghen by the judges v lo io the he school bands of quincy ill marlon marion ind lockport N Y and flint mich the several winners in the contest were award ta pd ed prize tablets by the national bureau for the advancement of music which also rewarded the director and members of the first two winning hands bands in each class with silver and bronze medals respectively jollet joliet still retains the national trophy which must be won by the school three successive times to be kept permanently the judges in the contest in addition to mr mccena mcca na thy were herbert clarke director of tile the long 1 licach calif municipal band taylor branson Ur anson leader of the united states marine band wash higton D C and joseph E maddy supervisor of music in the ann arbor mich public schools the first really nationwide nation wide school band contest was held in 1920 in fostoria Fo ohio although i bously there had been a number of sectional and S dl district strict contests in various parts part of 0 the country thirteen bands from ten different states contested in this event ahe the contest at council mufti v tills this year brought together twenty three bands almost twice as many as the year before to I ring iring these bands together twenty six state and t sectional band contests were held each of which tn in turn had an average of twenty bands to vie for the state or sectional honors it has been t estimated that approximately was raised tills this year by high horis ec parents clubs business 9 coups and In individual dividu hi business men to send these hands to the ae ecklon state and national contests 4 which ha halfe tor for their object the raising of the of music in the schools within the next decade mr mcconathy pr oplie pies music will be as much a part of the educational equi equipment pineil of the high school boy and girl i A reading writing and arithmetic they will be able tot to elect courses in instruction on their chosen instrument just he as they elect to study latin or spanish r aeils arils h or 0 choose between the liberal arts a i business or A technical course and they will be get t B 1 the amaie eisaw bedl Ee dl for music that chef the do tor for any A subject bijj I 1 abitt at maieli my selfa a musician I 1 think of 4 ftc to sic ot of allm 1 ana expression of beauty says gaya fl vrr vt xai 41 A 44 this eminent educator but the high band Is one of the strictest schools of discipline a boy or girl can go through it teaches team work tw for in assembly ns playing every man has to do his own work and do it right it curbs the ego for the boy or girt girl who wants to be the whole show shew has little chance in a band ua ile learns to know hi his place and fill it it teaches the lesson of service for the band must be quick to reap respond prid to the need for music aa any school activity An Audie deven veu more so BO now that the bands are meeting for these national contests it teaches good sports sportsmanship mansh PI just as does the football and baseball team there wai was ona one little band at the council bluffs meet whose story tells vividly what band discipline does for boys and girls it was a class B band from the princeton calif high school princeton to Is a town of four hundred inhabitants the there re are one hundred and three students in its high chool and 78 75 per cent of them are studying music six years ago age the band in this high school consisted of three boys who played a mouth organ a trombone a saxophone and a girl pianist they all played by ear today they have a forty seven piece band that has carried off the northern california championship tour four times Almes won the three times and andthil this year took top honors honore as the best class 13 band in america but it was a long trip from california out to iowa bothe to he national meet when princeton was deci declared ared stale winner over arcata high school its longtime long time musical rival this little band began scrambling around to get the money for the trip they gave concerts they appealed to the citizens of princeton but they could not quite top the rise at the eleventh hour came the arcata high school we will help you out and in into to the hands of the princeton musicians muMe tans they put their own hard learned dollars and the Prin princeton ckon band came to the national contest that Is the kind of spirit you ou find in these boys and girls in the bands the boy who can square his shoulders and blow big full notes on a trumpet or horn born Is a healthy boy he be has got to be no shallow ch cheated chest ested cd short breathed weakling can survive iq in these pick bands and greatest contribution of all each player has bus found a threshold tuto into the great realm of musical literature he Is developing the cultural side of his life lie ile may forget the date of the discovery of the pacific ocean he may never be able to solve an algebra problem but he be can never forget ills his music that Is 19 the one thing he be will carry with him into the great world nor Is mr mcconathy alone in his bis views on music in the schools the other three judges in the contest were amazed at the splendid disel discipline plind and performance of these juvenile bands ana at least east one expressed himself as of the that thare are not more than ten or a dozen professional bands in the united states who could measure up to the standards of these school bands C M Trem tremayne alne director of the national bureau for the advancement of music and secretary of the instrumental affairs committee of the music supervisors national confer conference pace under the joint auspices of which the state and national band are held Is convinced not only of the value of the school band as a builder of character but also feels that the band boy Is a better student than his unmusical schoolmate after listening to the performances of these juvenile Javen lle bunds said mr tremayne Trem alne 1 I am more than ever impressed with the importance of music in the lives of our young yeung school people it ii demonstrates team work discipline and perseverance and gives evidence of what this playing in a band does for the youth as a builder of character in addition to its cultural advantages 1 I the spirit of playing in this nati national contest Is just another proof that boy musicians are just as eager 0 to o win band laurels as the members of a football or basketball team are to win achievements in athletics for their schools and themselves A school Is as proud of 6 f its band ba i nd when it wins wine its state section or national contest as when it takes home a trophy won on the gridiron or the baseball field music Is a healthful influence and abd parents DOIT pre learning that the band is better than the gang tor for their youngsters music la is a fine mental stimulant suld and la in a survey surrey recently made in one middle western school tt it was found that children who averaged considerably higher in all 01 lines of school activities than those who did not f association 4 n with kith other joung young musicians Is a great gnat benefit tor for the boy or orgert girl band member no matter how much the child way may put h his ls heart heair into practicing at home and playing pla Y ing for his own and others enjoyment he la in in missing issing a great deal if be does doear not learn to work with others in the production of great masterpieces it to Is absolutely essential for each member of the band to take his definite place in the group to give others a chance to come in at just the right beat and to drop out at exactly the moment he Is no longer needed temperament sulks and over aggressiveness have no place tn in the band end and the good director knows how bow to inculcate these lessons along with the other instructions health might also also bement be mentioned lone d as one of the beneficial aspects of learning to play an inspru r i ment meat and becoming a member 1 of the school band correct posture and breathing must be insisted upon physicians often will recommend a wind instrument for the boy with the undeveloped chest then too music steadies the nerves and has a relaxing effect on pupils who tend to be too high strung and undisciplined whore where a certain standard of scholarship considerably alde sider ably above the minimum for passing to Is required for participation in the school band for representing the school in a contest like li kethe the one on e held in Cotin council cit blu bluffs ars frs this stimulus Is often effective in brining bringing sagging grades up to the mark as it does with the boy trying to make the football eleven or the baseball or track team 1 mr air Tre malnes views on public school music has the enthusiastic indorsement endorsement Indor of the department of superintendence of the lie national education association made up of the representative 1 heads of public school systems throughout the united states which at its recent dallas convention adopted this abl s resolution reo lution 1 1 that we favor the inclusion of music in the curriculum on an equality with the other basic subjects we believe that thai with the growing complexity of civilization more attention must be given to the arts and that music offers possibilities bill as yet but partially realized for developing an appreciation of the finer things of life we therefore recommend that all administrative officers take steps toward a more equitable adjustment of must music in the educational program involving time allotment number and standard of equipment provided 2 that we favor an immediate extension of music study to all rural schools in the belief that no single development wilt will so greatly increase the effectiveness of their work aad so ro greatly lessen the extreme differences now existing between rural end urban education we recommend as a guide the fC course ourse of study for music in the hural schools approved by the music supervisors national aatlo na I 1 conference co 3 that we believe an adequate program of high school music instruction should include credit equivalent to that given to other basic subjects for properly supervised music study carried on bothin both in and opt of the school pore moreover ovir the recognition of music by the high schools as a subject Tearl DC credit toward should carry with it similar recognition of its value by colleges and other institutions of higher education we recommend further that the department 0 of superintendence favor al a study of present practices as to music credits 14 4 that recognizing the great interest manifested at this athla meeting toward making music a more vital element we re recommend commena that hat this subject shall continue to receive the atten attention of the department of superintendence and be included la in the discussion groups of ltv U annual annuli program |