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MUSICAL TIMES PRESTO Established 1881 Established 1884 THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY 10 Cents a Copy $2 The Year CHICAGO, SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1927 DETROIT MEETING IS HUGE SUCCESS Third Annual Convention of Michigan Music Merchants Brings the Michigan Metropolis to the Fore as a Great Music Center. INTERESTING PROGRAM Piano Dealers, Manufacturers and Other Trade Celebrities Join with Civil Leaders in Big Event. By HENRY MAC MULLAN The Michigan Music Merchants' Association opened its third annual convention at Detroit on Monday of this week and many of the most prominent leaders in the industry were present. Governor Fred VV. Green and Mayor John W. Smith extended the state and city welcome to the visitors. The Preliminaries. Roy A. Maypole, general director of the Detroit Music Carnival, room 1221, Book Tower building, was the busiest man in Detroit on Monday morning when a Presto-Times representative called on him. With directing the greatest music carnival ever seen in America or anywhere else, Mr. Maypole was busy "and then some." He, with the aid of his very able assistant, W. J. McKay, a Detroit piano salesman, had superintended the construction of 1,500 feet of board walk on Washington boulevard, had seen to the raising of tens of thousands of banners of all colors and flags of all nations, bespeaking the universal nature of music. Four Thousand Performers. On the great platform erected for the performance the arrangements were made for 4,000 persons in the cast of performers each night, all foreign groups to be represented, eight bands each night, presenting every phase of music. The committee presented a silver sword to the prince of music, John Lennie, and a crown to the princess of music, Dolorosa Roulo.' These two young people won their honors as champions among fifty entrants in the piano playing contests held all last week at the State Theater. Monday's Luncheon. The association luncheon on Monday at 12:30 p. m. was a delicious repast, followed by instructive addresses. Frank Bayley was at his best as toastmaster. Mr. Bayley at the outset spoke of some propaganda he had received from the tuners' convention in the East which announced that there were 200,000 pianos out of tune in the United States. Mr. Bayley's Talk. 'The whole city knew what was being done in piano contests at Detroit," said Mr. Bayley. While there were only 316 schools in Detroit, 430 schools took part in the contests, for the workers had enlisted schools in Fordson, Gross Pointe, Ferndale and other cities adjacent to Detroit in the good work. Mr. Bayley referred to the tremendous amount of commercialized recreation that had been going on at Detroit, much of which ought to be turned toward the piano, and that was just what the promoters of piano contests were trying to do. For, he said, the piano was a wonderful method of conserving and preserving the home and its beneficial influences. The carnival was nothing more nor less than a public demonstration to show the people what children could do in music. Some 25,000 persons had seen Lindbergh light at Northwestern High School grounds the other day, but he expected that at least a quarter of a million would witness the street car' nival, which had enlisted the aid of every organization of any progressive nature in Detroit this time. Piano Playing Heroes. "The public is very nervous." Mr. Bayley continued, "and flock like sheep to anything like hero worship." In two months Lindbergh had done more to promote aeronautics than all others had done in years; there are 1,067 airplanes planned for, all in the last two months. So this piano-playing contest would enable the people to worship their heroes in the same way as Lindbergh drew plaudits from all crowds. Rochester, N. Y., has 20,000 persons taking music lessons at the present time. In the same proportion, Detroit would have 70,000 taking music lessons, which would mean a turnout of 35,000 graduates each fall, and they would greatly enhance the dealers' chances to sell them pianos. The glory of being made queen of the great city of Detroit ought to be stimulus sufficient to make any girl strive for that distinguished honor. President Guylee's Address. W. E. Guylee of Chicago, president of the National Piano Manufacturers' Association of America, as the next speaker, said: 'T understand that every civic, industrial, social, commercial or other organization in Detroit had been contributory to the great demonstration about to be consummated here at Detroit, and I am pleased to see them all interested in the movement. Music had become a real essential. Music is having a very rapid growth at present. Our nation has become scientific, and music is keeping up with this pace and in some senses taking long leaps ahead. The inner urge of people is toward music, because it satisfies the inmost longings of our nature. Hundreds of thousands of children are now studying music by the modern methods of promoting it. "It has been discovered that the piano is the basic instrument of music. "One reason is that it is the instrument that permits the study of music by all the members of the family. Another is that it is the instrument of home adornment. Without the piano, music would perish." C. J. Roberts Speaks. C. J. Roberts, president of the National Music Merchants' Association, who had come all the way from Baltimore to address the convention, read a memorial to the late Clayton A. Grinnell, a former president of the association, and addressing Mrs. Grinnell, his widow, said that a committee would present her with a copy that afternoon. He told Mrs. Grinnell of the high esteem in which her husband had been held by each and every member of the association. Resolution on the Death of C. A. Grinnell. A resolution in the death of C. A. Grinnell was read by C. J. Roberts, president of the National Association of Music Merchants. The resolution in part follows: Whereas, Clayton A. Grinnell was a thorough, unselfish and devoted worker in music trade association activities, local, state and national; and Whereas, Mr. Grinnell gave of his time and energy to serve as president of the National Association of Music Merchants and as president of the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce; therefore be it Resolved, That the National Association of Music Merchants hereby vainly attempt to express, in mere words, the great loss which it knows the music trade in America has suffered through the death of one of its most loyal supporters, Clayton A. Grinnell; and be it further Resolved, That two copies of these resolutions be properly engrossed and presented, one to the bereaved family of the deceased, and the other to the loyal and devoted business associates of Clayton A. Grinnell, 18TH ANNUAL MEET, MUSIC ASS'N OF OHIO September 12th, 13th and 14th, 1927, Winton Hotel, Prospect Avenue, East of East Ninth Street, Cleveland, Ohio. Program. Other Speakers. Addresses were given by Herman Irion, New York, president National Music Chamber of Commerce; O. H. Boyd, Marion, president, Ohio State Music Merchants' Association; A. L. Maresch, Cleveland, president, Cleveland Music Merchants' Association; Fred Wardell, president, Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company; A. K. Gutsohn, New York, president, National Technicians' Association, and Edward C. Boykin, executive secretary, National Manufacturers' promotion committee. All meetings held in Parlor K, mezzanine floor, Winton Hotel, and on Cleveland time. Monday, September 12th, 1927, Morning. 9:00 a. m. (Cleveland time)Registration, mezzanine floor, Winton Hotel. Visit the exhibits on the mezzanine and second floors of Winton Hotel. Coupon book ticket saves $2.00. The Cleveland dealers, jobbers and manufacturers have provided a fund to cover the expense of entertainment at the various social functions during the convention. Monday, September 12thBoat ride on Lake Erie on palatial steamer "City of St. Ignace"; dancing. Tickets, $1.00 per person. Tuesday, September 13thNoonday luncheon, Ball Room of Winton Hotel; entertainment. Tickets, $2.00 per person. Wednesday, September 14thInformal dinner, Rainbow Room of Winton Hotel; speaker, entertainment and dancing. Tickets, $5.00 per person. Total cost of above, if coupon book is purchased, $6.00 (saving $2.00). Special notice! The ladies are invited and are most welcome at all social functions and meetings. Afternoon. 1:00 p. m. (Cleveland time)Open session, Parlor K, mezzanine floor, Winton Hotel. 1Roll call (dispensed with because of registration). 2Reading of minutes of previous meetings. 3Report of president (dispensed with because printed elsewhere in this issue). 4Report of treasurer (dispensed with because printed elsewhere in this issue). 5Report of secretary (dispensed with because printed elsewhere in this issue). 6Report of council. 7"Profitable Advertising." A discussion to be led by Erwin R. Mihm of Cleveland and Robert Jones of Cleveland. 8Report of Advertising Advisory Committee, W. E. Summers, Washington Court House, chairman. 9Appointment of Resolutions Committee. 5:00 p. m. ( C l e v e l a n d time)Adjournment, promptly at this hour, all unfinished business going over until the next session. For the Ladies. During the afternoon, while the meeting is on, the ladies will meet at the secretary's desk on the mezzanine floor of the Winton Hotel at 2:00 o'clock for a social hour, to get acquainted. Those desiring will be conducted on a shopping tour of Cleveland's stores. Cards for others wishing to play bridge. 8:15 p. m. (Cleveland time)Moonlight boat ride, "City of St. Ignace." Promptly at 8:15 p. m., the "City of St. Ignace," one of Lake Erie's large and palatial steamers, will leave the East Ninth Street dock on the shore of Lake Erie for a two and onehalf hour boat ride, viewing the skyline of Cleveland. The cool ride on Lake Erie will give everyone a chance to get acquainted. A fine orchestra will provide dancing on the boat. The East Ninth Street pier (where all the passenger boats in and out of Cleveland dock) is about six city blocks from the Winton Hotel. It is a nice walk, or easily reached by street car direct to the dock. In his talk Tuesday afternoon after the piano trade luncheon in the Book-Cadillac Hotel, Chas. L. Deutschmann, president of the National Piano Tuners' Association, referred pointedly to the replacement value of the piano. He combatted the idea that "a piano improves with age" or that "a piano lasts a lifetime." "We have got to contradict that (Continued on page 4) Tuesday, September 13th, 1927, Morning. The mornings during the convention are given over to the exhibitors. The most profitable way to spend one's idle time at a convention is to visit the exhibits, on the second and mezzanine floors of the Winton Hotel. 11:30 a. m. (Cleveland time)Luncheon, Ball Room, mezzanine floor, Winton Hotel; chairman, 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. 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