1939 – 1949

Thorough and diligent research has gone into the writing of this book and especially into the first decade. Few records were kept during this period and much of the information received was contradictory, but the information regarding the first decade especially, is as correct and informative as possible!

The first decade was an exciting period for the Illinois Grade School Band Association. In the spring, our first state contest was held. Hats off to the brave directors, etc. who organized and ran this first contest. What a task they did with so much success!

Most all of the bands in the early years were called Grade School Bands. Instead of the present 6-2-4, 5-3-4, or 6-3-3 plans we have today, we had only an 8-4 plan, 8 years of grade school and 4 years of high school. When more than one band in a school system was developed, the bands were then designated as the Junior or Senior Band or the First and Second Band. It was not until the last 15 to 20 years that the groups were called the Symphonic or Concert Band.

There was a sight-reading contest as a part of the Illinois Grade School Band Association in the formative years of the organization. Since separating from the Illinois School Band Association, the Grade School Association adopted their rules concerning sight-reading contests and incorporated them in the operation of the contest in conjunction with the State Band Contest for concert groups. This was a super teaching aid and a tool to discourage directors from practicing the three contest selections the entire school year. Sight-reading contests were a wonderful educational experience for the directors as well as the band students.

Why isn’t sight-reading a part of the contest now? Because of the rapid growth of the number of bands competing in the early years of the Illinois Grade School Band Association, this phase of the competition had to be eliminated as a part of the contest because of the lack of space for the groups to perform.

At the start when only a few bands were competing, there were enough areas for the concert performance and the sight-reading performance, but as the number of participating bands increased and the groups grew in size, which was a credit to the Illinois Grade School Band Association, the lack of space eliminated one of the better factors of the band contest. But, it is better to operate a very efficient contest with adequate space and time than have all the problems with an extra sight-reading contest. The elimination of this phase of the contest took place in the mid 40’s.

In the infancy years of the band movement, because of the lack of funds, very few bands had a full uniform such as you see today. A uniform in these days meant for the members of the group to be uniformly dressed, such as, white shirts or blouses and white or dark pants or skirts. Other than this, the two most common uniforms were the addition of capes or sweaters in the school colors.

The selections of music available in the early years of the band movement were very limited. The literature now accessible to the directors has certainly improved in quality and quantity over the past 50 years due mainly to the stimulation and incentive of the contest sponsored by the Illinois Grade School Band Association.

At the start of our association and especially when grade school bands were a part of the Illinois School Band Association, the literature used at the contests was from two books of collections; the Bennett Book #1 and the Lester Brockton Band Book.

From the Harold Bennett Band Book #1, “Activity March,” “Project March,” and “Military Escort” were the more commonly used opening marches at the contest. “Ambition Overture” and “Zenith Overture” were also performed quite frequently from this collection. From the Brockton Band Book, “Eastern Star March” and “Corinthian Overture” were used. Forrest Buchtel, Ted Mesang, Joseph Skornicka, Eric DeLamater, Guy Holmes, Karl King, Joe Olivadoti, Paul Yoder, and Fred Weber started to compose for the younger bands at the outset of this decade. What a blessing that more composers could see the growth and future of the grade school bands.

During a summer concert in the park in 1946, the Glen Ellyn Grade School Band was performing a program mainly from the Bennett Band Book #1 by Harold Bennett, and rather than announce each selection by the same composer, I announced “Activity March” by Henry Fillmore. One of my cornetists promptly corrected me by stating the march was by Harold Bennett. At this stage, I had to explain to the audience that Harold Bennett was a pen name for Henry Fillmore when he composed some of his marches as was Harry Hartley Solos for Trombone, a pen name for Henry Fillmore.

For several years in the initial stages of the Illinois Grade School Band Association, a required selection was performed by each band. Each class had its own required selection, and the composition had to be performed second in the contest following the opening march. The march and third selection was of your own choice! This made for a real contest, as the bands could somewhat be compared. Of course the E and D schools, being the smaller schools, had an easier required composition, and the selection would get more difficult as the classes progressed from C to B to A.  Even at the inception of the association, the class of the school band competing in the contest was determined by the enrollment of the school just as it is today.

The members of the Illinois Grade School Band Association at their annual fall meeting on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University determined the required selection for each class. They listened to the university band perform four or five selections from each class, and of course, the compositions got progressively more difficult as you went from Class E up through Class A.  The one large drawback on the selection of the required number, as voted on by the directors of a particular class band, was that the Illinois Wesleyan University Band made all these compositions sound very fine and easy to perform.

One year “Metropolis overture” by Guy Holmes was chosen by the class E and D band directors. The university band made it sound very easy, but hidden in the parts was a rhythmic pattern of an eighth note triplet repeated, often being played against a countrapuntal pattern of two eighth notes. This was easy for college students but most difficult for grade school students of Class E and D bands. It is important to remember that very few private teachers were available to assist the band directors. Because of the method of choosing the required selection with adult musicians performing the music, the required selection was finally deleted from the band contest in the early years of the association.

During this period of time of the association, instrumental music for the most part, was not part of the curriculum of the public school educational system.  The band rehearsals and large sectionals had to be held before and after school; although, the school administrators and boards of education allowed the band directors to have small group lessons during the school day, which usually ran one-half hour.

Quite often a director, because of the smallness of the instrumental programs, was the director of the bands in at least two towns or villages. Many worked on a fee basis, as we were still in the post depression years.

The questions the readers of this book are asking about now, are how did the band director get the band members to report after school for rehearsals, etc.? You have to remember in this era of history, there was no TV, no little leagues, no girls’ athletics, etc. We had very little competition for the children’s free time other than the Boy and Girl Scouts, and they met during an evening. Quite a few directors would even have Saturday morning rehearsals as most fathers worked six days a week, very few mothers worked and very few families took vacations during the school year. The band was practically the main activity in the town and really got the support of the townspeople, let alone the parents of the members of the band. With the lack of activities for grade school children, the interest was focused on the band program which was a twelve month activity, thus enabling a fast growth for the Illinois Grade School Band Association. The contest became a big event in the community and was respected by the parents and other townspeople. They were really proud of their band, whether or not it received a first place rating in the contest!

A major problem for the directors was the supply and servicing of music and the band instruments. Very few of the towns had music stores or instrument repair shops. In the Chicago area, the only sources were Lyon and Healy and the Lyons Band Instrument Company. We were lucky if they came around once or twice a month. So a director, in order to keep the band going, had to make all the minor repairs that he or she could.

At the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Illinois Grade School Band Association, held in Presser Hall on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in late October of 1940, the directors met and discussed the successful operation of their first contest in the spring of 1940. The founding fathers at this time had the foresight, wisdom, and interest of the new organization to elect officers and adopt a constitution. Of course over the past 50 years, the wording has changed, and many amendments have been added, but the basic structure still remains.

Article I of the constitution stated the name of the organization; Article II stated the purpose, and basically the wording has changed very little. Only Article III listed the officers and their duties. The President and Vice-President would be elected and the Secretary-Treasurer would be appointed by the President, which was done for many years. The reason for appointing this particular officer was that the founders thought at this time it would be advantageous for the President to appoint a Secretary-Treasurer who would be geographically located near him so they could work more closely together and solve the various problems that might arise. An Executive Board would consist of the three officers, plus the chairmen of the five districts, which were divided geographically throughout the entire State of Illinois. (Cloyd Myers has been a member of the Executive Board the entire 50 years.) The basic duties set forth in the original constitution are about the same as they are today. The President would preside over all meetings, administer the state contest, and hire the judges. The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, would assume the President’s duties and would have full charge of the distribution of all medals and certificates. The Secretary-Treasurer would mail out all entry cards, adjudicator comment sheets, and collect all fees.

The final business of the 2nd annual meeting was the election of officers. Elected were President, P. M. Keast, Elmhurst and Park Ridge; Vice-President, Theodore W. Paschedag, West Frankfort; and the appointment of Secretary-Treasurer, Harry Granzow, Maywood. These three officers were reelected at the fall meetings in Bloomington in 1941 and 1942.

At the fall meeting in 1943, George E. Ashley, Marion, was elected the new President. He served for two years. During the World War II years, the contests continued. Band parents hoarded their gas stamps so the trips could be made.

In the fall of 1945, new officers were elected and also reelected in 1946. The officers were President, Theodore W. Paschedag, West Frankfort; Vice-President, C. J. Shoemaker, Downers Grove; and the appointed Secretary-Treasurer, C. B. Nesler, Herrin. Robert E. Jorgensen, Lewistown, became the new District 2 Chairman, succeeding James Keith, Pekin.

Another historical event in the fall of 1946 was the First Annual Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic held in early December in Chicago with H. E. Nutt, Chairman. The sponsors were the VanderCook College of Chicago and the Lyons Band Instrument Co. of Chicago.

At the fall meeting of 1947, new officers were elected. They were President, C.B. Nesler, Herrin; Vice-President, Charles L. Loomis, Centralia; and the appointed Secretary- Treasurer, LaVern Sanders, Benton. They were reelected in the fall of 1948.

During the early years of the first decade, the selections performed by the bands got longer, and many groups went past their time limit of twenty minutes. Therefore, the schedule for the day would run overtime. A solution was proposed and passed by the Executive Board. The center judge would have a whistle and when the allotted time for the band’s performance would expire, he would blow the whistle and the director was expected to stop the band, even if they were in the middle of their third selection, with no penalty added to the rating. This would certainly keep the schedule on time. Many directors started to make a mockery of the situation. Opposition was mounting to this amendment, and the final blow came near the end of this decade. In the last state contest before the ruling out of the whistle, the center judge blew the whistle in the middle of a band’s third selection to inform the director that his time was up. Instead of the director stopping the band, he started to accelerate the tempo all the way to the end.   Meanwhile, the center judge was coming out of the balcony, down the aisle of the main floor, on to the stage, and finally arrived at the director’s side. Just as he was tapping him on the shoulder, the baton stroked the final count of the composition. That was the end of the whistle!

So as you can see, the Executive Board, even though their hearts and souls were in the right place, still made errors. Many of the initial amendments and changes to the constitution were made by trial and error. The basic thought behind each idea was what was good for the young musicians and what would further promote instrumental music best from an educational standpoint in the State of Illinois.