History

What I’ll be checking out at NFA

Greetings! In just one short day, I’ll be heading up to Chicago for the National Flute Association’s 50th annual convention! I haven’t attended convention since 2018, and it’s always such a great opportunity to catch up with my vendors and customers, try new instruments, and renew my passion for what I do. Here’s a sampling of what I’ll be checking out this week. Arnold Jacobs’ Breathing TechniquesChicago Symphony Orchestra tuba player Arnold Jacobs was legendary for his teaching relating to breathing and air use: Song and Wind. In this workshop, Angeleita Floyd, Kimberlee Goodman, and Alexa Still will introduce Jacobs’ ideas, cover the basics of anatomy and pulmonary function, detail the materials for DIY breathing bags (provided for the first 30 participants), instruct how to assemble the breathing bag, and share first-hand experiences with Jacobs and the exercises he taught.I work with tons of younger students who don’t have a true grasp of the importance of the breath in flute playing, and I’ve been known to tell kids that it takes just as much air to play the flute as it does the tuba (I’m not sure they believe me!), so this will be some great concrete information to bring

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Aug 9, 2022 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 8

Episode 8 of our “Paige’s of History Spotlights” is ready to go. Several state, national, and international performing arts organizations were formed during this time, as well as big changes in our company. Watch the video to learn what else was happening in our country and with our company between 1975-1990! TRANSCRIPT:Welcome back to our journey through the history of Paige’s Music. Today, we’ll traverse through the 1970s and 1980s an explosive time for the performing arts.1976 also marked a major milestone for Paige’s Music. We opened our first Indianapolis location and have called Indianapolis home ever since.We expanded our business to first in Terre Haute to the mall. And then that grew and grew and then decided to put a store in Indianapolis. That would be our central location for our salesmen calling on schools. And it got it got to be real good.That same year, Paige’s Music partnered with Bands Of America and hosted the very first Grand National Championships at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater.Seven years after landing on the moon NASA accomplished another feat by landing on Mars for the first time, a journey we were likely to repeat with astronauts in the coming decade.America’s achievements

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Apr 20, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 7

Episode 7 of our “Paige’s of History Spotlights” is ready to go. A significant drum stick and mallet company started during this time as well as Drum Corps International. Watch the video to learn what else was happening in our country and with our company between 1960-1975! TRANSCRIPT:Hi there, Erin and Jeremy here. We’re back with more “Paige’s of History,” looking today at the years 1960-1975.This time period was a very eventful one, both in our country and for our company.Several important events shaped our modern history, such as the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and the Beatles’ first American appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.The Vietnam War lasted for this entire time period, finally ending in April of 1975.In 1963, music educator Clifford Cook began the first U.S. based Suzuki string education program at Oberlin Conservatory, with 30 young students and 2 teachers. Suzuki methods are still widely used to this day to teach young children.That same year, percussionist Vic Firth founded his percussion company in Boston, Massachusetts.In 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts was created.This important agency provides grants and seeks to fund, promote, and strengthen the

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Apr 13, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 6

We’re chugging right along in our Paige’s of History series, looking today at 1945-1960! A famous comedian from Indianapolis, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, as well as one of the most famous clarinets of all time were born during this time period. Watch the video to find out the answers, and to learn what else was happening in our country and with our company between these years! TRANSCRIPT:Hello everyone! And welcome back to another episode of our “Paige’s of History” Spotlight.This week we’ll be looking at the years 1945 through 1960…On April 12, 1947, comedian and talk show host extraordinaire David Letterman was born right here, in Indianapolis.That same year, in a YMCA on the West side of Chicago, approximately 120 directors assembled for a six-hour clinic and new music reading session. Today, what is now known as the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, hosts 18,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 40 countries.in 1950, Robert Carree developed the Buffett R13, which is still one of the most popular clarinets in the world.On June 25th, 1951, RCA Broadcasted its first color television program on CBS.On October 4th, 1957- The Cold War began to heat up when Russia

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Mar 26, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 5

Episode 5 of our “Paige’s of History Spotlights” is here! Watch the video to learn what was happening in our country and with our company between 1930-1945! TRANSCRIPT:Welcome back to Paige’s of History…Jeremy and Erin here. This week we’re taking a look at the years 1930-1945.Following the collapse of the global economy in late 1929, the country entered the Great Depression. Fortunately, Paige’s Music endured this difficult time.Frederick Paige passed away in 1932, leaving Paige’s Music solely in the hands of Warner Paige.In 1936, American gangster John Dillinger escaped from the supposedly “escape proof” county jail in Crown Point, Indiana.That same year, French manufacturer Henri Selmer Paris launched the “Balanced Action” saxophone—A revolution in modern saxophone design. Two years later, C.G. Conn released the Conn 8D French horn, the classic American horn prominently featured in the Original Star Wars Trilogy soundtrack.Legendary jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was born in Indianapolis in 1937.In otherworldly news, Krypton’s favorite son Superman appeared in Action Comics #1. Forewarning the history to come, Marvel Comics sold one million copies of Captain America punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler nearly a year before the United States entered World War II.After 14 years of back-breaking construction, Mount Rushmore was

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Mar 18, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 4

Episode 4 of our “Paige’s of History Spotlights” is ready to view. Concert and marching bands were on the rise and Indiana University School of Music opened its doors. Watch the video to find out when that was and what else was happening in our country and with our company between 1915-1930! Transcript:Hi there, Erin and John back with more “Paige’s of History,” looking at 1915-1930.The entrance of the United States into World War I in 1917 prompted the Wilson administration to promote a “patriotic mind-set.” Concert bands and marching bands were also used to promote patriotism for maintenance of civilian morale.College and university marching bands were also culturally influential during and after World War I, especially in the Midwest of the United States.In 1920, station KDKA in Pittsburgh became the first radio station to offer regular broadcasts, and in 1921, Indiana University School of Music opened its doors.In 1924, Vincent Bach began producing his line of trumpets, with musicians referring to a Bach trumpet as a real “Stradivarius.”The last half of the 1920s was a flurry of historical activity: the first motion picture with sound, The Jazz Singer, was released in 1927, Charles Lindbergh lands The Spirit of St.

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Mar 11, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 3

Episode 3 of our “Paige’s of History Spotlights” is ready to view. It was a booming time in our country and our industry. One of the first school music programs started right here in Indiana. Watch the video above to find out where that was and what else was happening in our country and with our company between 1900-1915!Transcript:Hi there, Erin and John here againWe’re back with “Paige’s of History,” looking at the first 15 years of the 20th century.Sadly, William Harlan Paige passed away in 1901. His sons, Warner H. Paige and Frederick Paige, took over the business at that time. The turn of the century was a booming time, both for our country and the music business in general. Events such as the first silent film, the first successful flight of the Wright Brothers, and the rising popularity of ragtime music happened in the first 5 years of the 1900s.Things were hopping in the school music world, too: The Music Educators National Conference was formed in 1907, and in 1909 one of the first school band programs was formed by W. Otto Meissner in Connersville, Indiana.Companies like Paige’s would soon see a boom of demand for school musical

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Mar 4, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 2

Episode 2 of our “Paige’s of History Spotlights” is ready to view. Some of the most famous instrument brands were born during this time period, including a flute name you might recognize. Enjoy this video to find out what else was happening in our country and with our company between 1885-1900! Transcript: Today on “Paige’s of History,” we’re looking at the years 1885-1900.This time period saw the development of several notable instrument manufacturers on the heels of the second Industrial Revolution.Henri Selmer founded his namesake company in 1885 and eventually began producing world famous clarinets and saxophones, and William S. Haynes founded his flute company in Boston in 1888.Nippon Gakki Co. Ltd, now known as Yamaha Corporation, was founded by Torakasu Yamaha in 1887. Japanese woodwind maker Yanagisawa began importing their instruments for US military bands around this time as well.Just before New York’s Ellis Island began processing immigrants from other countries in the United States, Peter Ilioych Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance at Carnegie Hall.At the height of the military band movement, instrument maker J.W. Pepper patented the Sousaphone in 1893, and the world famous “Stars and Stripes Forever” was published in 1896.During this time period, military and extracurricular

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Feb 25, 2021 No Comments

Paige’s Music History Spotlight-Episode 1

We’re here with the first “Paige’s of History Spotlight”, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Paige’s Music. Join us as we look back at the events that shaped our country, our state, and our company. For this video series, we’ll be looking at snippets of local and national history as they relate to music education, music industry and our company. So…it’s 1871…The great Chicago Fire rages through the city for two days straight.A breathtaking 3,500 square foot Mile parcel of land was on its way to becoming Yellowstone National Park, and in the industrial city of Terre Haute, Indiana, William Harlan Paige, founded W.H. Paige and Company on the corner of Main and 6th Street with his business partner, W.B. Wharton. The downtown Terre Haute store was a full-line shop for everything related to music. W.H. Paige was known for his fine tenor voice and sold his own choral arrangements at the store as well. Some might argue that W.H. Paige’s success is due to William’s experience of being THE first music teacher in the Terre Haute Public Schools, giving him first hand knowledge of what schools would need for years to come. Just nine years after the opening of the

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Feb 11, 2021 No Comments

Flute history crash course

As I mentioned in last week’s post, this year Paige’s Music is celebrating 150 years in business! I am part of a research team that is diving into the history of the past 150 years–I haven’t done any research since I was in grad school, and I’m loving it! I figured this was a great time to do a series delving into the history of the flute, so this week is a crash course over the history and evolution of the instrument itself. Many thanks to Gemeinhardt for this awesome timeline. While the term “flute” refers to a broad number of instruments which are found in many different cultures, we will be exploring the history of our modern flute. There are many names for this special kind of flute. These names include: cross flute, German flute, transverse flute and flauto traverso. What is important about all of these names is that they define an instrument that is held horizontally while being played. A flute dating back to approximately 900 B.C. was found in China and called a ch’ie. To date, the oldest flutes have been found in the Swabian Alps region of Germany, and are said to have been from

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Jan 12, 2021 1 Comment
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