Cooperative Promotional Efforts of the Music Supervisors National Conference and the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music

Abstract

The National Bureau for the Advancement of Music was established in 1916 by the National Piano Manufacturers Association to promote sales of pianos and related merchandise. Like many organizations of its time, it contributed significantly to the important musical developments of the 1920s. While the Bureau could and did act independently, its principal and preferred mode of operation was to work through and in cooperation with other organizations that were active in the advancement of music. Some of the most significant contributions of the Bureau were accomplished through its cooperation with the Music Supervisors National Conference (MSNC). Among those efforts were the securing of high school credit for private music study, the formation of high school bands and orchestras, the organization of state and national band and orchestra contests, the promotion of piano classes in the schools, and the advancement of vocal music.