Instrumental Music: Boys' Practice Clothes


Figure 1.--This Japanese boy, in fact a child prodfigy, is practicing the piano in his ordinary clothes. Japanese boys until the mid-1990s commonly wore short short pants. He was an accomplished boy soprano in the late 1980s. Click on the image to learn more about him.

Children practice music both at home and at school. Practice clothes at home are a good reflection of ordinary boys' clothing. Children also practice their instruments at school, thus photographs there are a good reflection of school attire, including school uniforms.

Popularity

For many boys the bane of their existence was time spent practicing the piano or other musical instruments. Some boys inthusuatically practiced their instuments. Often it was the parents, often the mother, promoting music. Even if the boy was initially interested, the tedium of practice proved descouraging for many. Some particularly iterested boys might be entirely self motivated, but the great majority, including many gifted boys, required reminders from mom and dad.

Practice Sessions

Children practice music both at home and at school. There outfits while practing provide some interesting information on contemporary boys' clothing, revealing changing fashions over time and differences betweem countries.

Home

As boys practiced their instruments at home, photographs of practice provide intersting images of ordinary school or play clothes. With the advent of the snap shot and amateur photography, many interesting images are available of practce at home. Practice clothes at home are a good reflection of ordinary boys' clothing.


Figure 2.--This Australian boy is receiving music instruction from a teacher at his boarding school. He is wearing his school uniform.

School

Children also practice their instruments at school, thus photographs there are a good reflection of school attire, including school uniforms. As time at school for day boys is limited, this was most common at boarding schools, but many day schools also have had important programs instrumental music. After sports, it is is often the most popular activity persued by both boys and girls at many schools. It also required some supervision, but boys at boarding school are more accusomed to regulation so it often proved less of a struggle than for the parents at home. The boys for their practice sessions eould normally wear their every-day school uniform. This of course has varied from school to school as well as country to country. For actual performances they would wear their dress uniforms.





Christopher Wagner










Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main Chronology Page]
[The 1880s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s]
[The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Kilts] [Caps] [Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [School uniform [Scout



Created: November 13, 1999
Last updated: July 5, 2001