Figure 1.-- This cabinet card shows the Muncie Conservatory of Music in Muncie, Indiana. The photograph was taken in 1905. Actually it was a fairly standard music school. The term 'conservatory' added a little prestige to the school. The children have violins, drums, brass, and woodwinds. Noice that thee are only three girls.

There are various way to learn a musical instrument. A few particularly adept children teach themselves, but most children need lessons to learn to play an instrument or improve their skills. Most children initially in colonial America leaned nusical instructments through their parents. As America developed private instrucion became more common. There are severl ways to obtain lessons. Children can be taught at home if they come from a musical family. Or their parents can arrange for home instruction. A child taking music lessons at home might have a teacher provide one-on-one training sessionss ranging from 30 minutes to one hour weekly. The teacher will leave practice exercises to prepare for next lesson. Another option was lessons at a music school. Here there is a wide range of schools. Some are schools for younger children with a wide range of abilities. Others are institutiins for older, advanced students. A conservatory is a school providing advanced instruction in one or more of the fine or dramatic arts, but commonly a school of music. It is up to the managers what to name a school. Thus some very basic schools to give a upsacale impage, called themselves conservatories. Lone lessons and musuc schools meant fees parents had to pay. Another way of getting music lessons is at school. Some schools by the late-19th century included a music program in the curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity. This may or may not include indiviual instruction. Music programs varied widely from school to school. We notice WPA programs during the Depression that involved music instruction. Many schools, escpecially secondary schools, offered music lessons. This was a way for low income children to learn a musical instrument. Private schools often gaive more attenbtion to music and allow children to receive instruction at school.

Created: 1:52 PM 12/25/2018
Last updated: 1:52 PM 12/25/2018