1915-1924 Hiatt
Lucius M. Hiatt 1915 - 1924
In 1915, Jessie Grossman resigned, and the board hired Nellie Provost as the teacher of both Music and English at the high school. Lucius M. Hiatt, previously the band instructor, was brought on for 40 weeks at ½ time as the high school band and orchestra teacher. Hiatt earned his degree from Wheaton College in 1890 (Polaris, 1915, p. 16). He retired to Ridott after conducting the band and orchestra for 10 years at Indiana University. Hiatt came to Freeport after school once per week on the interurban and brought his two sons, Hal and Lucius. They helped coach the band when it first began in 1912 until Hiatt was formally hired by the board to teach both high school band and orchestra (Tilden, 1972, p. 453). Obviously successful with both programs, Hiatt’s salary increased from its initial $28 per month in 1915 to $38 in 1916 (School Board, 1916-1920, p. 19), $50 by 1917 (p. 124), $65 by 1919 (p. 215), and $100 by 1922 (1920-1924, p. 116), all the while receiving $10 to $25 almost monthly for supplies. When Hiatt resigned in 1924, Karl Kubitz filled the vacancy at double the salary (1924-1927, p. 6).
National Happenings:
In 1915, a questionnaire was sent to 200 instructors from a list of those attending the Music Supervisors’ National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Out of 76 pertinent replies, 36 gave credit for instrumental work out of 72 where instrumental work was done. Of these respondents, 66 had orchestras, and 12 had bands. Only two of them had a grammar school organization too (Brown, 1916, p. 12). Violin was not lacking anywhere. Neither were cornet, clarinet, flute, cello, and drums. The most common combination for ensembles was strings (without viola), cornet, drum, and piano. None of the instructors responded as having full instrumentation (p. 18). Although some schools gave credit, it was certainly not standardized throughout the country. It attests to the great interest in studying music when only half of the students are receiving any credit. Brown additionally noted that the standard number of rehearsals at this time was one per week, although some mentioned two or three (1917, p. 28). By the early 1920s, most school orchestras rehearsed during the school day and received credit (Hash, 2009, p. 52).
Birge (1966) identified England’s Maidstone Movement of 1898 as the precedent for class instruction in America. The Murdock Company began giving violin lessons at the All Saints School in Maidstone, England as an experiment in developing a love for orchestra music. During the first few years, almost 500,000 violins were sold in approximately 5000 schools. The program was very successful, growing large and spreading rapidly. American Charles Farnsworth discovered the violin classes when he heard a concert given by 1,450 instrumentalists. He discovered that classes were done outside of school time but under the direction of school authorities. This idea of teaching instruments in classes was astonishing. The Murdock Company provided the instruments, music, and teachers. London alone was estimated to have over 300 violin classes with an average of 25 students each. When Farnsworth reported this movement, American interest was aroused. Albert Mitchell, Boston school music supervisor, implemented class instruction in 1911 upon returning from a yearlong study in England. In 1916, demonstrations of class violin instruction were presented at the National Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. The great success of the classes became widely known, and the movement spread about the nation over the next decade (p. 193). Grammar school orchestras were preparing for high school leadership. This effort made for a “continuous orchestral experience of six years or more, instead of the average two or three previously possible” (p. 186). Furthermore, grade school programs allowed for time to train students on more uncommon instruments, providing balanced instrumentation for the future high school orchestra. An example of the problem of poor instrumentation can be seen in 1922 in Los Angeles. The city housed 115 school orchestras, 54 of them with fewer than 15 players, 56 with 15-25, and only 5 with over 25 players. The total instrumentation included 911 violins, 13 cellos, 33 flutes, 61 clarinets, 72 saxophones, 156 cornets, 8 horns, 34 trombones, 127 bells, 151 drums, and 281 pianos (Gordon, 1956, p. 36). This compares with Freeport’s high school orchestra, which had similar instrumentation with the exception of a bass instead of cello, and the inclusion of the more unusual horn and baritone.
In “The Birth of the School Bands and Orchestras,” Gordon described the early developments of two noteworthy school orchestras, Richmond, Indiana and Winfield, Kansas, focusing on the benefits of class instruction at the grade school level. Both orchestras were the impetus for growth in instrumental music across the nation. Winfield’s 60 member children’s orchestra and grade school instrumental classes helped their town to win a $1000 prize in 1915 for being the best community in which to raise children. The governor specifically referred to their fine arts program, inciting many communities around the state to create or add to their music programs. Will Earhart and, later, Joseph Maddy directed the high school orchestra in Richmond. Earhart began his work in 1898, and under Maddy’s supervision, a feeder program was added. The orchestra grew to symphonic instrumentation by 1922 and performed at the Music Supervisors’ National Conference in Nashville (p. 34).
Despite the developments of class instruction, grade school feeder programs, and accreditation, data from surveys demonstrates the gradual decline of orchestras in public schools concurrent with the growth of school bands. This growth can be attributed to the popularity of military bands in World War I. Musicians returned home after playing with these bands, providing an abundant supply of teachers. A survey of 375 schools in 1919 showed that 79% had orchestras, a decline from the 92% reported in 1915. Bands could be found in 25% of schools, a marked change from 17% reported at the onset of the war (Colwell & Goolsby, 2002, p. 7).
High School Music:
The 1915-1916 yearbook indicates that the band met every Monday and Friday in the gym. Field marching began in 1917 with 35 members, all boys. Girls were admitted in 1918, and the numbers rose to 45. Hiatt wrote the Freeport High School loyalty song “On Freeport” in 1922. In 1924, when he retired, the band had 50 members. The high school was very supportive of its new band. Yearbooks from 1916-1919 include full page concert programs in addition to full page band pictures with complete personnel and instrumentation identified. The same yearbooks, however, only include a small picture of the orchestra with no further information. Additionally, the orchestra was not used for commencement in 1917 or 1918 when under the direction of Hiatt.
The senior-class lecture series continued until 1915, its final presentation given by the 70-piece Chicago Symphony Orchestra directed by Frederick Stock. The board of education authorized closing all schools in the district for the October matinee (1914-1916, p. 115). The orchestra continued to furnish music for the senior and junior class plays in addition to musical comedies such as “Miss Bob White” in 1923. Dr. Foy Matter, a 1925 graduate, played violin and remarked how enjoyable it was to play in the dance orchestra (Birdsell, April 8-9, 1989, p. 6). After a referendum in 1919, the location of Freeport High School was moved to Mosely Street. The band and orchestra were given the attic, which was also used for athletic supplies, as a rehearsal space (School Board, 1916-1920, p. 56).
During Hiatt’s tenure, the board of education made two very significant decisions in line with national trends. On November 1, 1917, Hiatt was given permission to give one lesson per week to the grade school pupils at $2.50 per lesson for the school year 1917-1918. The motion carried unanimously (1916-1920, p. 88). On January 4, 1918, the board recommended that “from this date, credit be allowed for music work, either vocal or instrumental, done by high school pupils. The amount of such credit shall be determined by the music instructors of the high school in conference with the principal” (p. 92). Additionally, credit for outside study of music was allowed. The following requirements were set forth: completion of exercises, studies, and pieces determined by a committee of 3 prominent teachers of the city, at least 7 hours of practice per week, attendance and work in high school music class, and a semester playing exam of both prepared music and sight-reading (p. 94).