Smithville High School, The Searchlight, 1939, Page 30

Description:	Louise Scott was theorchestra teacher. When the orchestrawas first organized, the school didn’t own an instrumentbut by the end of that year it boosted of three violins, &three trumpets. Since neither the students nor Mrs. Scottcould tune the instruments, the janitor, Bill Sowders, wasassigned the task. The orchestra progressed so well thatthey were called upon to play for commencement exercisesand the senior play.In the following ten years the organization was Underthe leadership of the following teachers; Mrs. Speer,Mr. Shadley, Mr. Irwin, and Mr. White,By 1936 the number of members in the orchestra hadincreased to approximately thirty. The direc-tor in thatyear was Dalton Wicker. The burning of the school buildingon February 27, was almost a fatal blow to the orchestra,for all the instruments, music, and stands were destroyed.This caused most of the students to lose interest in theorchestra, but with the purchasing of new instruments andwith a great deal of ”ear-pulling” on the part of Mr. Botkinthe principal, the organization made a new start.During the three following years the orchestraprogressed very rapidly and at the present time it hastwenty-five members and the following equipment:twenty-fourmusic stands, approximately $125 worth of music, twenty-sixuniforms, and these instruments - two pianos, three violins,one trumpet, two alto horns, three trombones, one clarinet,one saxaphone, and two drums owned by the school and inaddition a number of privately owned instruments. Theorchestra has given concerts at churches, 4-H meetings,political rallies, plays, operettas, commencements, andconvocations. Smithville provides most of the members forthe Tri-County Orchestra which holds a festival each year inIndiana University. This year Mr. Sargent, Smithville’sdirector, lead the entire Tri-County Orchestra, and theSmithville orchestra played two special numbers. Thecrowning triumph of the year came when the orchestra, pickedas representatives from Monroe County, were featured on the’’Pick of the Town program over station W I R EIndianapolis.
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-smithville/id/115
Collection:	Smithville High School

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