From 1890 until his retirement in 1929, John F.
Renner was connected with the music business in Sandusky, Ohio. Above is an
image of his store in the Odd Fellows Temple when he was in business with
George Doerzbach in the early 1900s. Mr. Renner gave his customers brochures
which extolled the virtues of music. The cover of one of these publications
suggested that you could “get into the picture” by playing a musical
instrument.
The focus of this brochure was unearthing hidden
talent in children by teaching them to play a musical instrument. The cover
title implies that music could promote harmony in the family home.
Bella Webb’s article on page 9 was entitled Music Instead of Pills. She wrote that
improvements in both physical and mental health could be achieved by listening
to music.
According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is a health
profession “in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address
physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals.” It seems that Mr. Renner
promoted these concepts to Sandusky area residents long before music therapy
became a college major.
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