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The Federal Music Project was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).  The WPA was formed in 1935 and replaced the earlier programs of the New Deal such as the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). Over the course of it’s existence from 1935-1943, the WPA spent over 11 billion dollars (in 1930’s currency) and helped employ over 3 million people.  The WPA was responsible for employing people from all walks of life.  It employed people ranging from construction workers, to nurses, clerical workers, and artists.

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The WPA also included a section called Federal One, which was another works relief program for music, fine arts, theater, and writing. The WPA sought to establish one agency for musicians which became the Federal Music Project (FMP).  Among the four branches of the arts the WPA created, the Federal Music Project was the most expansive.

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WPA (Works Progress Administration) - 1937

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Symphony and concert orchestras

Dance Orchestras

Bands

Chamber Music Ensembles

Vocal Quartets and Ensembles

Instrumental and Vocal Soloists

Grand Opera, Operetta, Opera Comique, and chamber Opera

Music Education services

Employment and use of Music Librarians, Copyists, Binders, Piano Tuners, and Instrument Repair

Composers Forum Laboratory

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In 1935, Nikolai Sokoloff was named as the FMP first national director, he was the former conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, and also played a part in the FMP primarily focusing on symphonic and orchestral music performances.

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-Why was the Federal Music Project created?

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-Why was the Federal Music Project created?

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The main goal of the Federal Music Project was to create jobs for many of the musicians that had fallen on hard times as a result of the Depression and to lift American’s spirits up during a time of joblessness and insecurity (Johnson, 1997).  According to Oxford Music Online, the FMP “focused on the employment of musicians as performers in orchestras, concert and dance bands, chamber music and choral ensembles, and opera companies.

Statistics for the period January 1936 to April 1940 show 250,000 performances reaching an audience of 159 million. At its peak in 1936, the project employed over 15,000 people in 42 states and the District of Columbia.”  At the time, the WPA spent roughly 1 billion dollars in 1930’s currency in order to support the arts (Kang, 2011).

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Another reason so many musicians found themselves out of work according to Kang, was that many of the movie theaters in the 1930’s were converting from the silent movie format, which employed orchestras or smaller groups of musicians like an organist, to provide the music to the silent movie.  With the conversion to the ‘talkie’ format during this time, it left many musicians without a job.

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-What purpose did the Federal Music Project serve? 

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-What purpose did the Federal Music Project serve? 

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The FMP and WPA created many symphony orchestras throughout the US during it’s time which served several purposes:  It allowed for struggling professional musicians to be employed.  It allowed for mediocre musicians to be able to play alongside professionals, thus strengthening their own skills and helping out fellow musicians. And it allowed for music to be accessible to parts of the country that did not have access to live performance music.

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According to Kang, in just New York (a larger metropolitan area), the Federal Music Project created and organized the following:

Federal Symphony Orchestra of New York
Federal Music Project Chamber Orchestra
New York Civic Orchestra
The Greenwich Orchestra
Grand Opera and Opera Chorus
Chamber Opera
The Madrigal Singers
The Negro Melody Singers
Composers’ Forum Laboratory
Lecture Recital Courses (such as “Evolution into Contemporary Music”)
Illustrated Explanatory Lectures (on music played by symphony orchestras)
Amateur Chamber Groups, Orchestras, and Choruses
Recital Bureau of concert artists to perform at welfare agencies
Group Lessons

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Also, in smaller metropolitan areas like Glendale, California, the FMP would have still created some of the following which also had groups that fit the musical styles and tastes of that region:

Concert Orchestra

Mexican Tipica Orchestra

Military Band

Banjo Ensemble

Hawaiian or South Seas Group

Modern Dance Band

Modern “Hot” Dance Band

Dance Band in San Fernando

Choral Unit

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While many cities like Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Pittsburg all had major symphony orchestras at the time, the WPA and FMP supplemented those larger metropolitan areas with FMP sponsored orchestras in other regional areas near those major cities.

Some of the orchestras that were created by the Federal Music Project or cities that gained an additional orchestra were…

Civic Symphony Orchestra (Philadelphia)

Illinois Symphony Orchestra (which many ISU faculty members have performed in)

Albany, NY

Bridgeport, CT

Grand Rapids, MI

Providence, RI

San Bernardino, CA

Kansas City, MO (WPA Concert Orchestra)

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The Federal Music Project also was responsible for:

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The Federal Music Project also was responsible for:

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Composers' Forum Laboratories: presented concerts by living composers with those composers present at the concert to discuss their ideas and answer questions about their music (Pettis, 1940).  Composers like Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, and choral composer Johanna Beyer participated in these endeavors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsy-sm293I

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Three Pieces for Choir: II. The Composers Forum Laboratory

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Radio Broadcasts:  This was a way for the FMP to reach all across America and to bring some enjoyment into the lives of hardworking Americans.  They also reached many people from different socio-economic classes.  During these radio broadcasts, the WPA would also use propaganda to continue to seek support for the FMP program.

Here is a clip of the Composers Forum Laboratory Broadcast No. 20, skip to the 8:32 mark to hear the propaganda from the WPA to help get support: http://www.wnyc.org/story/composers-forum-laboratory-program-no-20/

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Composer's Forum Laboratory Program No. 20 | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News

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The Works Progress Administration present a program by the Federal Music Project under the direction of Dr Nicholai Sokoloff.

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Music Education Programs: (many students would travel miles before sunrise in order to get their music lesson in before the daily chores started, or would attend ‘night classes’).  This also was a way for the FMP to tell these stories of hardworking Americans desiring a music education, which would help continue to garner support from the lawmakers in Washington D.C.

The WPA and the FMP worked closely with the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), which was a fairly powerful organization during the 1930's timeframe, in order to continue supporting musicians and educators (Finney, 1939).

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The Federal Music Project was also responsible for creating:

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The Federal Music Project was also responsible for creating:

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Music Festivals

Collecting and recording American Folk Music

Various Music copying services

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-What are the remnants of the Federal Music Project today and what modern day organizations can be traced back to the FMP and WPA?

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-What are the remnants of the Federal Music Project today and what modern day organizations can be traced back to the FMP and WPA?

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Some of the orchestras Kang mentions that still exist in one form or another today, but were founded during the time of the WPA, FMP, or earlier New Deal programs include:

The Greater Bridgeport Symphony (founded in 1936 as a WPA orchestra)
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra formed in 1935 (formerly the Buffalo Symphony as a CWA orchestra in 1934)
Utah State Symphony Orchestra (now the Utah Symphony)
Illinois Symphony Orchestra
The Albany Symphony
The Grand Rapids Symphony
The Rhode Island Philharmonic (personal communication with the box office, June 25, 2020) which was formed in 1945 but perhaps formerly the community orchestra in Providence, RI during the WPA era according to the box office!)
San Bernadino Symphony Orchestra

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Some of the other links to the past include: the public concerts that the WPA would put together, especially the young peoples concerts and Composers Forum Laboratory where the audience could ask composers questions.  While this is not in the same exact format, I believe that Leonard Bernstein continued on the tradition of these types of concerts with his “Young Peoples Concert Series”, which embodies the spirit of engaging and getting people interested in music that they may normally not have access to. According to his official website, Bernstein led a total of 53 Young People's Concerts.  Michael Tilson Thomas of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra was also a colleague and knew Leonard Bernstein.  So it comes as no surprise that the SFSO has hosted many similar concerts and in similar formats to the ones Bernstein would host.  While Bernstein would have these concerts broadcast to the nation on network television, Michal Tilson Thomas has utilized PBS to sponsor many concerts and series, most notably the “Keeping Score” docuseries.

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Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts

with the New York Philharmonic

Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic stand among his greatest achievements. These televised programs introduced an entire generation to the joys of classical music.

Bernstein conducted his first Young People's Concert on January 18, 1958, just two weeks after becoming Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. Such programs were already a Philharmonic tradition when Bernstein arrived, but he made them a centerpiece of his work, part of what he described as his "educational mission." Looking back on the concerts years later, he referred to them as being "among my favorite, most highly prized activities of my life." When he took a sabbatical season from the orchestra in 1964-65, he still came back to lead the Young People's Concerts. He continued to lead these programs until 1972, even though he had stepped down as director of the Philharmonic in 1969.

Bernstein led a total of fifty-three Young People's Concerts during those fourteen years, and covered a broad range of subjects. The works of the great composers were explored, including tributes to modern masters such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Paul Hindemith, Gustav Holst, Aaron Copland and Charles Ives. Bernstein discussed "Jazz in the Concert Hall," "Folk Music in the Concert Hall," and "The Latin-American Spirit." He explained the intricacies of Music Theory in programs such as "Musical Atoms: A Study of Intervals" and "What is a Mode?" He broached complex aesthetic issues such as "What Does Music Mean?" (his first program) with clarity and without condescension. Bernstein also used the Young People's Concerts to introduce young performers to the musical world. The sixteen year-old pianist André Watts made his debut in the concert of January 15, 1963.

Bernstein usually planned the programs for the Young People's Concerts based on repertory from the New York Philharmonic's regular concert season. He wrote the scripts himself, then worked with the program's production staff to make any needed cuts, to clarify or simplify wording and analogies, and streamline the pacing of the presentation.

The actual production schedule was intense. Bernstein had to be present for technical rehearsals as early as 6 a.m. on the day of the concert. He rehearsed with the orchestra at 8 a.m., followed by a dress rehearsal at 10 a.m. The actual concert was at noon, presented before a packed house. In later years, the dress rehearsals were also presented before a audience. All of the programs were broadcast live, so there was no chance of editing out mistakes.

Originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, the programs were considered so important that for three glorious years CBS presented them at 7:30 p.m. (prime time for television viewing). Eventually the programs were moved to Sunday afternoons. The concerts were translated into other languages and syndicated to forty countries.

As with many of Bernstein's scripts, the scripts for the Young People's Concerts found their way into book form. First published in 1961 and revised in 1970, "Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts" was expanded in 1992 to include a total of fifteen text transcriptions.

In November 2013, Kultur International Films released Volume Two of the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts, featuring 27 digitally restored videos of the landmark televised concerts on nine DVDs. This was the first release of Young People's Concerts in more than 20 years, following the popular release of Volume One in 1993; with this release the entire series of Bernstein's Young People's Concerts is now available on DVD.
The 27 concerts in this 9-disc set took place 1960-1972 and covered a broad range of musical topics and composers including the music of Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, Bach, Liszt, Strauss, Hindemith, and many others. And, over the years, Bernstein used the Young People's Concerts as a platform to introduce exciting new performers to the musical world as seen in the nine Young Performers programs included in this new set, which includes appearances by a young André Watts, Paula Robison, and Lynn Harrell among others. Young conductors include Seiji Ozawa, Claudio Abbado, James DePreist, Sylvia Caduff, and Helen Quach.

For a listing of Young People's Concerts that have been released on video, visit the Videography.

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Young People's Concerts | Educator | About | Leonard Bernstein

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Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic stand among his greatest achievements. These televised programs introduced an entire generation to the joys of classical music. Bernstein conducted his first Young People's Concert on January 18, 1958, just two weeks after becoming Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.

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We also see some organizations that had ties to the WPA and FMP today.  The Music Educators National Conference (MENC) was an organization that would support the initiatives of the WPA and work with them on promoting the arts.  Now, MENC is known as the National Association for Music Education.

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Also, consider some patronage ties to the WPA and FMP that we still see today.  Keeping in mind that the Federal Music Project and WPA was created to provide work relief to people struggling during hard economic times, modern day patronage can be seen doing the same thing for even major Symphony Orchestras.  With the COVID-19 pandemic having far reaching effects into the music and arts community, many of these symphony orchestras are facing a tough economic time ahead while still trying to employ musicians and office staff.  One of the ways they are circumventing some of this lost revenue is turning to their patrons for relief.  The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has created what they call the “Resilience Fund” which is a one time program that is supported by patrons and will help the DSO keep people employed throughout the pandemic.

Many of the orchestras still operating today from the WPA era, also continue to rely on patronage funding to operate their organizations.  On each of their websites you can find ways to donate or help support the organization.

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The DSO Resilience Fund, an effort championed by the DSO Board of Directors, has been established to ensure that our world-class orchestra keeps the music playing for our community during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond. We are fortunate to report that this one-time campaign has the unanimous support of our DSO Directors and they are all, to the person, financially committed. We invite you to join us!
By pledging your support to the DSO Resilience Fund and the future of your DSO - in addition to your already generous annual contributions - you are helping us to:

Navigate this challenge from a position of strength and continue providing restorative music for our community.

Utilize the talents of our incredible musicians in this unprecedented time away from the stage.

Empower our youth to use music as a creative outlet during times of need and times of joy.

Narrow our immediate revenue gap in response to cancelled concerts and annual benefit events as we strive to balance the current fiscal year budget.

Provide longer-term fiscal stability and enable our emergence as a vibrant and impactful organization when it is possible to return to the stage.

Thank you for opening your heart to additional investment in the DSO during this unprecedented time.
Pamela ApplebaumMr. David Assemany and Mr. Jeffery Zook*Mr. Joseph Aviv & Mrs. Linda WassermanDr. & Dr. Brian BachynskiW. Harold & Chacona W. BaughPenny & Harold BlumensteinMr. and Mrs. Marco BruzzanoCommunity Foundation for Southeast MichiganMr. & Mrs. Matthew P. CullenJulie & Peter CummingsJoanne Danto & Arnold WeingardenMargie Dunn & Mark DavidoffAnita DeMarco GoorMr. & Mrs. Richard L. DeVoreEugene & Elaine C. DrikerMichael & Sally FederMr. & Mrs. Phillip Wm. FisherMr. & Mrs. Samuel FoglemanMr. and Mrs. Aaron FrankelMr. & Mrs. Stanley FrankelFred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family FoundationMr. & Mrs. Ralph J. GersonHolly* & Damien GoreckiMary Ann & Robert GorlinMrs. Susan GravesDr. Herman & Mrs. Shirley GrayMr. & Mrs. Peter HollinsheadThe Honorable Denise Page Hood & Reverend Nicholas Hood IIIRichard H. & Carola HuttenlocherMr. & Mrs. Norman+ D. KatzMorgan & Danny KaufmanMike & Katy KeeganCarole KellerBetsy & Joel KellmanMrs. Bonnie LarsonMax Lepler & Rex L. DotsonLinda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr.Bud & Nancy LieblerMandell and Madeleine Berman FoundationMax M. & Marjorie S. Fisher FoundationDavid & Valerie McCammonMr. & Mrs. Brian MeerMr. & Mrs. Robert S. MillerXavier & Maeva MosquetMs. Suzanne NashMr. & Mrs. Albert T. Nelson, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. James B. NicholsonMr. & Mrs. Arthur T. O'ReillyThe Polk FamilyDr. Glenda D. PriceMr. and Mrs. David ProvostMs. Ruth RattnerBernard & Eleanor RobertsonSamuel & Jean Frankel FoundationSave Our SymphonyNancy Schlichting & Pamela TheisenMr. and Mrs. Thomas ShaferWilliam H. SmithShirley R. StancatoMr. & Mrs. Arn TellemMr. and Mrs. Gary TorgowMs. Madeline TsaiMark and Janice UhligMr. Robert VanSelusMr. James G. VellaW. K. Kellogg FoundationMr. and Mrs. Martin WaskowskiHon. Kurtis T. Wilder (Ret.)William Randolph Hearst FoundationDr. M. Roy and Mrs. Jacqueline WilsonDrs. David & Bernadine Wu Resilience Fund Donor Honor Roll:

And one who wishes to remain anonymous
Resilience Fund Supporters as of June 15, 2020

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The DSO Resilience Fund, an effort championed by the DSO Board of Directors, has been established to ensure that our world-class orchestra keeps the music playing for our community during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond. We are fortunate to report that this one-time campaign has the unanimous support of our DSO Directors and they are all, to the person, financially committed.

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Also, according to the League of American Orchestras, they have been seeking federal assistance for relief during the pandemic, here is information from their website:

“Community by community, the impact of COVID-19 is variable and rapidly changing. The League of American Orchestras has been a leading voice as orchestras join advocates in the arts and nonprofit sectors nationwide seeking federal relief that will protect their substantial workforce and safeguard their essential service to communities in the wake of unprecedented closures and event cancellations. Forms of federal disaster relief that have traditionally been more limited are now expanded to offer opportunities for the nonprofit sector and workers in the gig economy, like many self-employed musicians, to find support amidst the COVID-19 crisis. The League provides the following resource page to help orchestras keep informed.”

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In conclusion, the Works Progress Administration and Federal Music Project were formed by the government in order to provide work relief for many Americans, including musicians.  The government recognized the importance to have competent and knowledgeable individuals in charge of the Federal Music Project, employing accomplished music directors like Nikolai Sokoloff.  Many orchestral organizations were formed as part of the FMP and still exist today in some form, while music education was also highly supported and the government agencies worked closely with music professionals and national music organizations to create this successful public works program.  While the WPA and FMP do not exist today, their far-reaching remnants can still be seen in communities where these orchestras still operate, and in other forms such as young peoples concerts and organization support for music education through NAfME.

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Finney, T. (1939). THE WPA FEDERAL MUSIC PROJECT DISCUSSION AT WASHINGTON. Bulletin of the Music Teachers National Association, 4(1), 28-31. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/43526983

Johnson, W. (1997). The History Teacher, 30(4), 509-510. doi:10.2307/494151

League of American Orchestras. (2020). Retreived from https://www.americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/disaster-relief-for-nonprofits/coronavirus.html#federalassistance

NAfME History and Leadership. (2020). Retrieved from https://nafme.org/about/#:~:text=History%20of%20Our%20Name,National%20Association%20for%20Music%20Education.

Pettis, A. (1940). The WPA and the American Composer. The Musical Quarterly, 26(1), 101-112. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/739004

Resilience Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dso.org/support-and-volunteer/resilience-fund

Young People's Concerts. (n.d.).  Retrieved from https://leonardbernstein.com/about/educator/young-peoples-concerts

YouYoung Kang: "The WPA Federal Music Project and Its Enduring Legacies"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWv1XKAla0Q

Voloshin, Metro. (2001, January 20).  Works Progress Administration, Federal Music Project of the WPA.  Retrieved June 24, 2020 at https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.libproxy.lib.ilstu.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000030574?rskey=QRTGMJ

WNYC New York Public Radio website; Works Progress Administration: Federal Music Project https://www.wnyc.org/series/works-progress-administration/about