Band and Orchestra

Philipp Alexander is proud of his musical past. His family formed Musik-Alexander in Mainz, Germany in 1782. They began as brass instrument makers and later opened a music store while continuing the making of horns. One of the company’s milestones took place in 1909 when they introduced the now famous horn, model 103. The horn has been credited with the creation of the ultimate horn sound. Philipp has guided the company into the computer age and has had great success with e-commerce on their Internet site.

Kurt Anderson took over the music publishing company formed by his parents and more importantly kept the flame of his father’s extraordinary music legacy alive and well. In 2009, upon the centennial of Leroy Anderson’s birth, Kurt wrote several articles and helped produce a PBS program on his father’s music. The Woodbury Publishing Company continues to make Kurt’s father’s music available to bands and orchestras around the world. 

Hans-Jorg Andre’s great great grandfather formed Musikhaus Andre Musikverlag Johann Andre in 1774. The company was the first to bring lithograph processes to the production of printed music, making a profound and everlasting impact on the way music was printed. Over the years the publishing company expanded to become a music retailer in Offenbach. Under Hans-Jorg’s leadership the company embraced the computer age and on-line commerce.  

Glenn Axelton managed a few stores for the famed Jenkins Music Company in and around Kansas City before opening his own store in Manhattan, Kansas. Glenn’s Music soon became a music center for the town and surrounding areas and led to one of the largest music lesson programs in the area. As a repairman, Glenn saw to it that the store created and maintained a well respected band instrument repair service, which has been a key element of their success over the years. Behind the company and its mission to bring music to the lives of its customers stands Mr. Axelton, a passionate music maker himself who has enjoyed his career in the music industry.

Rod Baltimore has been a music retailer in New York for over 40 years. Much of that time was spent on the famed 48th street music central. Working with brass and woodwinds, Rod has maintained one of the most sought after repair shops in the state and often does work for customers outside the state and country. His career is highlighted by stories of Manny’s Music across the street and Sam Ash as well as the many friends and celebrities he has worked with over the years. Today, Rod is owner of New York Woodwind and Brass Music Company and, yes, you guessed it, it is located on 48th street, New York, New York.

Dennis Bamber helped pioneer mail order catalogs for musical products beginning in the 1970s. After opening a small woodwind store in South Bend, Indiana in 1978, Dennis noticed that many of his customers were traveling 5 and 6 hours to his store. While he expanded the size of the store he also thought of ways to bring the store to those located far away. Among his innovations in the area of the mail order business, Dennis would send 3 or 4 products for the customer to try for a few weeks in order to be sure they were satisfied with their final instrument purchase. He also ran clinics and special programs within the store to attract those customers eager to try out his selection of mouthpieces and instruments.

Don Banks was a band director who felt he could have more of an impact on music makers by providing them with quality instruments. In 1967 he opened Don Banks Music in Tampa, Florida to serve the local school bands. Over the years he expanded the store to include a full line of product offerings and repair service for all musicians. Don’s son, Mitchel, joined the company right out of school as did Don’s grandson.

Mitchel Banks has been working in the music store his father established as far back as he can remember. After serving as a band director, Don Banks formed his retail store in Tampa in 1967. Mitchel worked side by side with his father and took an active role in band instrument repair as well as using the ever-changing technology, such as the Internet, to benefit the business. Mitchel is also active in industry groups such as NAPBIRT, NAMM, NASMD and RPMDA.

Emile Baran began a music retail business that led to the opportunity for expanding into the music wholesale business. Emile formed DeKalb Music Supply, a music retail store in Decatur, Georgia in 1958. Several years later he expanded into the wholesale business, thanks in large part to his understanding of the school music market. Upon the milestone of his 50th year in business, Emile was presented with an award from NAMM and exclaimed, “That was easy. Let’s go for another 50 years!” 

Chuck Barnhouse is the third generation to own and operate the C. L. Barnhouse Publishing Company. His grandfather established the firm in 1886 and over the years the company has commissioned a rather impressive list of composers to create band and orchestral music. Among their most noted composers, James Swearingen, Alfred Reed and Frank Mantooth. After outgrowing their facilities in 1987, Chuck oversaw the building of the new headquarters and improved production of all areas of the publishing process.