Boise Music Week records

Music Week has been an annual event in Boise since 1919. This celebration was the basis for a National Music Week; both still occur each year in May. Boise began its Music Week with seven days of variety programs. Each day was dedicated to a certain theme, such as "School Night" and "Church Night." In later years the, the celebrations began with a parade which featured local high school bans and floats. A lantern parade was also begun, but later discontinued. This parade consisted of troops of Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts who made lanterns and walked, singing, through one of Boise's parks. Music Week was considered an event in which the entire city could become involved, in one way or another. As Boise grew, however, fewer people were able to actually participate in the celebration. More recent Music Weeks have taken the form of a musical or operetta which is presented by volunteering amateurs. Yet reviews of these shows have been quite noteworthy of the professionalism exhibited. Also due to a growing Boise, there has been a decline of interest in Music Week. Recent newspaper articles speculate as to the exact causes, but encourage enthusiasm for the event. Historically, however, Boise's initiation of this national event deems annual recognition.

The brunt of information about Music Week is contained in scrapbooks once in custody of the historian of the Music Week Board. Each scrapbook contains programs, magazine articles, correspondence, and newspaper articles pertaining to the applicable year's events and to the members of the Music Week Board. No scrapbooks were kept for the years 1958-1960, but folders containing a limited amount of information are available. Folders for each scrapbook have also been included in the collection to contain any loose material which may have become detached from the scrapbook.

In addition to the scrapbooks, other materials which may be found in this collection are the following: a book containing minutes of Music Week Board meetings and correspondence from the year 1946 to 1954; a bound book containing samples of programs from the year 1920 to 1931; and programs.

National Federation of Music Clubs Literature: This material may be found in folders 16-23 in box 1. It consists of the contents of an achievement book for 1962/1963 prepared by the Idaho state historian for the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC). These folders contain newspaper articles, magazine articles, programs and photographs pertaining to the Fall session of the NFMC Board of Directors, National Chairmen, and the Council of State and District Presidents. This session was held in Boise, September 11-15, 1962. A folder is also available on the Idaho Federation of Music Clubs Annual State Convention, held in Boise, May 2-4, 1963.

Additional folders contain newspaper articles on related NFMC subject, such as scholarships, junior music, American music, religious matters, miscellaneous, and Idaho chapter yearbooks.

Community Concert Literature: This material may be found in box 2. It consists of programs, magazines and photographs of Community Concert artists.