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Archives of The Midwest Clinic
an International Band and Orchestra Conference
Individual Collection name:
The Midwest Clinic Archives
Repository name:
Special Collections in Performing Arts, Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, University of Maryland
Type: Official organizational records
Collection dates: 1947-current
Extent: 80 linear feet
Description: This collection contains the records of The Midwest Clinic, an International Band and Orchestra Conference, held annually in Chicago, Illinois. The archives contain administrative documents, correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, clinic information, clinic programs, recordings, scrapbooks, and photographs.
Statement of provenance: The Midwest Clinic Archives was established in 1988.
Governing documents: The Midwest Clinic Archives are governed by an agreement made between the organization and the University of Maryland dated 12 August 1988.
Finding Aid: A finding aid prepared by Bradley Mariska is available in the repository. You may also view it online.
SCPA shelf location: Papers: SCPA Collections Room, Aisle L; Recordings: PAL Paged Collections
Access: Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Room for Special Collections, 10 to 5, Monday through Friday. Please make an appointment with the curator.
Organizational History: On 7 December 1946, approximately 120 band directors assembled in a YWCA gymnasium on Chicago’s West Side for a six-hour clinic and new music reading session. In 1947, the event was expanded to two days and moved to the Hotel Sherman to take advantage of the larger facilities and accommodations for out-of-town directors. Besides the two-day format, this second installment brought many new features, including a printed program, an additional band, and a new name: The Mid-West Band Clinic. The VanderCook School of Music, Neil A. Kjos Music Company and Lyons Band Instrument Company sponsored the event.
For the next 25 years, the Hotel Sherman was home to the Midwest Clinic. In the 1950s, orchestras and jazz ensembles were introduced, and in 1962, the Midwest Clinic held its first official Orchestra Day. In 1963, the clinic expanded to its present format of four and a half days. Since 1973, the Midwest Clinic has been held at the Hilton Chicago, and in 1995, the Blackstone Hotel was used in addition to the Hilton for hosting clinic events. With the addition of this facility, the Midwest Clinic was able to present more clinics than ever in its history. In 1999, the Congress Plaza replaced the Blackstone Hotel as the second site of conference events.
In the earliest years of the “Mid-West Band Clinic,” the organizers – H.E. Nutt, Howard Lyons and Neil Kjos, Sr. – invited outstanding bands to perform, based upon the reputations of the organization and its director. In addition to giving a formal concert, the bands were also expected to provide a sight-reading session, with the selections being requested by audience members on the spur of the moment. Today, the Midwest Clinic continues to feature performances by outstanding organizations, but now every group that desires to perform must first apply to do so.
Over the years, the focus of the Midwest Clinic has remained on bringing music directors into contact with not only the best published music, but also with new and established teaching techniques, and the latest products and services for the music educator.
The name of the Mid-West Clinic has changed a number of times throughout its history, as reflected below:
Organization Website:
The Midwest Clinic
