The Slogan of the Century

Abstract

This article is a review of literature detailing the 1923 origin of the phrase “Music for Every Child; Every Child for Music” and tracing its use in music education periodicals through the next nine decades. By delving into the now century-old archives for Music Educators Journal to research the historic declaration of Karl W. Gehrkens (1882–1975), one finds that a simple statement became a mantra that has spanned generations and continues to represent the field of music education today.