Shown here, in the January 1921 issue of Talking Machine World, are fourteen schools in Cicero, Illinois. While the magazine wasn’t clear which was which, they are: Woodbine, Morton Park, Drexel, Goodwin Clyde, Cicero, Sherlock, McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt, John Paul Jones, Burnham, Hawthorne, Columbus, and J.H. Sterling Morton High School.

What the schools had in common was an appreciation of music, recorded music to be specific. They had all recently purchased Columbia Grafanola phonographs to bring the 7000 scholars of Cicero the message of music.

The School Board was unfortunately not in a position to provide the needed funds, so the students took matters into their own hands to collect old newspapers, and use the proceeds from the sale to purchase the instruments.

The magazine suggested that other schools looking to increase the music appreciation of the students might consider cake and candy sales, or suppers and fairs. The magazine believed that when more schools started doing so, school boards would soon wake up to their obligation to provide all schools with this equipment.