(This is the second part of an interview with Fred Ross, who recently retired as owner of Fred Ross' BANDLAND).

In the early 1950s Fred Ross took an opportunity to work at C.C. Keys Music Store in Clarksburg. Now was his chance to work full time with music and musicians. Realizing that giving support to music teachers would help all concerned, he began to expand the education emphasis at Keys, and he traveled to area schools to help start beginning bands.

He first used his own survey and then the Conn test to help determine the musical aptitude of children. Later, when Dr. Nilo Hovey developed the Selmer Music Survey, he used the recorded Selmer test exclusively. Over more than thirty years he gave the Selmer Music Guidance Survey to many thousands of students.

Because of a desire to have his own business, he left C.C. Keys in 1964 so that he and his wife, Gerri, could open their own store, which they named "Fred Ross' BANDLAND." The motto of the store was "Bands are our business, our only business." Continuing to expand, the store reached out to thirty-five counties.

Fred has always loved music and working with young people. Because of this he attended many band camps, giving clinics and repairing instruments which might have been damaged during the camp. (The store's staff in jest always complained that they had to keep the business going while "the boss" , as they called him, was out having fun!)

Bandland sponsored many clinics over the years. Fred brought central West Virginia such clinicians as Al Asercion, Fred Hemke, Nilo Hovey, Ernie Bastin, Roy Bums, Joe Morello, and others. He was a member of the WVMEA, the West Virginia Bandmasters, and Phi Beta Mu. He supported all the music education activities he could. Always interested in dance bands, Fred sponsored the northern stage band festival for several years.

He always supported the Bandmasters Association by setting up a display of instruments at their annual fall meeting, and later at the summer meetings. He had a display at the WVMEA conferences for more than 35 years. He believed that supporting music education was an important part of store relations.

Fred also was active in business affairs and was a member of the National Association of Music Merchants and the National Association of School Music Dealers. He attended meetings throughout the United States and other countries. He also made frequent trips to the Selmer factory in Elkhart, Indiana, and he and Gerri visited the Selmer headquarters in France.

Fred Ross has reached thousands of youngsters who wanted to become members of the band in their hometowns. Part of the reason bands grew in north central West Virginia was because of the help, advice, and service of Bandland. Even though Fred is now retired, he still maintains a great interest in music education and the bands in our state.