J. Sterling Morton High School’s Remarkable Music Director, Louis M. Blaha, Shaped the Careers of Many Musicians
Barbara’s memoir, THE DRUMMER DRIVES! Everybody Else Rides includes conversations with several graduates of J. Sterling Morton High who went to school with Harry Brabec. They have spoken about the great music education they all received in the 1940s under the guidance of Louis M. Blaha. As the head of 
Morton’s music department, Blaha led the marching band (right), concert band (below), symphony orchestra, and dance orchestra, and Harry played in all of them.
Morton’s concert band was rated the best in the country at that time, and it was of great service to the community when it played for flag dedications, football games, and various other social events. Concerts always featured the most talented musicians as soloists. The band maintained a membership of about one hundred and twenty members, and these musicians represented the cream of the crop of the entire school district.
Harry Brabec, back row, second from the left
The 1943 Yearbook of J. Sterling Morton High stated that the dance orchestra that year, which had sixteen experienced players, was the first to be conducted by Louis M. Blaha, and that it had made an excellent appearance at most of the afternoon dances throughout the school year. “Through many practice sessions together, the students arrived at a point near perfection, and in the opinion of the student body, this year’s dance orchestra is strictly ‘solid.’ It is the best we have had for many a year, and gives out with music that is really danceable. Whether it’s jive or sweet music you crave, you can find it here.”
Bbove and Below: Morton's Dance Orchestra in 1944, with Harry Brabec on drums
Louis M. Blaha — A Great Teacher
The next year, the Yearbook stated that the dance orchestra had gone down in history as the finest Morton ever had. When one considers all of the above, it’s easy to understand why Harry and so many others at Morton were consummate professionals long before they left high school. No wonder they all moved so easily into the world of professional music. In fact, more than half of the Music Department graduates became professional musicians, conductors, composers, arrangers, soloists, or teachers.
Gordon Peters sent a picture of this sweater patch. “Owning one of these cloth logos to attach to your maroon sweater was indeed a great honor in those days – Ya had to earn it!"
Certainly Blaha inspired his students as he introduced them to the music of the world’s great masters and guided them in future pursuits. Gordon Peters, who was mentored by Harry in school and followed him into the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, confirms that Blaha provided “a disciplined, professional environment for learning. He was a musical father figure to all his students; a great musician (played French horn), totally dedicated, and probably the most important ‘musical pivot’ for me and Harry and countless others.”
This article was adapted from Barbara Brabec’s memoir, THE DRUMMER DRIVES! Everybody Else Rides – The Musical Life and Times of Harry Brabec, Legendary Chicago Symphony Percussionist and Humorist.
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Tags: concert bands, Gordon Peters, Louis M. Blaha, marching bands, Morton High School, orchestras, percussionists
