Isabele Taliaferro Spiller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isabele Taliaferro Spiller
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Isabele Taliaferro in 1914
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| Born |
Cary Isabele Taliaferro
March 18, 1888 |
| Died | May 14, 1974 |
| Resting place | Fair Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Fair Lawn, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | New England Conservatory of Music, Teachers College, Columbia University |
| Occupation | Musician, school co-founder, music educator |
| Spouse(s) | William Newmeyer Spiller (m. 1918) |
Isabele Taliaferro Spiller was an amazing African-American musician, teacher, and school founder. She helped many young people learn music. She was born on March 18, 1888, and passed away on May 14, 1974.
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Early Life and Music
Isabele Spiller was born Cary Isabele Taliaferro in Abingdon, Virginia. She was the older of two daughters. Her father, Granville L. Taliaferro, was a minister. Her mother, Josephine Outlaw Taliaferro, taught her music first.
Isabele went to public schools in Philadelphia. She often went to concerts in places like Wanamaker's Department Store. She played many instruments in her family's band. She played the organ, piano, and mandolin. Her mother played the guitar. Isabele also played piano at her father's church.
After high school, Isabele got a teaching certificate. She earned it from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She also studied at the famous Juilliard School. She learned more about singing and music theory from Azalia Hackley and Melville Charlton.
The Musical Spillers
In 1912, Isabele Taliaferro joined a famous group called the Musical Spillers. They were a vaudeville act, which was a popular type of stage show. The group had six members. William Newmeyer Spiller was the leader and founder of the group. Isabele married him on August 25, 1918.
The Musical Spillers traveled all over the world. They performed in the US, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, and the Caribbean. They even made a silent movie with Alice Brady. The group was special because they played both jazz and classical music. They were also one of the biggest Black music groups in the early 1900s.
Isabele Spiller was a very talented performer. Her main instrument was the tenor saxophone. She also played the alto and baritone saxophone, trumpet, and piano. She helped manage the group too. Isabele's sister, Bessie Taliaferro, also played with the Musical Spillers. Many famous musicians started their careers with this group. Some of them were Rex Stewart, who later played with Duke Ellington, Cricket Smith, Russell Smith, Noble Sissle, and Willie Lewis.
A newspaper called The Chicago Defender wrote about Isabele in 1925. They said she was great at playing both the piano and the saxophone. After 1925, Isabele stopped touring with the Musical Spillers. She still performed sometimes, but her main focus became teaching music.
Spiller School of Music
In 1920, William and Isabele Spiller bought a home in Harlem, New York. This area was known as Striver's Row and was home to many successful Black people. Famous musicians and artists often met at the Spillers' house. Some of these included W. C. Handy, Leigh Whipper, Bill Robinson, J. Rosamond Johnson, Leontyne Price, and Will Marion Cook.
In 1925, the Spillers opened a music school. They saw that many Black musicians in Harlem were very talented but couldn't read music. Also, they often couldn't attend white music schools. The Spillers' school helped these musicians learn to read music. Their school was one of several music schools started by Black musicians in Harlem during that time.
Isabele's sister, Bessie Taliaferro, remembered how William Spiller taught. She told the New York Times that he would play music, and students would learn by listening. Many students already knew how to play instruments. They just needed to learn how to read sheet music. The Spiller school became famous for helping raw talent grow. It was also a place where experienced musicians could practice. When William Spiller went back to performing in 1928, Isabele stayed in Harlem and continued to run the school.
Isabele Spiller was highly respected in the community. She helped many young Black people in the city develop their musical talents. She was important for teaching instrumental music in Harlem. She especially encouraged teaching music to groups, just like other school subjects.
Besides running her own school, Spiller was a Director of Music in other places. She worked at the segregated Young Women's Christian Association in Brooklyn. She also worked at the Moorland Young Men's Christian Association in Plainfield, New Jersey. She taught in New York public schools too. From 1929 to 1933, she directed the music department at the Columbus Hill Community Center. This center later became the Harlem Boy's Club. During this time, she won a scholarship to Teachers College, Columbia University. She was the only woman in her graduating class there.
From 1942, Spiller taught music and conducted the orchestra at Wadleigh High School for Girls. Her students remembered her as an excellent teacher and conductor. She also kept them informed about Black cultural events. Wadleigh's was the only evening school orchestra in New York City. In 1952, Spiller took her last teaching job at Harlem Evening School.
Federal Music Project
One of Isabele Spiller's most important contributions was her work with the Federal Music Project. This was a government program that supported artists during the Great Depression. From 1933 to 1941, she supervised instrumental music in New York City.
In this role, Spiller directed eight music centers. She supervised teachers for woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. She managed a staff of eight teachers, including six white men. Ruth Hannas, a director for the Federal Music Project, praised Spiller. She said Isabele was one of the most valuable supervisors. She noted Isabele's excellent teaching skills and her ability to handle difficult situations. It was rare to find a woman leading the woodwind, brass, and percussion programs.
As part of the Federal Music Project, Spiller also worked as a music supervisor for the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Later Years and Legacy
Isabele Spiller retired in 1958 when she was 70 years old. She conducted the orchestra of the Harlem Evening High School for the last time in June 1958. Her retirement was announced in The Juilliard Review.
William Spiller, her husband, had passed away in 1944. Isabele spent her final years living with her sister Bessie. Together, they created a scholarship in memory of their mother. It was called the Mrs. Josephine Outlaw Taliaferro Scholarship. It gave $100 to a student who was outstanding in vocal or instrumental music.
Isabele Taliaferro Spiller died on May 14, 1974, at Harlem Hospital. Her funeral was held at Trumbo's Funeral Chapel. She was buried at Fairlawn Cemetery in New Jersey.
