TBY Column: A look at the musically talented Mel Gilhaus

Mel Gilhaus was an instrumental music teacher in Cape Girardeau Public Schools from 1964 to 1991. At age 83, he remains an active performer and string instrument repairman in the Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Western Tennessee regions. In 1970, I became one of his students in the boiler room at Alma Schrader Elementary School.

Melvin Gilhaus was born in St. Louis in 1938. He began playing the violin in the 4th grade. The Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary School Orchestra Program was directed at the time by Mildred Huttenmaier.

Mildred was a kindly soul, and Mel continued private lessons during the summer with her. Initially, he played a violin provided by the school, but as he progressed, some friends of his family gave him a much better instrument, which he still owns.

After a short time, Miss Huttenmaier recommended Mel continue lessons with her teacher, Isidore Grossman. Grossman was a member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and played in the first violin section.

Gilhaus studied with Grossman from 5th grade through his sophomore year in college, for approximately 11 years. Under Grossman’s tutelage, Mel acquired a fine classical technique and systematically worked through much of the pedagogical material.

Mel graduated in 1961 from Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo., with a degree in music education. He began his career in Mayview, Mo., in December of that year, and then he went on to Alma, Mo., for two years before moving to Appleton City, Mo., for a year. At each school system, he was in charge of music instruction from kindergarten through grade 12. This included elementary vocal music, junior high and high school vocal music and the band program.

In 1964, during his assignment in Appleton City, he received a call from Bill Ewing, who was the band director at Cape Central High School; the orchestra program at Cape Central was in need of a director who was a string player. Ewing and the administration of Cape Public Schools felt the orchestra program was vital to the music education program in Cape Public Schools; however, Ewing (who was a fine jazz saxophonist) and assistant director Ed Adams (a skilled trombonist) were not comfortable teaching beginning strings.

Gilhaus accepted the position of orchestra director, and in 1964, he, his wife Annabel and son Gary moved to Cape Girardeau. The following year, in 1965, his and Annabel’s daughter Barbara was born. His new job description required him to travel to six elementary schools to teach beginning strings and beginning band students, as well as directing the junior high and high school levels. Additionally, Mel directed musicals, was an announcer for Cape Central athletic events, served as a Drama Club sponsor, and for many years, was a member of Cape Girardeau’s Police Reserve Unit.

In the late 1960s, in an effort to streamline the beginning band and string program, the district elected to start the beginning instrumental program at the 7th grade at Schultz. Up to this point, beginning orchestra and band met at each elementary school two days each week. With this new model, students received instruction five days a week, which meant much faster progress.

Over the years, Gilhaus has been a member of the Memphis, Tenn., Symphony; the Jackson, Tenn., Symphony; the Paducah, Ky., Symphony; the Southeast Missouri Symphony and the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band (on French horn). He’s performed with Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph, Floyd Cramer, Tina Turner, Rich Little, The Four Freshmen, Carl Perkins, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Mark O’Connor, Mannheim Steamroller, Charlie Daniels and the Trans–Siberian Orchestra.

Early in his career, Mel began to repair stringed instruments, as it was a logistical problem to travel to St. Louis to get instruments repaired and receive them back in a timely manner. And so, instrument repair was a skillset he developed quickly. Having always been a tinkerer and mechanically-minded, he learned by watching other repairmen as well as by trial and error to repair cracks, fit bridges and rehair bows.

Gilhaus still performs frequently at Centenary Methodist Church, with the Paducah Symphony and with the Southeast Missouri Symphony. In recent years, his primary focus has become his repair shop. He maintains instruments for orchestral musicians and teachers in the four-state region.