Throughout the 1940s and 50s, Alkire marketed his music instruments and instructional methods together. His most frequent customers were public school band and orchestra directors who often established guitar ensembles as part of their music programs. Students at the John G. Shornack Conservatory of Music in Toledo played on no fewer than three different models of Alkire’s EHarp. The music students in Dallas learned Alkire’s method from his former student, Luke Morris. As these images illustrate, unlike the correspondence courses of the 1920s, Alkire developed his instructional methodology for young students, rather than adults already familiar with the guitar.
Alkire was a lifelong educator. He was a frequent participant at the annual national convention of the American Guild of Mandolins, Banjos, and Guitars. During these conventions, he frequently gave performance demonstrations of his EHarp and lectures on his teaching methods to help sell his instruments and books to the music teachers who attended these conferences. Alkire often met renowned performers and music teachers at these National Conventions, including Letritia Kandle, whom he met at the 1943 and 1944 conventions. He eventually received a lifetime achievement award for his work with the Guild in 1961.
