a total of 30 bands were examined. With effect from 1 April 1939, the act on the membership of wandering musicians was repealed by the Reichsmusikkammer as their activities were "not considered to be promoting musical culture". With that, the era of travelling musicians from the West Palatinate came to an end. Musicians Training The repertoire of the bands required the individual musician to be able to play several instruments; as a rule, one had to master not only a wind instrument but also a string instrument. There were no music schools in the Palatinate, but Jettenbach pastor, Schowalter, tried in vain before the First World War to form one politically. A musical apprenticeship was similar to that of a craftsman: the apprentice was taught for several years by a master, an experienced touring musician. The best known teachers were Ludwig Christmann from Kaulbach, Jakob and August Rech from Etschberg and Ludwig Jakob from Mackenbach, who was also called "Gorlhauser Lui" because he grew up in Godelhausen. Training began while a boy was still at school, the pupil had to attend music lessons several times a week. The first journey for the young musicians - called "Easter boys" because they had just been released from school at Easter - often took place with their father or a close relative. This prevented homesickness, but also prevented young people from falling into the hands of unscrupulous bandmasters who only exploited them. With the first trip, the actual training period of the musicians began. For two to three years, the young musicians were usually only allowed to play accompanying roles, which they called abstoßen ("detached") or abknuppen. The leader would decide whether someone was talented enough to become a soloist or whether he had to remain in the background as an accompanying musician. Many musicians gave up quickly when they found a more suitable place to work, and only went on a few trips. The most talented musicians took further lessons with good teachers of their instrument, often abroad, at every opportunity. A further training opportunity offered itself during the military era. A regimental musician was not only able to improve the mastery of his instrument, but also gained an insight into a wider range of music and the possibilities for its arrangement. This proved useful for the later time as a touring musician in selecting and interpreting the pieces. Hubertus Kilian from