THE AUCKLAND MUSICIANS' INSTITUTE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1815, 30 July 1913, Page 11

THE AUCKLAND MUSICIANS' INSTITUTE.

Sir,—Singers, speakers, and teachers suffer at tunes from failure of the voice. Clergyman's soro throat is common; 6ingers suddenly .'low their singing voice; Gild teachers break down. Gciierall.v speaking- theso failures are occasioned by the undoubtedly faulty methods of trainins tho voieo practised by too many inca pablo music teachers. How little tlieso people understand of their profession is evident in tho many sa<l cases of ruined voices which come under the notice of iho liirvngologist. "Teacher of Voice Production" is a common Advertisement, but do teacher can' producc voice, such" voice as Nature' has endowed us with may be, and .should ts, 'scientifically cultivated, » that it may bo used to tho best advantage. Scientific- voice culture, elocution, and singing, have not been properly taught in the primary schools, nor accorded the attention they deserve in tho curriculum, indeed tho present system of teachingsinging in public schools is having an injurious effect on children's voices,.likely to prove a permanent injury to them in after life. And the school teachers themselves suffer because their voices havo not been scientifically trained; school teachers who havo beon long in tho service, are aware of this. A great English authority, who has given more than Itvcnty years' continuous study to a scientific method o£ voice culture, 'anil who at the time of speaking was training classes of teachers to the number of 500 a wdek, hos said: "Practical experience has proved beyond doubt that there is. a scientific basis which, if. applied skilfully to voice training, enables the voice to withstand work, and, what is just ns important, enables that voico to do its work in tho most efficient manner. The voice of the teacher is intimately connected with the-brain of tho teacher and there is nothing that has a more beneficial effect upon the condition of tho brain than scientific voice culture." Voice culture means (a) exercises by means of which the vocal apparatus is placed in its proper position, or register, us soprano,-contralto, tenor, or bass, and the whole of it made flexible; the muscles of tho abdomen, tho chest, the larynx, the mouth and nose, ctc., arc strengthened, so that perfect control of tho breath is obtained; (b) tho speaking or singing voice is trained so that in reqding, singing, l or teaching, the words uiro distinct and audible; the meaning is clear, and the sentiment will expressed. The importance of music ns an instrument of education has long been realised by educationists in tho older countries, it is admitted that there is no subject of greater educatioual value, and that it should be taught- on lines analogous to the teaching of language. Vocal music is a natural emotional language, and until a child has learned to sing his emotional nature is necessarily undeveloped; to teach a child to 6ing is' to endow him with a new sense and a new power, both rich in the potency of otherwise unobtainable joy. x Of all civilised peoples New Zealand is the only one whose educational authorities have not given tliis subject the attention it merits. - The only Notional Musical Association in tho Dominion is the Society of Musicians, which, so far, has done nothing to servo the publio in this respect. It is therefore hoped, sir, that the appeal herewith being made by tho Auckland Musicians' Institute, as sot forth in tho accompanying prospectus, may receive the powerful support of The Dominion, and of all educationists interested in. musical progress, and in raising "the intellectual standard of education.— We arc, Sir, gratefully yours, WILLIAM EDWIN THOMAS, Mus. Doc., Oton. HENRY GILLEECE DUTTON, F.R.C.0., London. SEYMOUR KENNETH PHILLIPS. Mus. Bac., L.K.A.M., A.R.C.0., London. CHARLES'ALBIJRT YOUNG, Hon. Sec- • retary (pro/tem,). " <