MUSIC IN SCHOOLS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 June 1929, Page 7

MUSIC IN SCHOOLS

CHEAT ADVANCE MADE. \\ ELLINGTON, Juno 15. A fill illniury ol Lilt* progress or sciiuol inusic: in Now Zenliiml sumo liis ap--4.0i 11 1 moil i as tii roe tor ol music in •sdiuols tii roe years ago was made by Mr i-;. jjoiigla.,«i Taylor on the eve oi ■us dojiartii.o to represent tile Education Dv.part...eut at the first AngloAmerican .uusic Conference in Lan.a n ne.

Pointing out that the musical training of ilie students in the lour training colleges had' been recognised, Mi layler said that this was the key to • **c sitna.ion. “in each college” he said, “we have now a highly qualified tvhoie-ti.ne lecturer in music in pmc> of the. part-time instruction previously given. In Auckland and Christchurcli where this was first done, the results have already been felt far and wide. At Wellington aiftl Dunedin there ha.-, scarcely been time for this to take place. At each college, too, a mini oer of students are specialising ii. school music, and at Auckland sonic of these are working regular y in outside schools under the supervision ol ihe lecturer.”

Another important step had been the issuing of an official handbook of musical instiirction entitled “A Scheme o School Music Related to Human Life.’' compiled by Mr Tayler. A copy o this had been sent to each school, and me revised syllabus required that it should be put into operation as far as local circumstances permitted. The scheme was of a very comprehensive nature,

“School music nowadays,” said Mi Tayler, “is" much wider in scope that the mere teaching of songs, The chile lias to be encouraged to invent hi. own music, and a.ready this is being done in a large number of schools Jhe development of the child’s fee.' mg for time and rhythm, should be accomplished through the inierprc Lation m bodily action of the move neni I'ejt in the music. We have a, present only three certificated teacher.* of Dalcroze euryihmics in the whole iAniiiinion—Miss Whistler at Auck land, Miss jihssell in Wellington, am Mrs Kane in Christchurch; but in tlu district every school teache. is required to take eurythmics as par of the regular training. I wouli, like to see every boy and girl in tin Dominion enrolled in eurytlnnic class es. Its elements are applicable to th tiniest children, and its advances form will engage the interest and ta Uie powers of the'cleverest among u> , nd arc beautiful in the extVeme. j s one of the greatest arts of the pit sent future time. It has been foun .ossible to introduce a certain amoun jf cmi rythmic teaching into the train .ng coheges and schools already, i; ukiition to rythmical movement.” Ear-training formed the basis o ! musical training. The whole of musi was apprehended through the ear, an* “learning to listen,” was the meant by which all the greatest treasures c nnsic became available. The perforr ir, too, could only perfect his ai lirough listening to himself. All tlii •mild he made intensely interesting 1 die child from the “listening games' if the infant room to the critical an ilvsis of orchestral tones' and musics •'onus by the advanced student. “In approaching music from tl human standpoint,” said Mr Taylei “it should he correlated with history geography, and literature. This i orovided for in the ‘Scheme of Schoc Music*,’ where the music of differem ■ountries and periods is tabulated t* ■ether with musical settings of wel known poetry and music associate with historical events. Much of thi **an be sung by the classes, the rt“ being played on the gramophone.” Mr Tayler said that progress wa also being made in the formation r ■school bands and orchestras from per '.ussion hands in the infant room 1 lirough mouth-organ and flute band, ip to such combinations as the Alban; Street School Brass Band in Dunedii ind the excellent orchestra from thdLawera schools. In high schools am .ethnical schools, whene many of tin ,oy’s voices were breaking, tlie orches ji*a was especially valuable in main aining musical activity and interest Perhaps the most remarkable thin; ■f ail had been a movement recent., nauguarted in Christchurcli tlirougi ...e enterprise of Mr T. Vernon Grin. .lis, tlie draining College lecturer n .nnsic. Mr Gr.iuiths had conceived tin. .clea of working for a children’s festi/al to Ins held at toe end of the year i.ud with the assistance of private .outliers he had established a aerie; ,»f special classes for children on Saturdays. As the result ol this sunn xX) children were now studying the piano, violin, clarinet, brass instruments, foln dancing, musical appreiation, orchestral playing, and choral .voi-ii. The festival would be non-com-

petitive

'Hiis was the spirit in which music* Jmtild he approached, and Mr Tayler arid he would like to see all our present competition festivals converted .nto co-operative festivals. “We do not want the strong to defeat the weak,” lie declared, but to work with them and help them on. 1 am aware that many will claim that the strong help the weak in competition by setting a higher standard and spurring them to greater efforts. This may bo so in some eases, but as the world is learning in every branch of activity that co-operation is better than competition, so we shall learn it in art also, where surely we should ho led only by the call of the ideal.” Other music d activities referred to included the f* filiation of refresher copvses in school music, of which Mr

■ ykr has himself conducted three or lour each year. He has on.y made personal visits to over 203 schools and given countless leecuros and addresses io every kind of gathering and society all over the Dominion.

“The whole attitude of the country towards musical and cultural education generally is undergoing a change” said .Mr Tayler. “We aie beginning to see that most of our attention has hitherto been diioeted towards keeping ourselves alive and not nearly enough towards those things that make life worth living. J want to see a great federation of amateur arts associations springing up, where people can meet together for social enjoyment in the study and practice of amateur art of every description. At present too much of our art is made foils professionally in proportion to what we do and can do for ourselves. We my disproportionale salaries to ‘movie •stars’ and others to do for us what we should he doing ourselves, but so mngry are we for art that we spend normous sums upon it cheerfully in the way of second-hand entertninent. it is time we devoted much ore of this expenditure to developing he artistic skill of the children and then providing for them these amateur ocieties in which they can And scope md delight afterwards. At present mr amateur societies are often isolat'd, struggling for support—even cuting one another’s throats unintentionally. Here, too, we need co-opera-tion, amalgamation, and common interests.”