SCHOOL MUSIC

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1930, Page 3

SCHOOL MUSIC

USE IN EDUCATION. MR DOUGLAS TAYLER’S TOUR ABROAD. WELLINGTON, January 23. “The predominating feature of all our musical education up to the last ten years has been the training of children to perform and we have neglected the listening side of music almost entirely,” said Mr E. Douglas Tayler, Supervisor of Music in Schools who returned to his duties in Wellington to-dav after a visit to Great Bri tain and the Continent, which included attending the Anglo-American Musical Conference. “In the last ten years there has been a great change, largely due to the development of the gramophone and radio, and now we are making up for lost time by listening tremendously. Later on we shall strike the balance.”

Musical appreciation in England, said Mr Tayler, had increased in the last ten years. Instrumental teaching in classes .was being'developed rapidly and in many of the schools there were fine orchestras of juvenile instrumenta lists. The striking value of music as an aid to giving self-control to sub-nor-mal children had been proved to Mr Tayler when he visited one of the largest schools for mental defectives in London, where the children were only a grade above asylum level. The results had been very much above the average where music was less used. Amongst l.hese children were those without full control of their limbs. First they were trained to respond to the beating of a drum, and later on to rhythmic piano music and the control of muscle achieved by themselves gave results which allowed the teacher gradually to introduce control of mind. This combination of music and eurth.vthmics had resulted in 87 per cent, of the children being made employable and 25 per cent were enabled to continue their education at normal schools. None of the similar schools where less attention to music was paid could approach these results.

The question of the competitve element in music was discussed at the Anglo-American, conference. Some of the musical festivals in England were now being run on a non-competitive basis, said Mr Tayler, with the object of eliminating money prizes, and concentrating or combined work. : The Wellington Amateur And Literary Association, which started a year ago with sime fifteen members had increased its membership out of all proportion to its commencement. “I want to see Associations of that kind grow up all over the country to form a big federation,” said Mr Tayler, “which could undertake the serious work without which the associations would languish. Quitee a lot of artistic- work is being done by the W.E.A. and the Y.W.C.A. and women’s institutes, but two of these interest women only, and the W.E.A. deals- chiefly in lectures. Such a federation as suggested above might have a teacher who could travel periodically, and annual festivals on a non-competitive basis would increase the interest and pleasure of membership. In America, it was stated at the conference, working people subscribed no less than 100,000000 dollars annually for the support of music and musical foundations.”

Radio was performing an invaluable service in creating a wider appreciation of good music, said Mr Tayler. The new orchestra organised by the British Broadcasting Coporation was one of the very finest he had ever heard. At the Davis Theatre, in Croydon which was said to be the latest in pictures theatres in England, interlude music was supplied by an orchestra with marvellous lighting effects, while the progress of the film was carried out either by orchestral music or supplying its own music accompaniments and effects. From this it appeared as though the picture theatres of the future would have both orchestras and “talkie” music. A.s an example of what could be done in the way of music in schools Mr Tayler saw the boys at Edmonton School do Mozart’s Opera “The Magic Flue,” a tremondously difficult work for Council schoolboys, none of whom had any special training.