A FEW WORDS ON MUSIC.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 335, 3 July 1878, Page 4

A FEW WORDS ON MUSIC.

[Communicated to the. Grey Argus]. As iiovr-a-days a piano is to be found in almost every house, and as most of the rising generation are learning to play that instrument, it is a serious question for parents to consider, whether their children are learning to play with anything like correctness, or are only being added to the army of strnmmers whose name is already legion. Music to be of any real use must be taught correctly. Many a child is totally ruined musically by its too fond and anxious parents’' desire to hear a tune ; hon ere we hoar times or apologies for them, when the pupil ought to be at scale practice. No child ought to be allowed to touch the piano until the notes are correctly learned in both cleffs —so far as the earliest lessons extend ; and if it is in any way possible all children should be taken in class at least once a week and taught from the blackboard. One lesson a week in class of half an hour’s duration does move good to the pupil than half a dozen hours spent in drearily going over the ground if the teacher and 'pupil are alone. The results of class teaching are evident in the proficiency attained under the Tonic Sol-Fa system, and it is a notorious fact that amongst the ranks of the singers are to be found better musicians than the players that they have often to rely upon for accompaniments. And why ? Because in class, time is taught.practically, every note receiving its true value, a knowledge of intervals acquired, and—what is essential to every good musician—an acquaintance with the variou smodes of expression that add so much to the beauty of music —whether vocal or instrumental. If parents really desire to have their children taught well, the remedy is in their own hands. lam aware that to what I am about to give utterance will be treated as sheer blasphemy by many, but still it is my impression that more sound players and musicians have been taught by the Logier and Moschclles systems than ever will be by all the exercises that Czerny ever produced. Too much is sacrificed to a false show at present, and tricky passages pages of arpeggios—rapid runs, and noisy rattle, will never make a musician. But careful fingering, correct time, and good reading, will have the effect of bringing even the dullest child into such a condition, that he or she as the case may be, will be if nob a thing of beauty, at least not a positive torture to everyone about.

The hours of practice should be regular, and the teacher, unless in the case of advanced pupils, ought to coniine the lessons to not loss than 30 minutes or more than three quarters of an hour when at the instrument. o IRISH NATIONAL EDUCATION. [From the Irish Times. The Commissioners of National Education seems to bo working their system with greatly increased success every year that passes by. Last year alone they added sixty-seven new schools to their list, thus making a total of 7,411 schools now under their protection and pay. This is' more than pvima facie evidence of the admirable course of State, education which this country enjoys. Conclusive proof of it is found in the number of children who take advantage of the instruction thus placed at their doors. No less than one million thirtytwo thousand children had their names on the rods of the Board last year. We find that daring a given fortnight the average daily a ttendance was 596,400, which shows an increase of nearly 20,000 over the year before, whereas the average of all the year around was little under half a million. The figures are most gratifying. They indicate that within the last twenty years the attendance has nearly doubled, whereas the population has greatly fallen. Indeed, taking the circumstances into account that the people who left the country were those whose children would have been pupils of the National Schools, the proportion of attendance shows that the practical interest taken by the people in the education provided for them has increased perhaps fully threefold during the two last decades. It is fast proving itself of the highest value to the nation. It is appreciated by the people, and is a crushing answer to those who clamour for a more factional scheme in Ireland. It is to the broad general results which the National Education has accomplished that we must look for a test of its value. Yet it is worth while to consider its progress in different districts of the country. It is with some regret for the other provinces that we notice that out of the 7,000 and odd National Schools in Ireland, Ulster possesses very nearly 3,000. Munster has 1,880 ; Leinster, 1,550; Connaught, 1,170. Of the total schools 57 per cent, are mixed schools attended by Catholics and Protestants; and 3,044 schools are reported as attended exclusively by Roman Catholic or Protestant children ; 2,621 exclusively by the former, and 423 by the latter. The total cost of the system for the year was ,£80,685.

The Auckland Herald , briefly reviewing the Piako Swamp purchase, says—'“On Thursday, 13th June, a title was issued to the Piako Land Company, under the Land Transfer Act. Surely we have now heard the last of the Piako Swamp, and of all the uglv and angry aspects which it presented as a field of battle for contending politicians. Henceforward we shall, we hope, only know the swamp as a reclaimed waste, as a place whore grass is caused “ to grow for the'cattle, and herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”