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GENERAL. School Music. The Supervisor of Musical Education reports that there is abundant evidence everywhere of a growing interest in the importance of musical and cultural education generally. Schools continue to avail themselves freely of the special arrangements made by the Department for the supply of pianos, gramophones, and records. During the year there were supplied to schools under this scheme 155 pianos, 213 gramophones, and many hundreds of records. The Supervisor of Musical Education made personal visits during the year to over fifty schools, and in addition gave many addresses and demonstrations to gatherings of teachers, to societies, and to the general public. A feature of the school-music pages of the Education Gazette has been the publication month by month of songs, many of which were composed by school-children and teachers. Each of the four training colleges has now a full-time lecturer in music on the staff, and the instruction in music at these institutions has been completely reorganized and placed on a satisfactory footing. Annual Examinations. The annual examinations conducted by the Department are as follows : (1) An examination to determine the grant of Junior Scholarships and junior free places, held in November ; (2) a main series consisting of Public Service Entrance, Senior National Scholarship, and Intermediate Examinations ; (3) an August series for teachers' certificates of Classes D and C and Handicraft, and incidentally to some extent of Class B ; (4) Technological examinations, and examinations for elementary kindergarten certificates. The examinations were held at seventy-five centres in 1928. The total number of entries for all examinations was 8,630, of which number 8,197 candidates actually presented themselves for examination. 5,222 candidates were exempted from the necessity of passing the Intermediate Examination, due to the accrediting principle by which candidates for senior free places may be exempted from an external examination. The number of candidates actually presenting themselves for the various examinations during the last three years is shown below : —

It will be noted from the above figures that there was a considerable decrease in the number of candidates presented for Junior National Scholarships in 1928 as compared with the number presented in ] 927. This is due to the amended regulations governing Junior National Scholarships, which reduced the age of entry from fourteen years to thirteen years. Of the 1,313 candidates for Junior National Scholarships in 1928, 165 obtained the scholarship qualification, 757 qualified for a free place in the scholarship examination, and 556 failed. There were also 143 candidates for free places only, of whom 15 qualified and 128 failed. Of the 1,047 candidates for Senior National Scholarships 138 gained scholarships, 695 qualified for senior free places, and 352 failed.

I 1926. | 1927. | 1928. Junior National Scholarships and junior free places .. .. .. 2,775 2,791 1,456 Public Service Entrance, Senior National Scholarships, and Intermediate 4,759 4,386 4,570 Teachers D and C .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,689 2,384 2,086 Kindergarten Certificate Examination .. .. . . . . 4 10 14 Special Public Service Entrance Examination in July-August .. .. 219 .. 1 London University Examinations . . . . . . . . • .. 2 1 Handicraft Teachers' Certificate . . . . . . .. . . ; 13 13 17 Technological examinations .. .. . . . . . . . . .. 51 Naval Cadetships .. .. . . .. .. . . .. • .. 2 Totals .. .. .. .. .. .. 10,461 ' 9,585 8,197