Music In School

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 108, 18 July 1941, Page 11

Music In School

"An Experiment in School Music Making." By Vernon Griffiths. N.Z. Council of Education Research. Oxford University Press (Whitcombe and Tombs, New Zealand). TO most of us school music meant a hymn at assembly, the school choir, or a lusty chorus at the annual break-up. In many schools it still means little more. For this reason, Dr. Griffiths’ book will be welcomed by those who believe with him "that music should be a basic activity at least equal in importance to the traditional school subjects." And it is safe to say that the Council for Educational Research could have found no one more competent to write a book of this type, nor anyone who has done more to advance school music in this country. But few who have admired Dr. Griffiths’ work have fully appreciated his method. For a few shillings it may now be studied. This book is the story of an eight years’ experiment at the Dunedin Technical School, and within the limit imposed by a hundred pages, it is unusually comprehensive, ranging from teaching methods to a carefully prepared time-table of class work. ‘Not the least informative part of the ‘book is the catalogue of music available to the students. Most of the works are by established composers, but those who

question the inclusion of Eric Coates and Edward German will find their answer on page 75. "The practical teacher re« tains the enthusiasm of young people giving them good examples of the musie they genuinely like (suited, of course, to their technical standard)." When Dr. Griffiths undertook this ex« periment, there were hardly more than a dozen orchestral players out of a school of eight hundred. A month later, "sixty students had enrolled in instrumental classes, fifty-two pounds’ worth of seconde hand woodwind and brass instruments had been bought, members of violin classes had their own violins, instruction books had been obtained, the services of visiting instructors had been secured, and a regular time-table was in operation." To-day, the Dunedin Technical School boasts several large orchestral and choral groups, and a military band. But, equally important, the school. is playing a part in training students in a country that needs orchestral musicians and sadly lacks good woodwind players. It is encouraging to note, too, that the bandmaster of the Otago Regimental Military Band has not only tutored the brass and woodwind pupils, but has taken many of the boys into his band as junior members while they are still at school.