New Paths In School Music

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 226, 22 October 1943, Page 16

New Paths In School Music

(Written for "The Listener" by

R. E.

McLAY

the buildings of the Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College any school afternoon; our curiosity would be aroused by the concatenation of musical sounds proceeding from various rooms and from a variety of orchestral instruments. If this curiosity impels you inside, choose a Monday because this is a particularly busy afternoon in this Factory of Music. In one room a violoncello class, in three or four other rooms violin groups, in still another place a brass band group, and so on. Of the 340 day-pupils, at least a third learn to play one of the normal instruments of a symphonic orchestraviolin, ‘cello; flute, oboe, clarinet; cornet (or trumpet), horn, baritone, euphonium, trombone, tuba; percussion instruments. Third violins act as violas and e ‘3 you were to take a walk round

second ’cellos as string basses. As yet there are no bassoons but otherwise no orchestral instrument is neglected. On his first day at school a new pupil is handed a questionnaire-does he wish to join a group class? If so, what instrument does he choose? And so on, From the questionnaire, the Director of Music is able to organise the classes for the year and get the assistance of a suitable number of part-time professional teachers. Up to one hundred new boys and girls join the classes each year. In 1942, for example, there were more than 50 beginner violinists.

And what of instruments and who pays for them? Yes, that is a huge problem but not insuperable. Over the course of a few years, the College has acquired a large number of instruments, dozens of music stands, and a large quantity of orchestral and band music. Violinists purchase their own instruments (when they leave school they still have them, and can continue their music studies without interruption). Other instrumentalists have the use of a school instrument, except for the few cases where a pupil already owns an instrument. No charge is made for school

instruments on loan to pupils; in fact all tuition and music’s free, too, and the only fee charged is one of three shillings per pupil at the beginning of each year. Group Methods Instruction is by group methods which have proved eminently successful in the hands of good teachers. The spirit of (Continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) emulation is largely responsible for the success-the slow boy wants to do as well as his smarter neighbour; the quick boy is anxious to outstrip his fellows; and there is an absence of that shyness and self-consciousness that an individual pupil may have toward his teacher. Groups comprise from, say, four to perhaps 15 pupils, according to the nature of the class-the smaller the better, of course. Each group gets two half-hour or hour lessons a week from a professional music teacher, and most | groups get at least a daily half-hour. under’ the control of a member of the full-time staff. Each instrumentalist gets about an hour a week in the normal school hours for music, while the rest of the time is found before school, . at lunch times, or after school. Within a year most pupils are able to join the senior orchestra or military band, playing simplified parts. The drudgery so often associated with music practically disappears, and there are very few who would miss a music period except for the most urgent reasons. In the College there is a day-school orchestra, a string orchestra, a special instrumental group for advanced players (Chamber Music) and a Military Band. And most important body is the Evening School (Senior) Orchestra-a large symphonic orchestra of about 80 players, and it meets every Friday night. It does work of an amazingly good standard. Some Professional Criticism I cannot honestly say that outside professional musicians have evinced much interest in our work. I know there are those who belittle this "mass music," as they call it. I doubt if such critics realise the happiness and pleasure that is being given to hundreds of boys and girls’ who, but for these "new paths in school music," would have gone through their lives ignorant of a single note of music and unacquainted with the mysteries of musical instruments. And it is not irrelevant to point out that dozens of our pupils go on to private tuition either while at school or when they leave it. Thus it would be quite untrue for professional teachers to maintain that their livelihood is adversely affected by class music. Choral work has a prominent place in the College music. The Girls’ Massed Choir of 160 voices does fine work in unison and part songs, often with orchestral accompaniment. A girls’ Special Choir (60 voices) does more advanced part work, while a boys’ Choir with 50 basses does work with these same girls to the extent of four-part singing — certainly an achievement in_ school music. Classes also exist for instruction in the theory of music. Through the school music comes musical appreciation "par excellence." Nothing trashy, "swingy" or "jazzy" is allowed a place. A glance at the programme of the Annual Concert recently presented by the College Musical Societies to some 2,000 people will show some of the great names of musical history iguring there --Haydn, Schubert, Handel, Beethoven, Tchaikovski and Elgar. , In’ all, some 300 , young musicians from the one school (ages 12 to 18 years) perform to give pleasure #to others, to prove that their school is making good provision for cultural training, and to show that they have, in practical musicmaking, at least one good way of employing leisure hours.