MUSICAL EDUCATION

New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 556, 17 February 1950, Page 13

MUSICAL EDUCATION

A NEW APPROACH TO SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS, by Thomas Fielden; Joseph Williams, London. English price, 1/9. MARKS AND REMARKS-~MUSICAL EXAMINATIONS AND THEIR PROBLEMS, by Thomas Fielden; Joseph Williams, London. English price, 5/-. MUSIC IN LIFE AND EDUCATIONESSAYS AND OUTLINES, by Waiter Carroll; Joseph. Williams, London. English price, 6/- and 7/6. PRACTICAL HARMONY ---A NEW EDI‘TION, by Stewart Macpherson; Joseph Williams, London. English price, 6/6 and 8/6. PRACTICALLY any example of passage writing one might name at random from the entire literature of the piano would be found upon examination to be based on some scale or arpeggio. In his book, A New Approach to Scales and Arpeggios, Thomas Fielden discusses froma thought-provoking angle their practical application to music. under study. The book is in three sections: (1) The cycle of keys; (2) the theory of fingering-one of the most concise and practical discussions of this technical problem that I have seen; ,and (3) exer‘cises in scales and arpeggios-where technical exercises are combined with scale and arpeggio patterns. A New Approach is a most valuable little book, not only for examination students, but also for any performer who wishes to perfect his or her finger dexterity in the least mechanical manner, Marks and Remarks, also by Dr. Fielden, is a new and revised edition of the book originally published some years ago. Although, as he says, the examinations dealt with are those of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, all musical examinations .are conducted under auch the same conditions. The book contains nine chapters which deal in turn with preparation for exam+ inations, scales and arpeggios, reading at sight, aural tests, performance of pieces, impression of musicianship, diploma examinations, the value of examinations, and ends with "some thoughts for. the teacher." Part 1 of Walter Carroll’s Musi¢ in Life and Education consists of a series (continued on next page) —

: BOOKS (continued trom previdtis page) of essays on various aspects of music; Part 2, The Story of Music, is more on the. practical side. It has ten lessons in précis form, each with a suggested programme of illustrations for the teachér, or leader, to démonstraté to the class or group. This section would be a most stimulating guide for a school music class, or adult listening group. Practical Harmony, by Stewart Macpherson, is a hew é@dition of this textbook which most musicians were "brought up on." The subject matter and niusical examples have been considerably augmented,

Bessie

Pollard