Educational Institute.

Otago Witness, Issue 1765, 19 September 1885, Page 4 (Supplement)

Educational Institute.

The usual meeting of the Dunedin branch of the Otago Educational Institute was held in the hall of the Young Men's Christian Association on Saturday morning, Mr T. B. Jeffreys in the chair.

The Education Board sent a circular asking for suggestions from the branch as to suitable classbooks for the public schools. A committee after a short discussion, was elected to consider tlie matter.

Mr Milne was appointed representative of the branch on tLe institute's committee of management.

Mr Austing read an interesting and instructive paper on " The Tonic sol-fa method of singing, and its adaptability to the teaching of singing in public schools." The author gave a short account of the origin of the system, showing how its popularity gradually spread throughout different countries, 'especially in _ Great Britain and America, where various eminent musicians bore testimony to the excellence of the system in the leading journals. The educational authorities of New South Wales were also greatly in favour of it, while in New Zealand there was every opening for it, as the question of notation was left to the teacher, who, so long as he showed any satisfactory results, was left perfectly untramelled as to text-books and method of procedure. After the reading of the paper, which \ias received with much applause, Mr Ferguson's pupils of the Albany street school had some severe tests at singing from sight submitted to them. They passed through them without a mistake, Mr Austing complimenting Mr Ferguson on the high state of excellence at which his pupils had arrived. A hearty vote of thanks to Messrs Austing and Ferguson, also to the pupils of the lastnamed gentleman, brought the proceedings to a conclusion.