PLEA FOR SCHOOL BANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 164, 11 July 1919, Page 2

PLEA FOR SCHOOL BANDS.

(To tlie Editor.) T Sir.—lt was with much pleasure _i read the paragraph in last night's '' st * f re the above. For some years I Jiave held the opinion that every elementary school should have its brass toand™ the boys and a string band for the.giri3j that it should be continuous and s«fi supporting. My reason, then., for writing to you now is because I think the. gentlemen whose names you givo would be a nucleus around which a council « committee could be formed, which woultt be capable of roping in every school Doy and girl. And all the schoolboys and . schoolgirls that may follow. My P IM, ; to put it briefly, would be this: Cova &* t nicate with the chairmen of -t ße . school committees, or the chairman 01 . the combined school committee* and through them with the parent' i of all the children in the scjiook i During the first year teach the children vocally the elements of the tonic soU» I and the old notation music. i that time they would be able to give »■ i few concerts for the purpose of gettin o i\ a sufficient depo-it for the purchase 01 ■ instruments. I think, at any rate, sumi cient sums mic'ut be raised to.start a i ;.band, then each band and the combined • bands could give concerts or entertaia- • ments for raising- more funds until every r boy and girl from the fourth standard ! ! upwards was supplied with an instrU" I 1 ment. At the present time a portion pi > I every morning is taken up with a dr ]U . - I that is meant to produce a military • i spirit; if four-fifths of that was i jriven to instrumental music, v.nat a nne • band each school woiild po=.ie==s in VV course of a couple or three years ; --* va, etc, _!_._ VZXQ& }