MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21197, 22 June 1934, Page 10

MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS

PROGRESS AND NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS REPORT OF CANTERBURY INSPECTORS New Zealand schools have often been criticised for their neglect of musical and singing training—in "The Press" a few weeks ago Dr. J. C. Bradshaw said that the imperfect training of New Zealand singers had its roots in the schools —but the inspectors in the Canterbury education district are at least alive to the situation. In their annual report to the board for the year 1933 they suggest improvements in music and singing classes i and advocate the encouragement of school music festi- ] vals. i "The quality of singing instruction varies not so much with the size of the school as with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the teacher for his subject," states the report. "Some teachers, mainly because they lack confidence, do not take up the subjecTas whole-heartedly as might reasonably be expected, and are too ready to realise their limitations for teaching music. If the objective in the primary school is to teach children to sing we can report a fair amount of success. The morning song period in conjunction with the morning talk is now an established practice among the opening exercises of nearly every school. Voice production exercises are regularly conducted, though too often these are more or less isolated with a lack of cohesion between them and their objective, the development of a fine singing voice. It cannot be emphasised too much that soft, unforced singing should always be the rule in school songs. "Musical appreciation lessons are now featured much more extensively than formerly. Such lessons need not be elaborate. There is wealth of musical and emotional appreciation in the understanding of, say, a popular national song like 'John Peel.' Sight Reading "A disappointing feature is the slow progress made in sight reading from staff notation. While the mechanism of music is not the chief aim, we feel that the instruction, in the larger schools particularly, is not as enterprising as it should be. It is not too much to ask that there should be a steady advance in music culture, especially in ability to read from sight, from class to class. Too often we find the same lesson being given in Form 11. as in Standard I. Continuity and progression in the instruction should be planned from class to class and there seems no good reason why a child after four or five years of continuous (training should not be a fairly proficient sight singer. "In these days of 'mechanised' music of the broadcast, with its attendant eclipse of old time 'parlour' music and song, we suggest to the teachers the encouragement of school music festivals. Groups qf schools throughout the province enthusiastically organise and foster their competitive sports meetings. Whv not also an annual music week 'vhorever n-fc-tjcabl?? Zes» and interest would be &mnly repaid by the educational and cultural values derived* from these inter-school efforts."