MUSIC IN ADULT EDUCATION

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27302, 19 March 1954, Page 13

MUSIC IN ADULT EDUCATION

STUDY OF BRITISH SYSTEM

CANTERBURY TUTOR’S IMPRESSIONS

Mr L. G. Peach, music tutor in the adult education department of Canterbury University College, returned this week from refresher leave during which he and his wife, who is lecturer in music at Canterbury College, visited Australia/South Africa, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and Britain. Besides music in adult education, Mr Peach studied music in industry, and investigated the availability of both music and instruments for amateur groups. After visiting the Universities of Sydney, Melbourne and Western Australia, Mr and Mrs Peach went to Cape Town. The University of South Africa had opened an adult education department only 18 months ago, and was interested in developments in New Zealand, Mr Peach said. •To gain a background to the traditions of music, Mr and Mrs Feach next travelled through Europe. The settings prompting many well-known compositions enhanced understanding, he said. In the Wagner Museum at Tribschen, Switzerland, he saw the composer’s instruments, manuscripts, and furniture. In Venice, a military band of 80 playing in the open air had an audience of more than 2000.

The whole range of the London County Council’s schools was inspected by Mr Peach—from an infant school to Morley College, the City Literary Institute (an adult education centre) and Toynbee Hall, started in the East End by Oxford and Cambridge Universities for the benefit of working people. With much of his rurql work done among women’s groups, Mr Peach considered it fortunate that his visit to Oxford coincided wif i the week’s music school held at Denman College, the residential hall of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, which has 8000 branches and 500,000 members. There were courses in choral and instrumental work, conducting, and musical appreciation. The institutes had a musical panel of five drawn from various parts of Britain. Sir Ernest Bullock, principal of the Royal College of Music, typified the standing of those serving, Mr Peach said. An interesting innovation was seen at Bottisham, Cambridge, where a college serving post-primary children was devoted to adult education in the evenings. Forms of Musical Activity Mr Peach examined three forms of musical activity in British adult education. Some universities had an extra-mural department associated with the Workers’ Educational Association and operating under Government grant, but their courses were mainly theoretical, he said. The standard was high. One group at Birmingham heard a lecture by Dr, Hans Redlich, of Vienna, on Schoenberg, which would probably be solid fare for a comparable audience in New Zealand. A Rural Music Schools’ Association was doing valuable work on a county basis, said Mr Peach. In -other areas, different organisations provided music for the community by orchestral and other concerts. Mr Teach said he had made a special note of what was done for the community by the musical profession,. by Government-sponsored institutions, and by voluntary organisations, and also of the types of people attending. In Wales, the University Council of Music at Cardiff gave a splendid' stimulus to musical activity, Mr Peach said. The youth orchestra movement was thriving, with musical advisers going into the schools for one hour a week. Mr Peach said he saw children from seven to 10 handling instruments expertly. At the end of each year, the most promising pupils from all

over Wales were assembled for a 10day school. . In Scotland the musical courses of the universities were overflowing into the evening schools. Mr ’ Peach said. Since World War 11, people in Britain seemed to be preferring music and music-making where formerly they supported courses on, say, literature or economics. One of the highlights of the tour was attending a rehearsal of the Halle Choir and Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli for the memorial concert to the late Kathleen Ferrier, said Mr Peach.