Primary Schools' Music Festival Ends

Press, Volume C, Issue 29637, 6 October 1961, Page 15

Primary Schools ' Music Festival Ends

The Primary Schools’ Musical Festival ended last evening in the Civic Theatre when pupils from the Aranui, Beckenham, Burnside, Hornby, Northcote, Papanui Templeton, Thorrington, and Waltham schools provided the singing and the instrumental items.

For seven evenings children from the Christchurch schools have performed in this festival, and such a large number of concerts shows how the work of the festival has been enlarged over the last few years. More and more schools are taking part and it is gratifying to ndte that as the net is thrown more widely the quality of the catch is steadily improving. The music is worth while and interesting. It would- need to be when some persons hear it every evening. The standard of singing, both tonally and in keeping good intonation, has improved immeasurably. This reflects most favourably on all concerned with the festival. Particular credit must be given to those teachers in the schools who have, through the last months, trained the children through the various stages—and the early stages require so much hard work and immense patience—until the children could assemble in massed choirs to do such excellent work. Mr K. Newson has, in his final rehearsals with the choirs, taught the children to sing with unity of tonal quality and unanimity in rhythmic precision and ,in expressive response. This has been so faithfully done that there has been very little varying erf standards between the work of one evening’s choir and the next.

His two accompanists, Mr C. Martin and Mr G. Mathieson, have contributed much to the success of the festival by their vital playing and by their sensitive musicianiship.

All the many meticulous details of business arrangements’ seem to have been carried out in. excellent fashion, for the concerts have all gone through with the smoothest efficiency. All concerned in this essential work deserve congratulations. It must be remembered that this work has been done by persons who have had day-to-day' responsibilities as teachers' or headmasters in their various schools.

Those who have trained the small choral and instrumental groups and have had only fleeting moments in the limelight can also feel that the improvement in this part of the festival activities has been a marked .one ; It is particularly pleasing* to note the improvement in the standard of accompaniment playing and his has been a help to the children. The children taking part in this concert did a very good job indeed. In the work contributed by individual schools there was some splendid singing and adventurous and interesting instrumental playing. The massed choir produced rousing tone of pleasing quality, and the singing had strong rhythmic vitality. “The Cuckoo Cries” had a joyous and springtime freshness, and there was good balance between air and descant in “Old King Cole,” The American folksongs again proved to be popular numbers and were sung with verve. Throughout the concert the enunciation of words was distinct, and in expression and phrasing the work showed careful preparation and an alert response in presentation. ; '

These festival concerts show how urgently we need a large and well-equipped concert hall. ; ■—C.F.B.