81 In Orchestra Began Music At School

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31678, 14 May 1968, Page 18

81 In Orchestra Began Music At School

All but nine of the 90 girls and boys who have assembled in Christchurch as the 1968 Secondary Schools' National Symphony Orchestra began instrumental instruction in school classes, the national adviser for school music (Mr W. H. Walden-Mills) said yesterday. The players are aged 13 to 17. After the first day’s practice, Mr Walden-Mills said they were undoubtedly the best yet. This, he said, was expected, because instrumental musie in schools was now in full swing. In the first holiday course about eight years ago, Mr Walden-Milli said, there were many violins and one or two woodwind instruments. Today there was no difficulty in getting the full symphony orchestra range—flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet. trombone, tuba, first and second violin, viola, 'cello, bass, and timpani. Young people now had orchestral goals, said Mr Walden-Mills. They could aim first at the Secondary Schools’ National Symphony Orchestra and then at the National Youth Orchestra. Everyone who even aimed at a place would have a competence which would give pleasure for the rest of life.

With the big pool of instrumental players to draw from, were the national schools' and youth orchestras becoming too exclusive to get into? Mr Walden-Mills was asked. This situation was beginning to appear, he said, and at some stage it would probably be necessary and desirable to run regional courses with national selection as the ultimate goal. The big problem, Mr Walden-Mills said, would be

to give regional orchestras real prestige. However, financial considerations alone could provide attraction. For the national schools’ orchestra members had to pay their own travelling expenses but most were billeted in Christchurch. Cost would be lower with regional schemes. The Secondary Schools' National Symphony Orchestra will give a public demonstration concert, free of charge, in the Christchurch Teachers' College hall on Saturday at 10.30 a.m.