TEACHING THE TEACHERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 230, 22 June 1908, Page 8

TEACHING THE TEACHERS.

SINCINC AND DEEP BREATHING. AN HOUR WITH MR, PARKER. (By Socrates.) " There was an immense waste of energy going on in the ranks of teachers because of the improper use of. their voices. Twentyfive per cent, of the voices of teachers went wrong though ignorance, of the principles of voice production."

The foregoing appears in tho published report—in the "School Music Review"—of a demonstration of school singing which was given at tho Queen's Hall, London, some time ago, by Mr. James Bates (author of "Voice Culture for Children"), Canon Lyttelton, headmaster of Eton College, presiding. The remarks quoted were those of Dr.' Rose, of the British Hoard of Education.

Obviously, a teacher who is unacquainted with at least tho broad elementary principles of voice production cannot hope to achieve success in the teaching of those subjects wherein _ the voicc pays ail important part, for his ignorance of the scientific aspects of voice training will prevent him from exercising such supervision and discipline over the voices of his pupils, as are necessary for the cultivation of sweetness in tone, purity in enunciation, and expressiveness in interpretation. If it be true —and who will deny it? — that no school- subject is so far-reaching in its results, physically, -mentally, and morally, as singing well taught, it is equally'true of it that it probably excels in its capacity for irremediable mischief when badly taught. "Voice-production, as its name implies, is the producing'or making of the voice; the art .of singing or elocution is the playing upon it,"—(Dr. Hulbert, in his "Voice-train-ing in Speech and Song.") These ideas suggest that school music -teaching is really a matter for experts; but as such a consummation in Now Zealand education as the employment of a staff of experts in school singing does not appeal to bo probable, an excellent compromise may be effected by engaging tho services of an expert to teach those who are to teach, and the Wellington Education Board is to bo congratulated upon the fact that such a compromise has been happily achieved by tho engagement of Mr. Robert Parker as instructor in school singing and deep breathing to the public school teachers. Singing classes for toacliors have formerly been conducted by Mr. Parker, .under tho auspices of tho Wellington Education Board, and somo years ago, under the chairmanship of Mr. J. R. Dlair, a special examination in tho art of school music teaching was instituted, the successful candidates heing awarded a certificate of competency. Tho examination was a thoroughly practical one, and it is much to ho regretted that it has since been allowed to lapse, not only because it constituted' an appropriate conclusion to the course of instruction given, but tho certificate awarded has, in consequence, to a certain extent at least lost its value as a recognised asset in a teacher's professional equipment; The writor, with the courteous permission of Mr. Parker, attended tho teachor's singing class at tho Normal College on Saturday, and found every seat in tho large lecture-room occupied. As evidence of tho interest'taken in the instruction, it might be mentioned that tho attendance was representative, not only of the youngor teachers, hut also of experienced members of the profession. As the lesson was the second of the. course of 13, the instruction given touched mainly upon the broader principles of voice "production and deep breathing, exercises in tho correct singing of tho vowel sounds " oo," " o," " au," " aa," " ai," and " ee," being taken, and the whole crystallised by a rehearsal of Sterndalo Bennett's well-known "Dawn,Gqntlo Flower."

During the. course of his lecture, Mr. Parker quoted from an account of similar classes which, bad been instituted in London, regarding which excellent progress had been reported, and described, in detail, tho method of instruction adopted by Doctor Hulbert with a class of fully-fledged masters end mistresses, who showed their appreciation of what was offered them, by sacrificing thenSaturday mornings on the altar of nersoii.il culture. Eagerness to learn was' the hallmark of the good teacher, just as pachydermatousness to new ideas was the sign of tho poor one.