COMMUNITY SINGING

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 223, 8 June 1923, Page 8

COMMUNITY SINGING

MEETING OF COMMITTEE

SINGING INSTRUCTOR FOR SCHOOLS ADVOCATED

The Community Singing Committee met last night. There were present: Messrs. C. E. Webb (chairman), W. E. Caldow, J. E. Perry, S. G. Hamerten, O. Proctor, E. Palliser, M. Mays, and A. L. Wilson.

The song book committee reported a satisfactory sale of books. Nearly 2000 had already been sold in Wellington. It was reported that tho committee had a credit balance at the bank of £ll2 Ils. 3d., but it was stated that although the finances were on a fairly sound footing there could lie no occasion for undue expenditure. It was decided, on the suggestion of Mr. Caldow, to hold a sing at the Town Hall on the evening of July 18. Mr. Palliser said that it had been found that the public schools had not taken sufficient interest in the school choral singing To help them the Musical Competition Committee had presented a shield. He advocated a subsidy on the salary of a singing master to take control of and instruct all the schools in the Wellington district. The Competition Committee, which was willing to donate £25 towards the purpose, felt that other musical bodies should co-operate with it. Mr. Palliser thought that the Communty Singing Committee should give £25 a year for the next three years. He considered that the singing at present taught in schools was a calamity, but that was in no way due to the teachers, but simply that they were not trained to it. A singing instructor could get all the teachers together and instruct them in principles, and this could bo followed by periodica, visits to the schools. He thought the Government could be persuaded to contribute something if the various musical bodies could present some practicable scheme. , Mr. Wilson considered the suggestion one of the most important, that had ever coma before the comimttee, and called for the serious consideration, of all who had the interests of singing at heart. Mr. Webb regretted that singing in schools had dropped down, to what it was, and he was of cpimon that; no proposal before the comtniires equalled in merit that made by Mr. P& lt was agreed to co-operate with the Competition Society by raising the sum of £75 by special collections, to be donated to the Wellington Education Board as a subsidy towards the salary of a music master to organise, singing in all schools under the jurisdiction of the board, conditional cn the board making a grant for the same purpose.