MUSIC TEACHERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 23, 27 January 1940, Page 9

MUSIC TEACHERS

HELPFUL ADDRESSES

"Music teachers, to accomplish inspiring work, must hay a true conception of the vital factor that music is in education. We must all believe that music is a magic in its intellectual strength—vitally necessary to human beings as a language of expression," declared - Miss Valeric 'Corliss,, A.R.A.M;, when addressing theY; music teachers' conference which is /being held in Wellington. She was speaking on the co-operation . between teacher and student, and in order-to illustrate her points in a practical manner members of'her class were present. She referred illuminatirigly to the many absorbing musical activities in which the pianoforte student may participate in class and stressed the vitalising effect of mental rivalry and the stimulation afforded by listening, performance, and constructive criticism resulting from: co-operative work as compared with individual instruction only. The audience followed with interest the unfolding of a musical and educational plan in such class procedure and appreciated the fact that the lecturer dwelt in particular, on points of practicable and constructive interest.

Miss Corliss said that one of the chief aims of the class such as she had been discussing was to help to create a desire for new discovery on the part of the student, for: greater power of expression, for fuller knowledge and better equipment, and for enlightenment regarding music as a language of spiritual and emotional expression. . Another interesting and valuable paper was that by Dr. A. Fieldhouse, Christchurch, the title of it being "Some Experiments in the Psychology of Music." , Speaking on' some causes of premature voice failure, Mr. Stanley Oliver said that there could be no more dangerous practice from the vocal point of view than singing above, the natural range of the voice. "That peculiar quality which sounds like a mild attack »of laryngitis ' which some girls' voices produce at about the age of nineteen is almost always the outcome of straining to reach high notes in the early teens. There are very few people who cannot sing with beauty and expression;- if they do not try to overreach their own natural vocal capabilities," he said. The conference concludes today with a visit to the 2YA studios.