CRITICISM AND ADVICE

Evening Star, Issue 23123, 24 November 1938, Page 5

CRITICISM AND ADVICE

TRINITY COLLEGE EXAMINER SPEAKS ADDRESS TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS “ Since I was last here in 1934 I have noticed a tremendous improvement in musical appreciation in this country. I don’t know why this should be, but there certainly is an improvement,” said Dr James Lyon, examiner for Trinity College, in an address to music teachers and diploma candidates in Begg’s Concert Chamber last night. Mr W. J. Morrell presided, and there was not an empty seat in the hall. Addressing his earlier remarks to diploma candidates who had intentions of becoming teachers, Dr Lyon said there were two things it was essential teachers should be able to do. They must be able to read at sight, and they must be able to give some evidence of teaching ability, which meant they must be capable of imparting knowledge. “If you know your job you will have no difficulty,” saidDr Lyon. He divided candidates into four classes: the slow and plodding, those who were careless by natural temperament, those who were nervous, and those who were just “ having a shot.” The first group, Dr Lyon stated, drew sympathy, and deserved help. The second should receive help from the report cards given them, for these cards would reveal some of the defects. The third group was a difficult one, but one could not he unsympathetic, and should try to create the right mentality and set the candidate at ease. He had no patience with the fourth group. One point should be made clear, the speaker continued. Teachers and parents should not blame the examiner if results were not what were expected. An examiner could only judge on what he hoard, and not on what the parent or the teacher thought the pupil was capable of. Many teachers, he said, attempted to obtain a diploma from Trinity College, and they were not equipped to do so. A teacher had to be capable of teaching a child, for if she was not she would be guilty of obtaining money from parents under false pretences. It would be a crime on the part of any Trinity College examiner to send a teacher into the world not properly equipped. Speaking of the method of examining adopted by him at Home, Dr Lyon said he would never have more than 12 in a class. He divided his year into three terms. In the first the theoretical side of the branch of study favoured was pursued; in the second, practice; in the third, more practice still.

“Here are some of the things I noticed in my examining here,” said Dr Lyon. “We will start with the babies, who are always the most charming.” He listed the faults as: All gradation of tone was ignored; there was unnecessary hand movement; unequal tone; no regard to touch. Students were inclined to rush, their key release was slow, and because they were not taught the realisation of key resistance they produced an anaemic tone. In the preparatory group he noticed a lack of cleanness in touch; uneven time; careless, corrupted note values; insufficient variety of tone; exaggerated accents; stiff wrists; mechanical finger movement; bad _ hand position. In the junior, intermediate, and senior groups he observed l irregularity of time; unequal tone; no stability of fingers ; practice errors (these were noticeable even in diploma work); unequal touch ; nuance was “ absolutely ignored ” ; bad pedalling; distortion of rhythm; uneven passage work, and “ one thing that I detest very much — undue violence when approaching the end of a crescendo.”

He had noticed a tendency on the part of those undergoing sight-reading tests to rush into a piece, without giving it any consideration at all. Candidates must take time to look at sightreading pieces and study four things—clef, (key, time, and character. Dr Lyon concluded a long talk by giving some advice to teachers, and by answering several written questions which had been sent to him. A good teacher, ho said, should know how to do seven things: How to be interesting ; how to capture a pupil’s imagination; how long he should be able to keep it;_how to introduce an idea into the pupil’s mind so that it would not slip out again; how to develop powers of observation; how to train memory; how to retain knowledge. At the conclusion of his remarks Dr Lyon was accorded a vote of thanks which was carried by acclamation.