MUSICAL EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 23968, 20 August 1941, Page 8

MUSICAL EDUCATION

GREAT ASSET TO PUPILS TECHNICAL SCHOOL'S ACHIEVEMENT In the course of the monthly meeting of the King Edward Technical College Board of Managers yesterday afternoon warm tributes were paid to the concerts given by the pupils under the baton of Dr T. Vernon Griffiths, musical director of the college. The chairman of the.board (Mr J. J. Marlow) said that Monday’s concert, as well as resulting in a splendid patriotic effort, was a revelation of what the college could do. “ The standard of music was very high,” he said, “ and I do not believe there exists in New Zealand another school capable of staging such an admirable recital of vocal and instrumental talent. All members of the hoard feel deeply appreciative of the work being carried out by the musical director, and the college has every reason to congratulate itself on the successful culmination of the pupils’ and staff’s preparations for the concerts. Everything went without a hitch,” he said, “ with no one out of place and all sections of the vast organisation, of the recital entirely in accord.” ' In view of the second concert following last, evening, it was decided to hold 'over further discussion of the event until the next meeting. DEPARTMENT’S INTEREST. A letter was received from Dr Beeby, Director of Education, expressing admiration of the college’s musical achievement, and the high standard of musical attainment. Dr Beeby intimated that Mr W. B. Harris, Supervisor of Teaching Aids, would attend the concerts as his representative. PRINCIPAL’S TRIBUTE. The college . principal, Mr W. G. Aldridge, stated in the course of his report, that preparation for the annual concert mid close oversight of the sale of 4,500 tickets had caused some disturbance of ordinary school work, but the staff was convinced that the whole experience had been of extraordinary value to the boys and girls, and that they had learnt many important lessons from it. The entire venture had been a fine exercise iii cooperation, in distinguishing between the good and the less good, not only in musical detail, hut in speech, hearing, attentiveness, and self-restraint. He knew of no exercise better fitted to develop in the boys and girls those qualities which‘appeared to older persons as tho sure promise of youth. Tho unexpectedly generous support for tho concert from outside the school had abundantly proved the high regard in which Dr Griffiths was hold throughout the community, hut it did more. It

seemed to testify to a real hunger on the part of the general public for music that it could understand. Listeners sated with programmes, which they were popularly said to demand, and with occasional severely classical mus : . which they accepted under protest, might he thought to have exhausted their toleration for music of any description; but when eagerness to attend a programme of bright, unaffected, vet classical, music, was so keen that admission must be refused after one day of frenzied booking,- it must be true that the public was more conscious of its need for genuine musical expression than were_ those confident persons who ruled its daily entertainment. In short, the aims and methods proclaimed and practised by Dr Griffiths had. in this year’s concert, a triumphant fulfilment. The report also stated that some rpupils of the Timaru Technical College had journeyed to Dunedin to be present at the concerts.