MUSIC AND DANCING IN SCHOOLS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 289, 17 November 1924, Page 7

MUSIC AND DANCING IN SCHOOLS

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Will you allow me to refer your readers to an essay in last Thursday’s “Tribune” on “Music,” written by Mr. Tom Shaw, a member of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald’s Government. I have for many years advocated the teaching of music, both vocal and instrumental in all elementary schools. For the purpose of better explaining what I would do I will just explain on. what nrinciple th#» London County Council 1 schools are built. The general plan is oblong. Down one side of the building the class rooms are arranged. Each class room opens on to a hall, almost the whole length of the building. The schools are built in three floors, the ground floor for the infants, the middle floor for the girls, the top floor for the hors. Each hall is supplied with a piano, which is used whenever wanted. T was standing in the hovs’ hall talking to the schoolmaster when the hell ran<r for the hovs tn go into the nlnvground fo nlay. The hoys at once formed in their rooms and waited for the niano to strike up. Tho master called to nnn of teachers to send a eeirtnw hoy. When the hov was Rented nt the piaro tho waster arranged a r>inrn of my t! ’e and said to the boy. “Just let Mr. Plonghninn hoar how nicely von can nlav.” With the first notes of the piano, the hovs commenced to march from their rooms each in turn, down the stairs and into the nlnyground. The master told me the hov was the son of a hiriclclnvor’s labourer. I asked tho master if there were any special facilities for the hov tn bo f,might music, and the renlv was “None.” Roth the master and myself denlored that state of things. We both thought the council should have its own college, and in n case of that kind the corntrv should pay all expenses. including the keep of the hov. Tf that hov’s musical talents could not he nroperiv developed the country would he all the nooreir. When passing through the girls’ department on another morning I was entertained hv the mistress who put. the girls through what. T suppose would he termed their muscular exercises. At the finish of the lesson I asked the mistress if she taughf the girls dancing. The reply was: “The regulations do not allow it. but I go as far as T dare.” She was a fine specimnn of a lady teacher. She called to a teacher to send two little girls tn her. Then she placed her hand on the girls’ heads in turn, and explained to me that the children were the daughters of Armenian parents who were on their way to the United States; but. they stayed too long, in London and the School Board officer saw them in the street and rounded them up. and made it compulsorv for them to attend school. She told me what pleasure it oave her to see the English girls do all they could to show these little Armenians all they knew, and do their best to entertain them. Here was the true spirit of internationalism.—l am. etc.. JOHN THE PLOUGMAN.