ELOCUTIONARY AND MUSICAL COMPETITIONS.

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11497, 18 April 1923, Page 7

ELOCUTIONARY AND MUSICAL COMPETITIONS.

(To the Editor "N.Z. Times.’’) Sir,—l have long and anxiously awaited the appearance of the schedule for the next Competitions to be held in this city, and now that it has appeared -I beg, through the agency of your esteemed columns, to- make a suggestion. Year after year these Competitions are held, and complaints are made that male vocalists are so scarce. Here is the reason. The ladies hold a monopoly. Classes for girls are from 8 years to 21; classes for boys are from 8 years t 6 16. Where is the boys’ song scholarship under 21? The boys’ voice breaks at, 14 or 15 years. It returns again at 18 or 19. But the boy cannot enter the Competitions because it is useless for him to compete against men of maturer years in nil greater experience. Why should the girls of his age have a scholarship aud he be left out? Another reason why I think this championship nhouiil be inair.mrated is that grown men can afford to :.«>■ for .their singing lessons where - boys of 19 or 20 cannot. Are the - bi.y-, therefore, not to be on•iraged? vS’ould not a free tuition impionship for these boys bring forth v.iany entries? There is a scholarship for pianoforte, why is there none for singing? The actual Competitions pro-

gramme is not" yetf printed. There is still time to squeeze in this championship. On a parallel with the girls* song free tuition scholarship under 21, which now stands, I beg to advocate the inauguration of a sirtiifar one for the boys. MUSIC TEACHER.