THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF MUSIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 3994, 30 September 1930, Page 79

THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF MUSIC.

ESSAY COMPETITION. Tlie essay competition promoted by the Society of Musicians of Otago met with a satisfactory response. Three prizes of £5, £2, and £1 were offered for the best short essays on “'The Educational Value of Music.” Forty-three entries were received from widely-scattered areas, including Wellington, Queenstown, and Balclutha. The awards were:— Miss Ngarita Gordon, Victoria street, Dunedin (nom-de-plume “Elizabeth Hart”) 1 Mr George Meek, Oamaru (“Jubal”) 2 Miss R. R. Thompson,.North-East Valley, Dunedin (“Ariel ”) 3 The following is the essay to which first prize was awarded: — “To know the cause why music was ordained! Was it not to refresh the mind of man after his studies, or his usual pain?” (Shakespeare.) There is a useful definition of education which regards it as a training in the best use of leisure time. The tendency of the age emphasises the significance of this view. Physical and manual labour is acquiring an increasing dignity, and is being better paid. Working hours are much shorter than they used to be, with the result that people now have leisure, and the money to spend on amusement for that leisure. Neither leisure nor money is always spent wisely; it depends on the tastes of the people — and these are formed in their school days. “The child is father of the man,” and the boy or girl who becomes intimately acquainted with things of true worth will not later on be satisfied with sordidness. Educators the world oyer are realising this, and are extending their efforts to secure for the child those things that will enable him to lead a full, satisfying life. One of the most important of these is music. The educational value of music (including training in appreciation of music as well as in performance and composition) is threefold —mental, moral, and, m a lesser degree, physical. The music which we hear every day from the street corners—popular songs, marches, and the latest jazz tunes—is not music of a high type, and gives no deep and lasting satisfaction. ‘lt is the hallmark of true art that it is universal in its appeal, provided that its medium has become familiar.” It is therefore the task of educators, directors of musical activities, and music teachers, to bring children in their impressionable years into contact iiith "ood music in all its branches. Mechanical inventions such as gramophones make this increasingly possible. Training in musical appreciation is an aesthetic training in judgment and discrimination. and is therefore of considerable educational value. The child (.anc. the adult too) learns that it is possible to listen, as well as to perform, inteLigently. . . The mental work entailed in learning to perform music is of great moment from the educational point of view. Knowledge in the first place gets into the brain through the five senses, and the keener and more discriminating these are, the further the mentality improves. Education relies chiefly on hearing, sight, and touch, all of which music brings into play. Demands are also made on the will, the memory, and the powers of attention. Singing seems to be almost an instinct with most children, and music in its various forms has proved of great assistance in the activities of the classroom. Rhythm games are especially liked by the younger children, and the kindergarten makes perhaps its strongest appeal by reason of the emphasis which it places upon them. Musical instructors should stimulate the creative spirit of children to original musical expression. Of recent years the importance of the creative of music seems to have been recognised in New Zealand schools with encouraging results, many children having now experienced the joys of creative art. Perhaps there are none greater. On the character-forming side music may be regarded as a moral discipline, for, if properly taught, it can exercise a potent influence over the emotional life from which usually rise the main springs to action. It teaches concentration and patience ami self-control. Group activities. such as those undertaken in choral work, in orchestras, and bands, exert a socialising influence, bringing into play co-operation, unselfishness, and service, qualities necessary in citizenship. The study of music also brings us into contact with master minds, and is an incentive to further effort in making our own contribution to the world’s happiness. For many music has a deep religious significance.

The physical factor is perhaps less obvious, but everyone recognises singing as a healthy as well as a delightful study. Indeed, the mental alertness required for either performing or listening to most good music can hardly have but a beneficial effect on the general health, while dancing or marching to music is productive of poise and balance, resulting in physical fitness. It has been argi.ed. and might be argued again, that music has little educational value, because it is not “ useful.” That depends on one’s definition of utility. According to Plato “The useful is the noble (beautiful) and the hurtful is the base (ugly).” Man is more than an eating animal—he appreciates and enjoys, and music, which contributes to his

happiness, is useful for the whole of his life. Few become great performers or creators of music, but all —young and old —are entitled to love and appreciate it. “ Who hears music,” said Browning, “ feels his solitude peopled at once ”; and, indeed, to quote a modern author, “ A nation -with a love of music and an appreciation of it possesses the greatest resource for happy and wholesome living.”