THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF MUSIC.
ESSAY COMPETITION. The following essay, by Mr George Meek, of Oamaru (“Jubal”), was awarded second prize in the recent competition promoted by the Society of Musicians of Otago:— “ There’s not a joy this world can give like that It takes away.” —Byron (Stanzas for Music). In the hour of man’s triumph over the human mind, when psychology throws bare the secrets of its educational and cultural development, one vital influence will stand out with all the illuminative glory of a God-lit star—the power of music. " Darwin in his “ Descent of Man ” (p. 572) leans to the belief., that musical sounds afforded one of the bases for the development of language, and, further, that the rhythms and cadences of oratory are derived from previously developed musical powers. In substantiation of this, Darwin points to the fact that the instinctive power of producing musical notes and rhythm is developed low down in the animal series, thus affording the reasonable supposition that articulate speech is one of the latest, as it certainly is the highest, of the arts acquired by man. “We can concentrate,” Dr Seemann observes, “ greater intensity of feeling in a. single musical note than in pages of writing,” and having regard to the fact that writing played no part in the early history of man’s educational development, it is not difficult to appreciate the part music has played in shaping man’s intellectual destiny. Notwithstanding the triumphant educational opportunities which the centuries have lavished upon man, music has not yielded one atom of that powerful influence with which it so fundamentally moulded the educational advancement of primitive man. Mankind in the mass, with all his opportunities, may from various causes, shut his eyes to the beauties of art; he may close his ears to the voice of literature; but, the spirit of music reacheth to his very soul and educateth and refineth him, and developeth within him the things worth developing—whether he be conscious of it or not. As Herbert Spencer remarks, “ Music arouses dormant sentiments of which we had not conceived the possibility, and do not know the meaning,” or as Richter says, “tells us of the things we have not seen, and ■shall ‘not see.’” “ The song that nerves a nation’s heart is in itself a deed,” sings Tennyson, and when the great sub-conscious mind unfolds its mighty secret, in its own good time, soaring high above the splendour of all the deeds that have been wrought for human advancement, will be found—the Breath of Music. Then will there shower •down upon the earth a refreshing realisation of its incipient and passionate power in cleansing the human heart of fear and hate; opening the eyes of man to the glorious possibilities of human development; firing the mind with a noble ambition and tenacity of purpose; and sweetening the soul with the incense of love, culture, and charity, making man a worthy inhabitant of the earth’s domain and fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. To measure convincingly, therefore,- the immensity of the educational value of •music, we must search for the impressions on the human soul rather than the -expressions in the' examination test, for, the gift of music without the soul of music is a summer without a shower. To appreciate the curative powers of the sun, we must seek the testimony of those on whom its health-filled rays have bestowed the raiment of Life. To be thrilled by a consciousness of the power of music as an •educational force, we must sit at the feet •of those great souls who have been baptised in the life-giving stream of its inspiring majesty, and who have drunk deeply from the eternal fountains of its heaven-tinted beauty. In the field of agriculture, the function of oxide of calcium is to correct and sweeten the soil that it may be productive of its fullest capacity. What oxide of calcium is to the soil of the earth, so music is to the mind of man. Lying dormant in the heart of every man is a wealth of hidden reserves, and happy is the land with wisdom and vision -enough to harness the power of music, thus firing its people with a consciousness. of their human possibilities, and inspiring them with a burning desire to exploit the treasures which God has placed within their reach, with the injunction—Seek -and ye shall find! Determined wholly as an asset on the social plateau, music descends to the category of bridge. Determined as an educational and spiritual force, it ascends to the altitude of religion, of which it is -essentally a vital part. The following essay, by Miss R. R. Thomson (“ Ariel ”) was awarded the third prize:— The man who has no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, It fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. The motions of his spirit are dull as night, ' And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. It- will be admitted that anything that ■develops the brain and tends to the uplift of the mind is of educational value, not ■only in the life of the individual, but m the genera] life of the community as well. Music being an art which calle for a high degree of concentration and skill m co-ordination of thought and muscular ■action, cannot fail to be recognised by all •educationists as a most worthy study. Those who do not include it in then •scheme of education deprive themselves of the means of truly appreciating an art which, while full of lasting interest and beauty to the initiated, can bring to the untrained only a superficial and fleeting pleasure. The student, on the other hand, is trained to discern for him self the significance of an art which becomes as lucid and intelligible as ariv other useful branch of learning. Its form, style, and construction necessarily conforms to certain laws of selection and order, for .the expression of which thoughtful and detailed study is essential, thus it is an undisputed fact that it develops the brain both analytically and constructively.
The mere power of imitation is totally inadequate to cope with the interpretation of a composition, and the wise teacher, realising the futility of such a process, guides the young mind towards self-education, which must reflect to the advantage of his other studies. Therefore, it is a matter of great moment that the children of to-day are able to study music as one ®f their set subjects, and that educational authorities the world over are devoting so much time and thought to the methods by which the study is approached. Now to our ability to do anything as it should be done we are largely dependent on the strength, extent, and quality of our imagination. It is to be regretted that with the pressure of modern life, this quality, an important factor towards progress, is often allowed to remain more or less dormant.
The study of music compels one to develop it —indeed, without it, no musician could possibly succeed. The reaction of study towards character is a favourable one, insomuch as it develops in the student, concentration of purpose, clearness of thought, enthusiasm, untiring energy, and ceaseless patience—surely characteristics of value in the community. Good music, belonging, as it does, to the spiritual side of nature, gives us aspirations and ideals which, were they lacking, would impoverish our lives in no small degree. It is possible to imagine that music, of a low level reflects a lowering morality, and an instance illustrating this point is to be found in the period preceding the fall of the Roman Erfipire, when the standard of the music was low, as also were the morals of the people. It is therefore to the interest of the nation to train the rising generation in all that ia beautiful and ennobling in music to the ultimate exclusion of all that is poor and ephermeral.
Again, there is much pleasure to be derived from this art in the way of wholesome companionship, which can be only of a high form, as all thoughts of self become submerged in the delight and interest of endeavouring to interpret great thoughts of master minds.
The learning of music, then, is of the greatest educational value, and must not be looked upon as a mere recreation or mental effort out of all relation to the rest of our intellectual life. Its form and construction closely resembles that of the sister art of literature, which can offer no problems of style and form more interesting or varied. Its language is a poetry equalling in nobility and expression that of Shakespeare or Milton, and offers a correspondingly large and fruitful held tor study.
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Otago Witness, Issue 3995, 7 October 1930, Page 79
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1,459THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF MUSIC. Otago Witness, Issue 3995, 7 October 1930, Page 79
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