WITH FIFE AND DRUM.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 78, 8 May 1914, Page 8

WITH FIFE AND DRUM.

JUVENILE MUSICAL ASSOCIATION

Visiting Christchureh at the present time is Mr C. von der Heyde, of Auckland, hon. secretary of the New Zealand Juvenile Musical Association. Mr von der Heyde is holiday-making, but he is also doing some propaganda work in connection with the association.

Chatting with a SUN representative, Mr von der Heyde said that the Juvenile Musical Association, which is the organisation to which school fife and drum bands are affiliated, is making excellent progress. At present ten schools in and around Auckland are affiliated with it, two in Wellington, one in Christchureh (the West Christchurch School), and nine in Dunedin, besides schools at Thames and Huntly, while the movement is now being taken up in Gisborne and Napier. The movement really started with the establishment of the Ponsonby Fife and Drum Band about four years ago. As it spread the need of a central body became apparent, and ■ so, about 18 months ago, the New Zealand Juvenile Musical Association was formed in Auckland. In some places membership of the school fife and drum bands is limited to boys attending schools, but in Auckland any boy is allowed to join. There the average age at which boys join the bands is 14 years. "We are receiving valuable assistance from the school committees," proceeded Mr von der Heyde. '' They allow us to use rooms in the schools twice a week, provided that the supervision of the boys is sufficient to prevent damage being done to the rooms, and of course we see to that. The parents, too, very sympathetic, for it helps them to keep their boys off the streets at night. The boys are provided with free .tuition; they have only to pay for their music-books, which cost sixpence apiece. The uniforms and instruments are obtained by public subscription. The boys are given cards ruled into sixty squares, each of which represents a penny, and they collect with these cards in their spare time. One boy we have used to call at business places in Queen Street in his lunch hour, and he returned with 20 cards all filled up, representing £5. Our boys are very keen."