“HAVE OPPOSED ME AT EVERY STEP.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 144, 19 June 1931, Page 8

“HAVE OPPOSED ME AT EVERY STEP.”

MR VERNON GRIFFITHS REPLIES TO CRITICS. “ There is a section of the lowergraded professional music-teachers who have continually and bitterly opposed me at every step,” declared Mr T. Vernon Griffiths, in a report received by the Canterbury Education Board to-day. The report outlined the musical activities of Mr Griffiths since his appointment to the Christchurch Teachers’ Training College, and stoutly defended his action in organising group music classes among the children. The report from Mr Griffiths was the outcome of an inquiry from the Department to the board, and as a result the board asked that Mr Griffiths should make an explanation of his musical activities outside of his Training College work. Mr Griffiths Praised. Several members of the board spoke in terms of high praise of Mr Griffiths’s work and particularly of his work in connection with the group music classes for children. Mr J. G. Gow reported that the principal of the Training College (Mr J. E. Purchase) was ef opinion that Mr Griffiths was doing very fine work. “ I endorse what Mr Gow has said,” stated the chairman (Mr R. Wild). “ This is one of the most outstanding phases of work carried out by a member of our staff. We know from the principal of the college that Mr Griffiths is many pounds out of pocket each year through this. As far as primary school teachers are concerned, we have no power to interfere with the earning of money outside the school. Instead of making money, Mr Griffiths has been losing pounds.” A committee report stated that a letter was received from Mr W. Ross Edwards regarding recognition of group music classes in Timaru. It was resolved to reply that although the board could not give official recognition to the classes it recognised that they -were rendering a very commendable service to the community. The Normal School Committee reported that Mr Griffiths’s report was adopted for submission to the Department, and the opinion was expressed that Mr Griffiths was deserving of the highest commendation for the inspiring work he was carrying out in the community through the group music classes and the children’s festivals. “ Distasteful to Musicians.” Mr Griffiths stated that before leaving England he was informed at the High Commissioner’s Office that he would be free to engage in outside work, provided such work did not militate against his Training College duties. His colleagues in other centres were doing such work (adjudication at competition festivals, lecturing to W.E.A. classes, etc.). In his first year in Christchurch he undertook the conductorship of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society and of the Savage Club. One of his reasons for resigning both of these appointments at the end of one year was that he realised that his acceptance of them had been distasteiul to local musicians. At the present time his only outside appointment was that of organist and choirmaster at St Michael’s Church. “My Training College work and work with the children leaves me very little time for private pupils,” stated Mr Griffiths. “ I have never had more than six pupils in the Dominion, and at present I have only three. Most of my pupils here have been professional music teachers. Work Among Children. ‘‘ Realising the enormous need for active work in connection with instrumental group-teaching with children (and the fact that example is better than precept), I organised the Training College music classes for children over two years ago. From the very first, professional musicians were in the majority on my staff of teachers. Although it must be remembered that the chief reason for the classes is not the provision of work for professional musicians, yet this year the majority of such musicians over the others is even larger than was the case last year. “ Neither I myself nor my assistant director (Mr A. J. Huston) receives one penny directly or indirectly from the classes. In fact, my accountant says that the first eighteen months of the working of the classes cost me personally over £l5O from my own private income. Last year more money was paid in Tees to the teachers than was received from the children. The classes were started and are conducted entirely in the interest of child education. They have never been a business undertaking. There were over one thousand enrolments last year. It is probable that, for the three years ending next December, about £2OOO will have been paid out in fees to the teachers, most of whom are professional musicians. “ Have Reached Hundreds.” “ These classes have reached hundreds of children -who might never have had the opportunity to study music. The fees have been kept as low as possible. At the end of the second-year course, all children were, asked to go to private teachers, but a third-year course was organised for such children as could not possibly afford the fees required by such teachers. I do not want children to be forced to discontinue their studies on the grounds of poverty. ** finally, it remains for me to say that, although the leading musicians here and in other centres have done their best to encourage me in this work (work which takes up most of my spare time), yet there is a section'of the lower graded professional music teachers who have continually and bitterly opposed me at every step. Their attitude seems to be that, if children cannot afford to have lessons from private teachers, they should not be able to get any musical instruction at all. Such an attitude is hardly creditable to the teachers concerned. In spite of the fact that the classes are every year providing more pupils for private music teachers, this section of which I speak has used every means in its power (anonymous letters, false reports, libellous statements, and e\ ery other form of opposition) to prevent me from continuing this work. Critics Indicted. “ It is nothing to them that Christchurch has the honour of being the first city in the Dominion to harbour such a scheme of classes; it is nothing to them that hundreds of children all over the city are finding an added joy and interest in life. Apparently it is also nothing to them that over twenty of their professional colleagues have benefited financially to no small extent by the existence of these classes, and that they themselves will also ultimately so benefit. They cannot understand that I am prepared to undertake the labour involved in the creation and direction of all this work solely from the desire to benefit the children of ' . r * s^ c “ anf l with no hope and no wish for financial remuneration, or even lor any recognition. “A Poor Man To day.” " Having (out of consideration for local teachers and in order to devote most of my spare time to furthering the interests of music with the children) voluntarily denied myself of the finanrial benefits which other outside work would have given me. and having freelv spent my own limited financial re-

sources to help on this work, I am today a poor man. But I have the satisfaction of knowing that hundreds of Christchurch children have been en abled by my classes to enjoy the pleasure of creating their own music; T have the satisfaction of knowing that something has been done for the future citizens of this place; and I know that leading educationists approve of the work I have done and am doing. “ Compared with what remains to be done, it is indeed very little; but its effects will, I believe, remain long after these narrow and unworthy antagonisms have been relegated to the forgotten tilings of -the past.”