The Waikato Independent THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1928. A MUSICAL AGE.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3008, 1 November 1928, Page 4

The Waikato Independent THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1928. A MUSICAL AGE.

We live in an age when, in the opinion of many people, far too much time is devoted to sport, when too many people take their sport too seriously. It is a common thing to hear regrets expressed that the arts are being neglected, as the young people turn their attention to outdoor games, and music, and such arts aro relegated into the background. There is no doubt that there has been good ground for some concern in this direction. However, as in all' such mailers, there seems to have been a reaction, and it would appear that the people of many lands are now turning their attention more closely to the cultivation of the arts. In this respect wonderful work is being done in English-speaking lands through the medium of the schools. Attention is being drawn to the zeal with which America is fostering youthful education in" music, and in our own Dominion the Department of Education having been seized with the importance of the matter, has taken steps to give much more prominence to the teaching of music than obtained in the past. Under the able supervision of Mr Taylor, the present supervisor of music under the department," the system Of teaching music in • the public schools is being revolutionised, and we may look forward to excellent results in the near future. England, too, through her public schools, is preparing future audiences of intelligence ami discrimination in musical matters. Wo are assured that English public schools are to-day among the most influential factors in fostering a love for good music. The musical critic of the "London Times'" recently stated', in reference to the wonderful change of attitude towards music that had overtaken the English public sehools in the last generation, or two:— "That the change is a real thing, something which may be called a change of heart and not merely one of curriculum, is evidenced day by day in tho multiplicity of musical activities to which -public school boys are now seen to devote their spare time. We have before us the programme of the

Eton College Music Competitions held last month, which contains over a hundred entries in instrumental perform-, anccs, in addition to vocal ones. At about the same time in the term wo found the Guildhall at Winchester packed with boys all listening .attentively arid with evident intelligence to a performance of Beethoven's Choral Symphony specially given for them, and to-morrow the whole school at Oundle will once more participate in a performance of Bach's Mass in B minor: While Oundle's case may still be exceptional, the fact that the bigger things in music are well within the grasp of schoolboys, and are. not to be despised by either superior mind or muscle ,is now generally recognised." Seeking the cause of this great change, the critic writes.:. "It is put down to a.number of causes—to the adaption of the contpetitivo festival idea to school conditions, to the interest aroused by the gramophone , and to the higher general education of the modern music master." Whatever the cause, there can bo no doubt that the change is being made, for which we must all rejoice. The love of good music is one of the finest things wo can teach our children and young people. It plays a most important part in the culture of the individual, and of the nation. In the words of an old Danish provearb, "Music's the med'eine of the mind," and the world to-day will find it a valuable medicine indeed. •