MUSICAL TALENT.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16811, 1 June 1926, Page 10

MUSICAL TALENT.

LACKS ENCOURAGEMENT. TEACHERS' CRITICISM. Among the papers read at the sitting of the Catholic Education Conference iu Sydney was one on "Music as an Intellectual Subject," by Sister Margaret Mary, one of the Dominican nuns at Stralhfleld. In the course of her paper Sister Mary mentioned that while we have in Australia a good deal of musical talent most of it lies dormant, because of the dearth of scholarship offered. There are very few entrance scholarships to our Conservalorium, she pointed out, and for these many talented students compete. "Surely it must be agreed," she said, "that the" arrangement is most inadequate, hut we cannot expect generous patronage from a Government that fails to recognise the value of music as an educational factor when it allots to music merely the status of half a subject in the heaving Certificate examination, having no value.when there is a question of a university exhibition. This fact explains why so many Leaving Certificate students give up music to permit more time to other subjects. Discoursing on "Thought and Speech" Sister M. Dunstau, of St. Vincent's Convent, referred to the secondary school syllabus, which she said was' so heavy that there was little time for original thought on the part of the pupils, not much time either for social intercourse, for communing with Nature, or for doing work for others. In fact, she argued, the purely intellectual work absorbed so much time and energy that the pupils ran the risk of becoming strangers to their own parents and growing up without the opportunity of making those countless little acts or self-sacrifice which made home life happy.

"Thoughts and words arc not enough," she concluded; "we want deeds."

On the question of collective versus non-collective education Brother Clement, of Orange, read a paper which evoked considerable interest. 'While it was recognised, lie said, that non-collective education was too impracticable to be followed in detail, there was no reason why it should not lie practised more generally within a limited area. Class teaching had a tendency, he found, to make children lazy and indifferent, and it did not give the bright boy as good a chance as lie should have.

Brother Thomas, or the Dc La Salle Brothers, Surry Hills, supplied an informative paper on Hie physical conditions, the native peoples, the animal life, and the industries of Africa.

Rev. Brother Foster and Rev. Brother Thomas were elected lion, secretary and lion, treasurer respectively of the association for the ensuing year.