Rather, a teacher must lead the student to discover for himself what is best by experiencing a wide variety of materials over a period of time. It is one thing for a church or school to be financially unable to provide a full-time trained music specialist. But it is another thing to prevent students from gaining broad musical experience by limiting them to a few songs from one book. The effect of this disregard for a well-rounded musical experience is that we have turned young people away from the most effective means of worship by denying them access to music of proved value. Today, hardly any music is taught in our parochial schools and what little is used in the liturgy is inferior material unworthy of the church and beneath serious study as music.
Education implies a continually broadening experience with ever-expanding materials.
Equally important to mastering these experiences is the development of discrimination in the students' appreciation. Given the means for judgment and choice, the student is led toward good choices and thereby to discern that is good and what is less than good. Their selections are, quite naturally, from the few songs they know. But even with their own choices, so often they claim to be bored and to wish for something else. That frequently turns out to be rock music, indicating that to be the only other music they know.