Morning journal and courier., 1885-07-20

oIeu suoTGly dIterWaruS.
 AT THE NATIONAL CONVENTION
 ssThe Element of Music in the Prf- mary Grades of the Public SchoOIs.,s The Daily Saratogian gives the following
 account of the paper with the above title by Professor Jepson of this city, before the
 Natonal Educational association at Saratoga
 on Thursday last:
 B. Jepson of New Haven, Conn. read an
 excellent paper on GA Plea for the Element
 of Music in Primary Grades" Professor
 Jepson has just received his twenty-first an
 nual appointment as director of music in the New Haven schools. He stated that music was taught in some form or other in all the large cities of the United States and
 that the meagre results in some and
 the total failure in others, was due to the superficial manner in which music had been and was still taught by some musical 'professors. He congratulated the public school music teachers that they had at last been recognized by the National
 Association of Teachers as something more
 than fifth wheel to the educational coach;
 depecated the folly of using music in the
 school room merely to spice the general or
 der of exercises. As thus used it would all
 ways fail and ought to fail and that che pub
 lie under pressure of hard times were always
 ready to cut off what they described as orna-
 OIauCucSJ d0 T0laC6O Q1S eXD6T10nc0
 in placing music on the basis with other
 studies in New Hampshire schools, and that
 his greatest anxiety has been not to dis
 cover some new system of notation but to
 perfect that grand system of the world by
 which and through which education of high and low degree is to come to a knowledge of the art divine. He compliments the New Haven Board of Education for the persistent backing which music as study had receiv- ed during the past twenty years. He illus- trated the folly of trying to build from the top down in his own experience of commenc- ing elementary work in the High school, and claimed that it was only since he had reached the bed rock of elementary work, viz.: Grade 1, or the lowest grade, that he had achieved the best results He men tioned 8 profound knowledge of human na- ture as being one of the grand qualifications of teacher, and in this connection paid high compliment to Professor L. w. Mason as our philosopher in music and veteran pio- neer in public school work. The hook of knowledge must be baited nowadays with some fapciful color, form or design The strain placed upon the children in learning the position of do, mi and sol with ordinary white crayon had been much alleviated by substituting blue do, red mi, yellow so1 etc For himself he did not believe that the children of the present gen eratlon were fools, and when they were in- capable of learning the first simple steps in music without recourse to the methods de- scribed, he believed the lack of brains was not all on their side.
 He deprecated marching songs, and the combination of music with gymnastics as being disastrous to proper management of | the breath, emission of pure tone, attention 1 to time, careful regard for expression of l words or syllables. He would not discard song singer, far | from it, but he would teach children, to I regard it as of secondary importance. He | advised at least 15 minutes per day in | the lower grades to be given to some ! form of elementary drill which shall be l to the child beginning in his musical edu- ] cation and which he need never unIearn in | after years. With 8 fair experience and l some opportunities for observation, his own final utterances was this: Omit the practice | of music in the High school if you must be- gin and keep up systematic instruction in primary grades.
 The paper was freely discussed by Profess 'or Jones of Bingharaton, L. ". Mason and others,