The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-01-21


Bandmaster, at the meeting of
the Teachers Convention in this
city, in December last.
Music is as old as humanity.
Wherever mankind exists there is
music. However primitive the
people, music is always o prominent
factor IN their social life. But
great difference is to be noted in
different nations, as pure agricul-
turists, hunters or Commentaries.
The agriculturists always prove to
be the most musical. For example,
the Phrnicians and Carthaginians
were commercial people, but were
not given to either music or poetry.
Take the Jews and Greeks, who
were agriculturists, and their music
and poetry live to-day. The Moors
and Arabs have always had music.
The Romans we're not so fortunate
in this respect. But why go so far
back2 Take the English and Italians
of to-day. The former are COM
mercial people and have not much
music, but the latter have immense
music. Here in Hawaii, we have
the Chinese and the natives, the
former very successful in every re-
spect, the latter degenerating, but
clinging to music and song. And l
think it the duty of every govern
ment to protect and foster music in
the public schools, and children
should not be excused from singing,
even if they have so-called "no ear, ,"
and if they cannot learn to sing,
they can learn the poetry and the
time. am sure that everybody is
born with ears, but the training of
the ear is neglected. believe it to
be the proper thing to teach music
through the ear. 1t is a wrong i'm
preston of many that music is prin-
cipally through the eye. Through
the ear we teach the heart, but
through the eye we only reach the
brain. How many there are that
play the piano and can read music
readily, but cannot sing one tone |;
and on the other hand, how many
can sing beautifully, but do not
know one note. 1t is by utter neg
lect and often from sheer laziness,
that many people grow up without
having an ear. Every child will
learn to sing if only properly drilled.
Drill is one of the principal things
in school. To drill the children is
an art which many teachers never
acquire. And if children do not
learn to sing, they will learn to keep
time, which is itself necessary
thing, and it will give them a liking
for music through life. Then you
know that who likes music and sing
ing is not bad creature, but if any
one does not like music and singing,
beware Of him. My teaching, so
far, for one year has been simply
to drill the ear. / labor under the
disadvantage of too many scholars
in one lesson, having an average to
lesson, of about one hundred, and
only one lesson per week, besides
that the scholars, in the native
schools, are not perfect in the under
standing of the words. There
seems, too, to be favoritism with
some pupils that should be strictly
avoided. If there is a child excused
from school, the teacher who gives
the lesson should be informed,
However, 1 have great hopes for the
cause. 1 see progress. 1 hope tc
teach the eye also, by and by, wher
the ear is properly trained, SO thai
the conscience and feeling arr
reached. So far it has had to b.
very much mechanical to lay ,
proper foundation. / hope tn
Board of Education will issue al
order that but one text book TO
singing be used in the public schools
and the same for the private schools
as we have only one text book foI
reading, arithmetic, and othe
branches. As it is now, two chill
dren from different schools canno
sing together owing to not havin
learned from the same book. L
conclusion, I would urge upon 20
to teach the children to sing, an
have them learn the poetry toe
Educate the ear, and, through tn
ear, the heart and conscience.