The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-12
MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS
Mrs. Flavin Says the Teachers
Should Encourage Singing.
SPECIAL TEACHER NEEDED
Superintendent Hendricks Talks Enter
tainingly on Didactics-The Institute
Is Exceedingly Interesting and
Profitable to All Present.

one. The institute bids fair to be the
most profitable and most ably conduct
ed in the history of Institutes in Mon
tana. At the opening exercises Mrs.
Flavin spoke on Music in the Public
Schools She said in part:
II wonder if there is any one in this
room who will question the Importance
of music in the public schools. It is
astonishing to find a city the size of
Butte, with it's prosperity and progress
iveness, and no special teacher of mu-
sic in the public schools Something is
wrong. 1t must be a false idea of
economy, for it certainly is not the
fault of the teachers. l know they
would gladly welcome special teacher.
However, the regular branches are do
ing the best they can with the music
under the circumstances. So much is
expected of the regular teachers now
adays. They must know something
about music, art, physical culture ETC..
and they need the help and counsel of
| specialists. Many, many people of wide
musical experience give as their opinion
that If the schools cannot afford to
place the work in charge of vocal sci
entists, leave it out entirely. But think
of schoolroom entirely devoid Of sing
ing-it would be like a garden all
grass and no flowers. Every day we
| have living examples right here in
Butte of the benefits to be derived in
mature life from instruction in music
| in the public schools.
1T is to be deplored that so few
| teachers realize the responsibility that
rests with them in training childrens
| voices. There are scores of voices ru
ined in the public schools every year.
and such wrong habits formed that
sometimes they can never be overcome.
| How often we hear those worn-out ex-
| pressiohs, Let the voice out; sing right
out Remember, teachers. that you
want music, and not noise: that a per-
| sons ability to sing well is not meas
ured by the quantity but by the quail
| ty of the voice. The vocal chords are
like pieces of elastic-they can be
stretched and stretched. but you are
| going to stretch them once too often
some day, and then the singing voice
is gone and will never be the same.
And probably the children's parents
wonder why it is they can no longer
sing as before. Then they go to hunt
| ing up excuses, and they say he, or she,
must have lost their voices when they
had the measles or whooping cough
| and they never really do know The true
| reason.
Nov, a word in regard to the songs
you select for the children. Be careful
about the words. Give the children
songs that have some thought which
they can remember, which they can I'M
derstand and will interest them. To
| tell them stories about the songs is,
| perhaps, the best way to arouse their
interest and concentrate their thoughts.
Teachers. always beat time with your
hands when the children are singing,
| This should be done even in the primary
grades. Select songs of the proper
range. Make your classes anxious
about flatting. About how many songs
should be given in "a year? This de-
ponds very much upon the children. If
! they take up the song very readily, do
not dwell on that one until they are so
tired Of it they cannot sing Let it rest
awhile and try another. About IS songs
in the first six months of school is a
good number. Know the songs thor
oughly and enter into the spirit CT
them. Here, as is said by a leading
German author repetition is the moth
err of excellence, but it must be repe-
tition with a constant effort to improve.
| We will never take our place among
the musical nations of the earth until
music is taught systematically and uni
versally in our public schools. We
| scarcely realize how far behind Ger
| many. France, England and many
other countries we are in this respect"
superintendent Hendricks spoke on
'Didactics' as follows:
I'VE may not always realize it. or
may not care to acknowledge it, but
it is fact nevertheless that children
| from all classes of society are inVari-
ably sent to the public schools to learn
| to read, write and compute as the
means of acquiring knowledge. The
-na1 ln1 nlnrN ,nyNt los nt,,t
studies, etc, are helpful as incidentals,
but are harmful when mistaken as es-
sentials. The advocate of nature stu
dies who turns the schools out to ram
BILE in the hills and valleys forgets that
the purpose of the school is mostly to
get away from the nature that leads to
| idleneSS and aimleSSneSS. The system
of instruction that depends solely upon
excitement and novelty and entertain
ment is neither practical, helpful nor
sensible'
Miss Clara Corbin, in Physical Gull
| ture,' took up the wand drill and dumb
bell exercises. in accordance with the
| outline of physical culture in use in the
public schools of this city.
Miss Ruth Gould has had charge OF
the several classes in drawing, work
ing on model and objects based on
the sphere and cylinder.
President Sanders of the state nor
NAL discussed the development of num-
bers. application of fractions and per-
| centage. and in reading, the various
methods of teaching readings to pupils
and devices for maintaining the inter
est of the class. and the benefits OF
good oral reading.
Professor Foote of the Butte Business
college continued his discussion on sen
fences. clauses and modifiers in Ian
guage, and the value of maps, map
drawing and moulding to fix locality ir
the children's minds and maintain in
terest in the study of geography.
Miss Gould will speak this morning
at o'clock in the high school auditor.
ium on Art in the Public School, The
ladies of the city are cordially invited
to attend.
DR.. Rinehart's half-page ad. Sunday