The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-30
THE MUSIC SUPERVISORS
MANY INTERESTING DISCOURSES
HELD YESTERDAY A FTERNOON.
A. Stanley Osborn, of This city, Puts
Some Interesting Discussions Befor
the Convention - Remarks OF MIR.
Baldwin Delegates Will Go on Car
riage Ride To-day.

Yesterday afternoon there were some
very interesting discussions in the
rooms of the high school, where the
convention Of music supervisors is be-
ing held The session was called at 2:30
o'clock by President Weaver and the
attendance was very large A. Stanley
Osborn, who graduated from Hillhouse
in 1899 and who is now supervisor of
music at the New Paltz high school,
gave the convention the opportunity for
an animated discussion on two ques
lions on rote songs that he put before
them. Mr.. Osborn's first question was,
What Is the significance Of the word
'rote?'''
Miss Julia E. Crane answered the
question and said that fhe word "rote'
had two meanings-one of them as ap-
piled to arithmetic, when it has the sig
nificance of a process, and the other, as
applied to music, is pure imitation.
The other question was on the benefit
Of rote songs to the children. Lewis
Westwood of Newark said that chill
dren begin their musical career by u.s.
ing rote songs, for the reason that their
ability to read music is greater by the
of music is broadened by the use Of
that method. He said that rote songs
were absolutely necessary and that in
order to make the method successful
great care in the selection of the songs
and In the manner In which they are
presented to the children should be
used. He said that too often they were
given by incompetent instructors and
that accordingly all the benefit that
might be realized from them was lost to
the scholar.
Ralph H. Baldwin argued that the
chief object of rote songs was the I'M
conscious development of the emotional
nature of a child, and he also argued
that it was necessary to have high art
examples given the children, for 1T Is
known that the child initiates wonder |
fully and that If the examples are bad
the imitation is necessarily bad.
Miss Crane said that the use Of rote
songs was the cause of the development
of good taste, the acquiring of good
style and the knowledge of classics.
The next question put before the con-
vention for discussion was What is
required of the teachers?" Miss Crane
and others spoke on this, expressing
their different views.
The next question was on how rote
songs should be presented. A number
spoke and were of the opinion that the
words music and meaning Of the songs
should be presented at the same time.
Another question that was discussed
was on how long rote songs should be
used. 1t was generally expressed that
as the child advanced in years the util-
ity Of the rote songs diminishes and
that when the child begins to read his
notes at night the absolute need of rote
songs disappears.
The next question that was discussed
was, Are motion songs useful?" The
convention decided that where the songs
demanded no mental effort on the part
IF the child, and when they adequately
expressed the nature of the song, they
are useful.
Mr.. Baldwin then opened a discus ]
sion on What is the work OF grade
music teacher" He said the time will
,onle when the discussion of this sub s
ect will seem absurd, but that unfort-
Inately the subject was to-day of vital
In speaking of the duties '
# a grade teacher he said that she must {
lave a knowledge of pitch, the element
# time, and should know something of |
musical history and biography. She {
must have a definite knowledge of the
principles taught in her grade, and, t
which is equally as essential know I
low to teach them. This is only what S
5 required in other branches of study, '
md Ii is not necessary to enumerate 6
What to study, but how to study, as all til