Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-09-26
Sci II :26 1908 !.
MUSIC IN zAs PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
BY PROF.. EVAN STEPHENS.

was read, is all upset and reversed.
M usic is pounded Into the ears from Il
pianofCrte or scfapcd from q violin,
blown from q cornet, or, worse than
al. shouted and screamed from a. Worn
Sout voice not d tone evolved or made
from within the thinking mind.
The talented, intelligent student. who
WAS beginning to think music as a hu-
man should, is treated as a parrot or
Il maggie, and made to initiate simply,
in order to learn his exhibition piece.
sss EXHIBITION WORK.
Let your exhibition work he the 1e-
climate result of your regular daily
work, the first fruit OF your yearly la
boz IN the field OF musical education.
F. Let it he fine, artistic, jpretentious. il
Won will, but never ieviate from a
asWellS7laid plan Of progress In the sSs-
$iematic5 course you have laid out for
the study of music The study OF q
beautiful cantata is educational work
proper, when students are sufficiently
advanced to base their45study of it
from the book; to read it as they would
II studying d play Or a poem, but 9not
before that Let the students be made,
+ to understand that II there is anything.
to be learned or enjoyed from the
printed page In music, as In litern-l
tnre, they must attain it through abil-i
y 4
ito them. Reading should be the basis
OF study, after that all good things
may be added, but not separated from.
1t. 10 call anything short of this the
study Of music In the school is Il farce,
nay, worse, ~ comic opera--a perverse5
rehearsal OF all things true in music
and action.
Music is expected to advertise the
school. as are football and baseball;
very We'll. Only let 1T be an exhibit
tion Of the progress made in the school
by the Students and not a mere dis!
play of the natural, uncultured talents
they possessed. independent of the.
school work,
e Make music a pleasant study, not
by making It no study at all, in order.
to please the careless and Indifferent.
student, nor by reversing its Regular
natural course of development. picking
the fruit instead Of planting the seed.
TO make the music. lesson pleasant and
Interesting, 1t must be to. the point
and not too long. It must me progress
sve and plain. avoiding the treadmilll
impression of always walking. but never
advancing. Around the elementary
center or pedestal must be iudiciously
urea tlied the side studies. The sim-l
plest reading lesson must include a
certain amount of expression and feel
ing to make what is4read mean some
looked after-the soft tone always, UNI
less a demand for the loud, harsher
tone, for the sake Of monetary special.
expression, occurs. The rhythm. or ac-
5centuation, must be of equal import
ance, with care Of pitch and tone. In
short, make the study of music pleas
ant, rather than the mere music itself.
Your duty is to teach in the school, not
to merely please; but you should ac-
cornplish the latter doing the former.
IL have my own convictions as to
Methods and they do not always agree
With the modes in which our musical
textbooks present them. as several of
the publishers are aware, inasmuch as
they have given me so much considera-
ton as to ask me for such critical state
gillcnts as felt like making. But you
have supervisors, and should obey
them implicitly. bringing to his aid
your own individuallties. without In
terferng with his methods and in
structions."