The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-05
Orr TALKED ON
MUSICAL TEHNE
BERTRAND ALAN ORR, DIRECTOR
Q FFARGo COLLEGE CoNsERVA-
TORY OF MUSIC, READ ABLE
PAPER BEFORE MUSICAL SEC
TON OF NJ. D. G. A.

Bertrand Alan Orr, director of Far
go college conservatory of music,
speaking on Public School Music, the
Foundation or A. B. c.. of All Music
al Activity, said in part:
THE vast army OF students in the
public schools from the first grade up,
who have to gain every rung in the
musical ladder by hard study, are the
ones to be considered under the title
Of this article.
Ut makes no difference whether the
individual in after life turns to music
for recreation and pastime, or wheth-
er they lake it up professionally and
make it their life work; the founda-
ton laid in the public school is nee
essary to each and all alike.
The ability to think music is in
valuable to all interested in it, from
the individual who plays or sings for
his own amusement, to the profess
sional commanding the highest sal
AIRY. Music can be no longeEJeonsid-
r q luxury, but is O. necessity
Therefore it Is dep1orable to be com
PEELED TO admit hat there are still
persons who are opposed to having
music in the public schools. For con-
venience in considering these people
who think they are opposed to music
IN the schools, L would divide them
into two classes:
First, the taxpayer and father,
who, having had no musical advan-
tages when a boy, refuses to be con-
Vlnced that music is a necessity.
Second, the boy in school who is
laboring under the illusion that mus
ic, like dolls, is too feminine for him.
1T is more difficult to deal with No.
l than with No. 2, for two, reasons:
The father is usually past the time
IN life when he can or will take any
active part in anything musical. The
other reason for opposition from the
father is purely financial. Men have
been known to make a strong fight
against music in the public schools
Tor no other reason than that it
would be too expensive. Men OF this
CALDER must see the results before
they are convinced that music is
worth while, n the time required to
prove this TACTIC them varies with
different individuals.
Il am satisfied that the number Of
young men attending school, who try
to substitute some other subject for
music, is gradually diminishing and
that those who have not had music in
the schools very 500 regret it.
1t takes about ten years to prove
to No. 1 (the taxpayer) that his
promise had been wrong and about
.one-third of that time for the young
man to realize his mistake.
What must be done to improve
these conditions? I think the remedy
may be considered under two heads
and classified as follows:
First, better equipment in the
schools.
Second. better musical prepara.-
tion on the part Of supervisors and
other teachers.
Under No. J., I believe that every
room in the school, where music Is
taught, should be provided with a
good instrument and that tuned at
least at the beginning and middle Of
each school year. There are many Of
our supervisors and a large per cent
of the grade teachers, who have diff
Guilty in singing even the most COM
MOI intervals in tune, and IL they are
further handicapped by being COM
PEELED to use an instrument which Is
badly out Of tune, the chances for
any marked advancement on the part