Arizona republican., 1915-05-23
CLUB NOTES

regular school hours for this outside
work, and his or her showing in
music, as rated by the private teach
er. is taken into consideration in
making up the averages and deter
mining standings of the pupil at the
close of the school year. DIR. Claxton
believes that the board of education
should have authority to pass upon
the proficiency of the music teacher
who imparts the instruction, just
the ability of the public school teach
err is tested ere she is enrolled in the
teaching corps.
At the meeting of the National
Education Association at st. Paul last
July the department of music educa-
ton contributed an impressive pro-
gram. Peter Dykema of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin. j. Beach era
gun of the University of Chicago, as
we'll as DR.. ClaXton were among the
speakers. In the papers and discus
sions acknowledgment was made of
music dependence upon scientific
principles particularly those of psy-
lchology and including those of soci-
ology and economics. The subject OF
high school credits for applied music
taken under special teachers outside
the school was discussed. Mr.. Nc
Conathy held that teachers should be
recognized as members of the faculty
and that students should receive tests
/ that covered theoretical training as
well as applied music.
Our own high school has taken a
step in this direction and last year
! from one-fourth to a full credit was
given to high school students study
| ing music So far. no satisfactory
J ,afh n1 Of ct hn of 10
work done by the student has been
decided upon, but this will doubtless
come in time. If music is to be given
a place in the high school course,
there should surely be some stand
ard of work required as for any other
study. Some credits are to be given
this year for work in harmony, his
! tory and theory and this also is
hopeful sign. The high school stud
ent who studies piano must practice
two hours each day to do work ac-
ceptable to an eXacting teacher. If
/ the instructor is leading the pupil to
think instead of merely to read notes
and run his fingers over the keys
this practice period is one of eX=
treme concentration and alertness,
surely involving much mental de-
velopment as any of the called solid
studies in the high school course.
! Then why not credit accordingly and
give the pupil with a love for music
the chance to study it during the
period when the mind is most re-
| ceptive. The day has passed when
| anyone with simply a quick ear or "A
little fluency of fingers can be con-
sidered a musician. The teacher of
music welcomes an intelligent pupil
as gladly as does the high school or
university and those who have really
studied music. not played with it.
know that to meet the requirements
put upon a performer today one must
| bring to it not merely a love of har-
mony but well developed mind
! and that a good education is not only
desira BILE but almost a necessity. Most
of our foremost musicians are people
of culture and many of them are
exceedingly clever in their line. Fanny
! Bloomfield Zeislu, for instance. is
splendid mathematician. and music by
the way is a very exact as well as
very eXactins science
| Before the National Education As
ISOLATION Mr.. Cragim of the school of
| education of the University of Chi
cago, laid stress upon the bearing of
music study on the mental life. By
means of charts and statictics he
showed that the cognative. effective
and contaive aspects of mental life
are present in the process of musical
development.
/ DIR. CIaxton pointed out the physi-
cal intellectual and emotional value
of good music and it's influence on
/ the human soul. He claimed that mu-
sic is of more practical value than
any subject of the usual curriculum
/ excepting reading and writing. He
named physical culture. reading. writ
| ing and music as the fundamentals in
| elementary education. 1t was also
claimed that it should find a place
| from the beginning to the end of ones
| education.
! Dean Lutkin of the Northwestern
School of Music claimed that music
fulfiIls it's highest function when we
are participators although it is pri-
marily something to listen to. Enter
tainment, aroused emotions were
| pointed out as secondary to the APP
probation of melody as an expansion
of human speech, which comes to one
Voicing his own emotions
1t is very encouraging that mary
prominent educators are taking such
an interest in this subject and that
many are seeing the desirability of
placing good music within the reach
! of the populacc. Cleveland, Mlwau-
| kee and other cities now boast of
municipal orchestIas. Many Of the
large orchestras are giving concerts
/ at popular prices, and are finding
] them exceedingly popular. The Mil
waukee Municipal orchestra found
| hall of 5000 seating capacity not
/ large enough to accommodate the
crowd and increased the capacity to
6OO0.
| 1t is becoming increasingly appar-
| cnt that no matter what the con-
ditions of general theatrical affairs
in New York, the opera even plays
second fiddle to anything in the line
Of orohestry. The time has come
when opera in this country will be
supported by music lovers and will
exist because there is popular