The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-27
Music and Education


 One reason why grand opera and symphony orchestras are maintained in most of the larger cities of Europe without the financial aid of wealthy individual guarantors is because the governments, national and municipal, subsidize these institutions on the ground that high class music IS an educational and refining necessity.
 In this country a musical enthusl- ast comes forward now and then with a plea for a government-endowed con- servatory, grand opera and grand or chestra, but no one will live to see the time when Congress will give serious attention to such proposition. It IS encouraging, however, to people who feel an abiding interest i'll tonal art to find that the government is now recognizing music in very practical way as an essential part of education. This recognition began soon after the magr ificent Congressional library at Washington was completed by the se- lection of a competent musician to take charge of the library's musical section. At the start good deal of trivial stuff found it's way to the shelves intended only for compositions of merit; but all the sheet music trash has been weeded out and what the student finds in the Congressional library now is real '1iterature"- torio, opera and symphony scores and no end of music written for piano and other solo instruments. 1t is splen- did collection and would reflect credit upon any musical center of the old world.
 But such library is of interest only to those who are advanced in musical training and have the inclina tion to study music as distinct pro- fession or pursue course in the se- verely intellectual reaches of musi cal art simply for cultural pleasure.
 But in recent years the bureau of education in the United States in- terior department has been giving at- tention to music in connection with the public schools, so as to get in touch with the everyday life of the nation.
 A writer in Musical America tells of William Earhart's valued service in a campaign for school music in Pittsburg. And today the government and the American public are having the benefit of his knowledge and ex- perience. At the request of Dr. P. P. Claxton, United States commissioner of education, he made a survey of school music conditions throughout the country and then submitted an ex- haustive report on the subject of music taught in the various school systems. In sending this report to the Secretary of the Interior Dr. Claxton wrote: Sooner or later we shall not only recognize the culture value of music, but we shall begin to under stand that, after the beginning of reading, writing, arithmetic and ge- ometry music has greater practical value than any other subject taught in the schools"
 Mir. Earhart, in addition to his school position in Pittsburg, is chair man of the music committee of the National Educational association, and his work in that organization is sure to tell. The forthcoming report com- piled by MT. Earhart and committee of fifteen will set forth that the aim in standardization is to "inaugurate a system of teaching music in high schools that will provide for courses in harmony, musical history and ap- preciation. Students who receive pri- vate instruction from outside teacher; of the violin, piano, organ, voice oi any symphony orchestra instrument will be credited for labor spent just ss if a student gave five or seven