Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-03
[slaiI,]

NiilNiL We dlC greatly llltcIcSlcu. MlSo
Hazel Gertrude Kinscella, state presi-
dent, and Miss Vera Augusta Upton,
secretary and treasurer. had worked
urtiringly to make this meeting a sue
cess, and Saturday was filled with
musical events from $50 in the morn
ing until the close of the evening. The
conference opened in the morning in
the ball room of the Lincoln hotel,
Wien Mayor Charles w. Bryan made
very gracious speech OF welcome.
The morning session was full OF in
terest Miss Edith Lucille Robbins
followed Mayor Bryan, and sang
three Norwegian folk songs in the
costume of the Voss- Hardanger dis
trict, Norway. Then came Professor
Paul Grumann of the University OF
Nebraska in talk upon Music as
Vital Force in the Community He
spoke Of the earliest songs of man
kind, the love songs, the lullabys OF
tie women. and as a little later de-
velopment the working songs of the
men. Hc spoke OF our present COM
sp!lcatcd existence, and of the lack OF
the common touch. Work tends to
be solitary, to draw people apart,
while music in the community tends
to draw people together. Community
music has the power of furnishing the
much needed common touch. One of
his most important points was that
the community owes it to its gifted
members an environment in which
thcy can develop. He is in favor OF
the community supporting good
music so that it may assume its true
p &c as vital force in the COM
lnu.,ty.
10 you l;now Fred Hunter the
SUE in;enGcnt OF the Lincoln public
sc.uots. lie is a former Omaha boy.
and University OF Nebraska product,
,..,- No.. -. III music IN the
g ~ said ne was surprised at
the national supervisors meeting last
spr ng that the teachers did not dis
cuss the technic nor intellect of
music, but took up the psychology
and pedagogy Of it instead He point
ed out the tendency OF modern educa-
ton to democratize. to make the
schools available for children of all
kinds. He said the schools and their
machinery should be used for social
centers and for music. Music in the
Lincoln High school last year cost
$500 and has already welded a wide
1t interests pupils in group
organizations, and is one of the
strongest drawing powers for the for
eign element He believes that music
is the strongest force in awakening
the social consciousness 1t helps
people to think comparatively. Many
OF the public schools OF Lincoln al
ready have audtoriums and the plan
OF the present board OF education
there is to build an auditorium in
every new school building, where the
pupils can get together, or the neigh
borhood, and which will be available
for community music, and the music
of the schools.
Then came DR.. Homer c. House OF
the Peru State Normal school, a
most enthusiastic worker in the cause
of music, who told about the COM
lnunity festivals they hold in Peru in
May each year. He said they had a
chorus of about 200 in a town of 9l5
population. At first they had to fea
ture famous singers to get people 10
come, now they feature themselves
and assisting singers. Sometimes
they make a little. sometimes they
lose, but the art is worth it and the
growth of musical interest in the COM
fnunity has been remarkable. He
pointed out the chief trouble with all
chorus singing, which hope the
printer will capitalize,7- that THEY
ARE SATISFIED WITH TOO IN
SIGNIFICANT RESULTS. He said
conductors and member: OF the
chorus should never feel that they
| have accomplished all that can be in
chorus singing. Many people come
from surrounding towns to the Peru
festival; last year fifty from Pawnee
City, ] understand, were added to the
chorus. The name of Peru is becom-
ing known in places where before it
was never heard of, apd people from
Peru in droves visit Omaha ind Lin
coin for the big musical events. And
DR.. House also believes that the story
Of Peru can be the story of any other
community.
Prof. H. B. Alexander, of the State
university, who wrote the 1915 and
1915 pageants, which were performed
at Lincoln, spoke on the significance
of the Community Pageant" He
called attention to the fact that we
do not have to go elsewhere for in
spiration, that Nebraska is full of ro-
nance The material is at hand, all
we have to do is to use it. He said
pageantry has vital part in the life
of community, for it calls upon all
the creative life in it. The dance,
music, art, management and all work
together and the people learn to
know and understand each other bet
ter.
Mrs Keefe OF Walthill spoke OF
the small music clubs which are
insignificant. but which
hold women who desire to know and
understand more about musc--of the
clubs which fulfill their mission if
they only develop the appreciation OF
the members and teach them to lis
ten well. Mrs. Hall spoke Of the
chorus of the Lincoln Women's club,
which has recently been organized
and contains some thirty enthusiastic
members. Miss Haywood spoke
briefly of the musical work in the
Lincoln high school.
Mrs. Steele OF Sedalia, Mo-, talked
upon the National Federation OF
Music Clubs and the work they are