The Washington times., 1922-11-12
DIRECTOR
GARTLAN
FAVORS
CLASSICS
Urges Particularly
Study of Music a !
Biography an d
Memory Contests.
By WILLIAM MOORE.
A BOUT a year ago, the
N, teachers of a certain
public school in

a SbOUT a year ago, the
N, teachers Of a certain
IA public school in
Washington decided a pho
nograph was essentiol in their
efforts to instill in the pupils
q better understanding Of
"the higher and nobler
arts"
The Board of Education
had no money to invest in a
phonograph. Congress saw
to that,
The next best thing was
TO get out and work for the
music maker. Teachers and
pupils, parents and COM
munity leaders, all lent their
time, energy and money un-
stintingly to the common
purpose.
In course Of time the phono.
graph-it was a victrola. by the
way-became the property of the
school. From morning to night
the instrument drummed the
classics into the heads of Wash.
ington's young hopefuls.
Now. here comes the sad part
Of the story.
Whether the teachers and pupils
became fed up on the instru-
ment and worked 1t to death at
the beginning. I do not know.
But for a long time the victrola
remained silent.
The other day the physical 'cul-
ture instructor breezed into the
school building.
How about a little music?"
she queried. what? 1t will dis
rupt the classes? How absurd.
Nothing better than music to
keep the youngsters in step and
shake down the mental cobwebs."
There was some disapproval Of
the proposition to renew the
pupils musical education, but the
physical culture teacher won her
point. The victroia ONCE more
has been elevated to its proper
sphere In the life Of that school.
THE moral of this little story?
Simply this: Divorce music
from school work and the lives Of
teachers and pupils will be one
long. nasty grind. Inject music
into the curriculum and notice the
Improvement in the scholarship
Of the children. Don't let the
phonograph-if you have one in
the school-rust out from disuse.
Oil It up and put on a new record.
DR.. George H. Gartlan. director
Of music in the New York public
schools, has written an interesting
essay for Musical Courier. in
which he outlines with all his mas
terly skill as a writer the absolute
necessity of music in public school
life.
I'm recent years." DR.. Gartlan
says, formal school exercises have
been supplanted by symbolic pa
geantry. In the latter. music is a
very important and consistent part
Of the development. Out Of pa
geantry grew the symbolic drama,
and this form Of expression is. as
We understand It. to be gradually
supplanted by the more modern
form Of dramatics as a means Of
self-expression.
s0T'HERE is a tendency to
drsmatize . great many of
the stories in literature In order
that the characters around which
litsrAture, has been, woven win be-
como living personalities in the
imagination OF children.
"A complement to this form Of
destruction has been successfully
tried In the teaching Of music, par.
ticularly the study Of musical biog-
raphy and the music memory con-
test. Through the latter agency,
the children Of America are daily
becoming familiar with the work
Of the master composers In a sim.
pie and intimate manner. The
progress made in this direction
has been remarkable and the edu.
cationai benefits unlimited.
WE fear that the day Of the
w academic do-re-mi has passed.
The study of music should mean
that real music should come be-
fore tho technical part Is studied.
and for that reason song singing
n designed to direct the heart Of q
child properly toward music. be-
fore his mind Is called upon to an.
alyxe and study the technic Of the
subject, The character Of musical
instruments should be studied. be-
cause Il In through the different
"a a. -