San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-15

cal memory, that the school chlldfel
of the city have just passed with sucl
flying colors, would they make al
equally fine record, or nOt2
Mrs. Lulu Griesenbec!-, supervisor
of music in the public schools an'
general chairman of the Music Memoir
Contest, is very lrOud and much de
lighted with the record San Antonio
children have made. Fifty-twO child
rem made perfect records at both the
elimination and final contests, and
80 others have made scores OF w
Exact figures are not available IRON
other Texas cities for purposes OF
comparison, but Dallas rept rts only
go perfect scores, and this IS the
seventh year similar contests have been
held there. while this is San An
tonio's initial experience. The San
Antonio record is even more remark
able when it is considered that our
children were tested on 30 tunes.
whereas the Dallas children only used
80. in their contests.
The grading of papers was very
difficult task. and one that required
the incest Discrimination. Papers
that were perfect in every detail OF
music recognition, name and nation
alitv of composer, spelling and hand
writing were marked 80 because quo
tation marks were placed around the
name of the opera, Oratoria, or suite,
from which the melody was selected.
This seems to the unprecedented out
slider. like drawing too fine a line,
but il proved to be necessary to keep
the grading of papers in each school
on exactly the same basis.
The Briscoe School. No. 10, on
South Flores street of which Miss
Flora Mcneil is principal and Miss
Eileen Saunders the music teacher,
made the remarkable record of having
every one of the nineteen pupils from
that school who entered the contest
make a perfect record at both tests.
So far as can be learned. this record
is unique throughout tlie country, and
speaks volumes for the training of
those children. not only from musical
standpoint. but in the qualities of
concentration. poise and self-cOntrol
under considerable strain.
The small musicians who repre-
scented San Antonio in the district
contest held for the fifteen counties
in this part of the state, in the Nor
NAL School in San Marcos on Sat
urday morning, April IA, were both
chosen from this school. They are
Miss Ina Blevins. 13-year-old daugh-
Ter of Mr.. and Mrs. J. L. Bleyins,
POI City street, and Miss Myrtle
Daniel, 12-year-old daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. X. +. Daniel, 241l South
Flores street. Both express the easy
confidence of extreme youth and GER
tain knowledge that they will win
in the State Music Memory Contest
that will be held in Austin in the
first week in May. They have each
made perfect scores on three different
occasions in the San Antonio con-
tests, and they argue: 1--WE have done
it three times already and we knew
we can do it again. There isn't one
note of those fifty tunes that We don't |
know perfectly. We have our com
ments' all ready, in case of a tie, and |
we don't see why we shouldn't win.
One of the very interesting features
IF the Music Memory Contest is the |
wealth of imagery that has been reused
in childish minds by becoming familiar
With this much of the worlds great
music. The comments" that the
children have been led TO make on the
mental pictures that the melodies form
10 them are distinctly worth while.
These few are selected from a group
given on a music irogram from the
grade school of the city. on last We'd
nesday afternoon by two pupils who
were chosen from the seventh grade
Of school %. Those made by Miss
Margaret Mclean were: Moonlight |
Sonata, first movement by Beethoven.
A blind girl sits with her hands
clasped before her. Moonlight pours
in through the window, lighting up |
the lace Of the great master and in
spring him to play this wonderful
composition. Hungarian Dance, No.
), by Brahms. Gypsies in gay, flut-
tering rags dance a weird Romany
dance, clashing their tamborines.
Humoresque, Dvorak. This piece calls
to my mind he young violinist in
fanny Hurst's story, Humorseque in
which he plays the widest applause
when he plays Dvorak's 'Humor-
The other group Of comments
made by Miss Iris Eckhardt which
are equally interesting, are: largo
from the New World Symphony by
Dvorak. The plaintive melody of |
this piece makes me think of the
Dvorak felt while in
America, far away from his native |
Bohemia. Anitra's Dance from the
Peer Gynt Suite by Greig. There
sits foolish Peer drinking in the
beauty of Anitra who dances more
for his gold than for him. Traumeri,
by Schumann. When l hear this
piece. my world becomes filled with |
music, and the cares that iIfest the |
day fold their tents like the Arabs,
and as silently steal away
After all, it isn't SO much what |
the individual children have learned in
the Music Memory Contest. which
makes it valuable TO them and TO the
town in general. 1t is the desire |
which has been created TO learn more |
music that is the imDortant thing. As |
it has been conducted, the contest has
touched so many little lives and so
much interest in music and apprecia-
ton for its beauty has been reused, |
that the results are incalculable. Any |
ones musical taste is in exact cor
respondence with his musical know
ledge.
GRADE SCHOOL MUSIC