San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-18

National Bureau for the Advance
ment of Music, belongs the credit for
lnaugurating tine Music Memory Con
tests, which have groan, and sptead,
until they are doing more than any
other one agency ia the country 10
awaken general interest in music.
The device of a Music Memory Con
fest. was originated in Mr.. 1rcmainc' ;
desire to cultivate music appreciation
in his own children. He succeeded SO
admirably that hfs plan has spread. in
very short time 10 many OF the
cities and towns OF the country, and
in most places, these contests have
become the leading musical event oil
the year in the schools.
Ii remained for Texas to initiate
in 1922, a statewide contest OF n
scope that is expected 10 include prac-
tically ever ycOunty and city school
in the state. The plan is merely the
local memory contest on very mach
wider scale. This ;tate cOntyi 8. was
inaugurated by The lEtg.srao asr.C
League Division o. the i;ulelu 0T ES-
tension Of the Uniyyrs,tr u '.e=as.
which has isscel valuable bulletin OF
its aims and purposes.
1.-The purpose of the Music Mem
DRY Contest the bulletin says. "is to
cultivate GmOng school childrcH an ap-
probation o. good music - to tarn
them away from a fOGdncss for the
coarser and more meaningless forms
A.sAsnusical composition To Il genuine
love for the classical productions o.
the great masters. This contest Is
10 longer an experiment: iis wonder
Z, full educational value has ben prov
ed in the last few days in hundreds OF
school systems scattered over the en-
tire country
The bulletin which ting Interschol-
S astic League OF the University of Tex
as has just published. is called Read
ing Lessons in Music Appreciation
= and is intended TO be used in prepGr-
!. ing pupils for the music memory con
q test. 1t gives a brief and non-tech-
nical history OF the orchestra and the
four families of which it is composed
the strings. the woOd-winds, the
brasses and the percussion. Each of
the compositions selected for the con-
test is simply analysed andTdescribed
in such fashion as will excite the in
terest Of any child. Short and read
able biographies are also given of each
,of the composers represented.
When the announcement of music
memory contest was first issued in
1922 by the InterScholastic League,
over 800 schools asked TO be enrolled
in the contest. and it is expected. in
this second year. fully 1900 schools
throughout the state. ranging from lit
tie country schools in the remote dis
tricts to the largest city schools. will
participate. Under the plan provided,
the smallest school in the most isolated
district has equal opportunity with the
biggest schools in Dallas, Houston or
San Antonio.
The influence of a statewide move
ment of such breadth and scope is
hard to estimate, but il is bound to
create a love and appreciation and
understanding of music that would
have been impossible in any preceding
generation. 1t is a splendid thing TO
introduce the children of the country
to an interest in fine things. When
child becomes accustomed TO the
best and realizes what the best .
means, nothing else will satisfy him.
Good music, like good books and good
pictures. makes for culture with
sout which real social progress is i'm
To know good music is 10
love it and where there is love OF
music, there is always promise of good
morals and good citizenship.
At the weekly meeting of the com
mittee chairmen of the San Antonio
Musical Memory Contest, held Tues
day evening. March 10, in the offices
of the A. +. Boyer Music Company,
it was voted to make the contest an
annual event, and the present temper
airy officers-David l.. Ormesher, pres
ident, and Mrs. +. l.. Carson, secre-
tary were made permanent.
Mrs. Lulu Griesenbeck, supervisor
of music, in the public schools, and
chairman Of the final contests, an.
nounced that 30 or 81 schools would
enter children in the contest. The
dates of the contests were changed
from those previously decided upon,
and the two final contests will be held
on consecutive days instead of week
apart. The contests will be held in
the Breckenridge High School auditor
ium, from to 6 o'clock, the semi
final, Tuesday afternoon, April 3. and
the final contest, Wednesday after
noon, April 4.
Mrs. J. II, Krakauer, chairman of
the prize committee, reported the dona-
ton of more than 80 prizes, ranging
from dresses, hathing suits and cut
glass: clock, to phonograph records
musical instruments and money.
Mr.. Ormesher spoke of the first
contest that WAS given four years ago
in Dallas, when only 80 perfect pa
pers were submitted. and conrdsted
that record with the one made in
the same schools for the last year
when out of 290 contestants, only
eighteen failed TO make perfect scores.
The public is the real winner in this
contest" Mr.. Ormesher said. "Thc
children may not be able to read or
play the music they have learned an
this way, but they have laid it up in
their memories, and nothing can rob
them of this treasure. When good
IrSn.-je has become SO much a part OF
their lives, that they whistle or hum
it unconsciously, then we may be sure