Evening star., 1924-07-03
MUSIC SENSE BIC
FACTOR IN SCHOOL
Appreciation Most Fascinat-
ing Phase, Says New Jer-
sey Woman.

Music appreciation has become the
most fascinating phase of school
music, according to Mrs Francis
Clark of the Victor Talking Machine
Company of Camden. N. j., speaking
today before the department Of music
education at the Central High School
Organization and conduct of a school
orchestra was discussed by James D.
Price of Hartford, Conn.
Mrs. Clark said. in part :, ITO hear
the real music accurately and ade-
quately reproduced, to learn to listen
discriminatingly, to compare, to
judge, to love beautiful music with
or without reason, to anayze, 20 pick
TO pieces for motive, phrase, form,
construction, to feel the pulsing of
the rhythm, to float, to swim or sink
or battle with the waves of emotion
TINS Is to make music part Of life,
10 i've in music and to permit music
TO i've IN the inner consciousness.
The so-called regular work in
school music. meaning generally
merely the grinding away at note
reading, is fast giving way before
the realization that, after all, the real
music itself is of more Importance
than any amount of talk about music:
that the study. of real music is much
more vital than plodding through un-
interesting, meaningless exercises
constructed to present some problem
IN tonallty or meter or note lengths.
Teaching Of Music.
children must be taught to read
music, must be sent out into life with
the power of self-acquiring the mes
sage of the printed score; must hear
what they see, and see what they
hear, but the hearing must come first
to prepare che way for the vital work
of later grades.
as it too much to expect that with
in the remaining twelve years of this
first century of school music we shall
see all the children in our schools
everywhere understanding music as
only the specially trained adults now
do?
When the primary grades univer-
sally begin at the beginning a logical
course in ear training with music, Sc
cure the bodily coordination with
mind and pulse, acquire a repertoire
of beautiful melody. is it too difficult
to vision that the later elementary
grades will easily master sight-read-
ing? When they add to their store OF
melodies, definite study of rhythm,
theme recognition, instruments, etc,
the junior high work in nationality,
folk song, simple form and ANALYSIS
will make it possible for the high
schools to send young people out real
musicians and able to play on at
least one instrument with n working
knowledge of the development OF
music, familiar with the best work s
of the great masters. and able TO
Judge discriminatingly between the
good and the merely cheap and banal.
I'VE may confidently expect by
1896 a great expansion in choral con-
tests and band and orchestra con-
tests. The memory contest Will have
become a test of the years work in
music appreciation instead of short
spasmodic effort and participated in
by all the children. The subject OF
music Interpretation with the express
sion of the suggested mood in free
dance rhythms, the study or program
music and the dramatization of hum
dreds Of music stories, must inevi-
tably lead to the opera form OF ex-
preston"
James D. Price, associate director
Of music, public schools, Hartford,
Conn, spoke, in part. as follows:
Definite steps to stimulate orches-
trail interest are not only worth
while. they are manifestly i'm
portant. They may take any-or bet
ter, all-of several approaches: By
means of the phonograph. by frequent
reference, by brief concerts, by local
or outside organizations, by the CO.
operation of private teachers.
individual Trials Necessary.
"Experience urges that individual
trials, no matter how large or how
small the list Of candidates, are not
only helpful; they are necessary:
The trial should involve prepared
piece without accompaniment and
some sight work with or without
accompaniment.
"Organize the orchestra with the
symphony orchestra as model.
Students are without, but
nevertheless should have the most
strument. Many instrumental fulfil
tiles would therefore be avoided.
Concert master should be chosen not
only on account of his playing abil-
ity, but he should be dependable, he
should stand well in school. and, if
possible, his playing should have an
element of spontaneity which Is
contagious. All important positions
should be filled by the most careful
selection. Let dependability. and
initiative count for more than hngeT
facility Assign responsibility and
see that students who are given posi-
tions of trust measure up to their
opportunities.
THE successful director should
have or should acquire reasonable
knowledge of the general1t1es OF each
instrument of the symphony orcheS-
ira with particular knowledge OF at
least one, should develop a decisive
beat and should be ready at all times
to give all the extra work necessary
to obtain results He should be
familiar with the HISTORICAL back
ground of the composition studied
and should give some time at re-
hearsals to appreciation.
! THE years study should focus IN
ait o.
pendently, if the orchestra is large
enough, or jointly with glee club or
chorus. 1t is part of the educational
scheme. All education is public
performance to greater or lesser
degree. Furthermore, II parents VIII
NOT come to the schools we must take
school activities to the parents"