New Britain herald., 1928-06-26


merely as a matter OF course. and
whether they play good or bad they
get about the same amount Of at
tention. Which is not enough to
arouse the Jealousy Of the athletes.
But few high school athletes ever
get very far as athletes. When they
go to college they may make a col
lege squad or team. and they may
not. Most Of them do not. And then
all their glory is but memory.
The players in the orchestra who
are encouraged and instructed by
Professor Matthews. however. are
headed toward no such enveloping
fog. A youthful fiddler. once he
| leaves the high school, still can
fiddle; the trumpet player can con-
tinue trumpeting; the saxophone
manipulation can continue to WOO
luscious tone from his horn: and so
with all the rest. Those who go to
college discover that the college Or
chestra. jazz or regular, has its pos
sibilities; also its remunerations;
and there never seem to be too
many musicians around a college to
meet the demand. The boys who go
into the thing commercially a bit
much more money than anybody
else. And even if studies prevent
/ commercial work OF this character
except on week ENDS the college
musicians always amount to some
thing, and in some colleges to a
! great deal. b. A. Rolfe. jazz impre-
sario. picked up college saxophonc
/ player recently and started him in at
more by now.
| While the high school orchestra
| boys and girls get a minimum OF
attention from the public. though
they deserve much more, their
plight compared with the athletes
who get all the llmelight for
awhile and none of it later is not so
| bad. The mastery of a musical in
strument stays with them, anyway:
at least If they are really interested
in their accomplishment. Nearly all
continue wooing increased mastery.
too, and if it Is always necessary to
tell all the truth, their music sticks
to them longer and becomes a
many OF the other studies they
learn all about and forget later.
At the time Mr.. Matthews began
supervising music for the public
schools the system was much more
restricted than it is today. One
wonder how he finds time to at
tend to all the duties that have de-
veloped with the years. From a
musical supervisory standpoint the
city gets Just as much as it puts into
| it, and as the schools are not con-
servatories of music, and as music is
merely a sort of supplementary
/ study to he considered after every
thing else is looked after, the city
over it. 1t is surprising indeed that
| the returns are as widespread as
they happen to be.
/ The climax of Mr. Matthews eff
/ forts, of course, remain the excel
lence of the high school orchestra.
t Some years it is better than others,
/ Of course, depending upon the talent
on hand. But each year it is better
than it would be without the pains
/ taking work given by the super
! visor.A large percentage of the best
known musicians in the city had
their start under the supervisory
work of the city's music depart
ment: hundreds of others have been
influenced through it. What if the
athletes get the jump on the atten-
ton. In the long run the boys and
girls who develop their musical ap-
preciation under the supervisor have
more than mere memories Of the
days when they We're football play
ers, baseball players, or took part in
other athletic sidelines. Besides, a
, fiddler can be q good athlete all the
same if he is built that way