Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04
BY FREDERICK oECHsNER.

TINE traditional idea that America
is not musical nation-as we
think of Italy and Germany, for
L example, as being musical ma
tions-has less foundation In
fact than is generally realized. With
the increasing facilities for having
music in this country, with the steps
being taken to educate the public in the
of music and to train the
youth of the land In making music
(most important of ALI, America in 2s
years or less will probably enjoy ar
established pre-eminence in the field.
The author Of these opinions is Ken.
meth s. Clark of the National Bureau
for the Advancement of Music, whose
book, Music In Industry" was exten.
sively reviewed last week In the leading
article on this page. Mr.. Clark hal
since come to Washington under aus.
pices of the Playground and Recreation
Association of America, which for thu
past month has been holding a confer.
ence for colored recreational workers al
the Garnet-Patterson Junior High
School in cooperation with the com
munity center department of the Dis.
trict public schools. The conference
was concluded Friday evening.
At its sessions, attended by repre-.
sentatives Of various communities ir
this section of the United States, Mr.
Clark conducted classes of instruction
in the propagation of music along com.
munity lines. AS one of the first three
leaders to popularize group singing ir
Army camps and in France during thu
war, and with a subsequent wide ex.
perience in the distribution of music
information and propaganda to all parts
of the country, he is felt to be qualified
to discuss the subject in Its national
aspect. He is the author of two com.
prehensive books on the relation OF
music to social and economic organiza-
ton in America.
The essential spirit to combat in the
dissemination OF music in the United
States, Mr.. Clark feels, is the Let
George do it" attitude. Mere "specta.
torship," he says, will initiate against
the development Of a musical spirit
What is actually needed is participa.
ton.
One does not need to be an alarm
ist," Mr.. Clark declares, Ito be seri-
ously disturbed by the trend in oul
national life which is so increasingly
putting a premium upon self-expres.
sion. It Is not merely that self-expres-
sion Is good for the Individual; there i.
also q negative aspect to the situation
4ChOCLlCIcS WHICH III InLo meCnanlSLl(
age lead the individual away from ex.
pressing himself creatively in his leisure
hours are thereby withholding from him
very necessary enrichment of life
They are thus making him less of free
souled individual and more of a stand.
ardized, regimented cog in a machine.
Those who have recognized the seri.
BUSINESS of this danger have, by tn,
same token, cast about for remedia
measures. Through these they seek tt
counterfeit the evil effects of the above
tendencies without injury to any con.
structive by-products thereof. AS ap-
piled to music, those measures consist
OF stressing the importance of persona
participation without detriment to thu
process Of listening, which Is such q
necessary element in the scheme. Such
an increase in active music makinr
was chosen as the keynote of the 1926
National Music week, with its rallyine
call Of Hear music-make music-enjoy
music"
Those factors which most vitality At.
fected the status Of music in the home
(Which Is, after all, the spiritual unit
in music, as In other things were the
automobile and the motion picture, Mr.
Clark says. They took people ava,
from the home, and incidentally away
from the piano and the violin and thu
mandolin, and, with that enforcement
away from the impulse to music.
While the photograph served an al.