The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-12-02
County Schools Music Program
Considered Among States Best

Der. Grade school music teachers
find themselves putting in lots of
extra hours with these glee clubs,
but the results are so satisfying
that no one complains.
Especially around the Christmas
holiday season." one music tea
cher remarked" we spend a good
many extra hours with our little
clubs"
No school Christmas program
would be complete without a glee
club presentation of the familiar
Christmas hymns.
instrumental Training
Instrumental work begins with
third grade pupils, that age-group
being considered about right for a
start on some instrument. The
instrumental work is conducted in
two fields: orchestra and band.
Mrs. Eric Norden, no unfami-
liar figure to most Wilmingtonians,
has charge of orchestra training
in five grade schools with seventh
and eighth grade junior high de-
partments. She prefers to start the
children with string instruments,
believing that good foundation
with violin is a necessary pre-
requisite to sound musical edu-
cation. Mrs. Norden spends an
average Of three hours a week
with her orchestra students in
each of the five grammar schools
Chestnut Heights, Winter Park,
Hemenway, Bradley Creek and
Tileston. The rest of her week is
devoted to a High school orchestra.
OF her young musicians, Mrs.
Norden says this year is produc-
ing some exceptionally fine string
students.
There's a good deal of interest,
both by the student and by the
parent, and it all adds up to better
music she declares.
Students don't have to take an
instrument, which by the way are
available at very nominal yearly
rental fee of $40 from the school
board. Study is optional. Likewise,
it's entirely up to the pupil and the
parents whether or not home study
is done. Most of the youngsters,
Mrs. Norden believes, are doing
some serious study and practice
at home.
Band work is the field of J. R,
Dobson, native Wilmingtonian
with a fine background of music
in school and college. Band in
struments, like those for Mrs.
Norton's orchestra, are made
available to pupils of the junior
high grades {seventh and eighth
year of grammar SCHOOL, through
the school board. About $4,000
worth of band and orchestra in
struments are now on hand and
the list grows almost yearly.
Junior High Bands ..-Y
Dobson's students have q def
mite preference for loud horns
and noisy drums. His hands are
full at the outset of each school
year to tone this inclination down
within reasonable instruments. Nc
effort is made at this time to or.
ganize full band in each Of the
schools with seventh and eighth
grades. Rather, Dobson selects
likely pupils from each school AND
brings them together once a week
for a practice session as Junior
High Band"
"The results are proving very
satisfactory, the band instructor
says. 1--WE find the youngsters
taking their work seriously, and il
is thrill to them when they find
their collective efforts produce re-
specially good music"
Dodson finds it almost impossible
to concentrate on Individual in
struction. Rather he directs his
training by instrument groups -
SaXOphoneS, tfunpetS clarlnetS
etc.
All of this work in the grade
and junior high classes is having
a pronounced effect in the High
school. Take the work of Lieuten
ant Eugene ]. Lacock, High schoo
ROTC band director, for it.
"We're getting band students nov
who know their instrument pretty
well and who have had consider
able practice in group playing. The
result is that our High school Cade
band is improving constantly"
The Cadet band is 56-piece
group selected from more thar
100 High school boys and girl:
taking "band'' as an elective. .Te
win place in the Cadet band, anc
to have the right to wear an ROTC