Evening star., 1949-12-02
$4,000 10 Hear
First Concert on
School Radios
National Symphony
Educational Series
Of Six Opens Today
tkkt
By jones G. Deone

An audience of more than 50,-
900 school children was expected
to listen by radio today to the
first in a series of educational
concerts by the National SYM
phony Orchestra.
Schools throughout the Wash
ington area - public. parochial
and private-planned to give their
pupils the unusual musical treat
during an hours broadcast this
afternoon. The concert is the
first of six scheduled this winter.
A live audience of 1866 other
youngsters also was to hear-and
see-the actual performance in
Central High Schools auditorium.
The National Symphony has
given children's concerts during
all it's 18 seasons, but this is the
first series to be broadcast in its
entirety during school hours to
the hundreds of area schools.
Station WQQW is transmitting
the programs.
First Without Charge.
For the auditorium audiences,
the concerts are the first to be
free. Six Washington business
firms, by paying the costs Of the
performances, have made it pos
sible to drop the former ticket
charge of 40 cents or more.
Sponsor for todays concert is
the Hecht Co., Washington de-
partment store. Sears, Roebuck
g. Co., Lee D. Butler. Inc; Peoples
Drug Stores, Campbell Music Co.
and an anonymous donor are the
others.
Area educators have indicated
growing interest in the broadcast
plans since they were revealed in
The Star last week.
In Washington, all public grade
schools have been sent advance
program notes prepared by school
music supervisors, and principals
have been urged to schedule the
concert hour for all children
deemed ready to listen" This in
cludes all fourth, fifth and six
graders. administrators said.
County Schools Notified.
The Rt. Rev. Msgr. John S.
Spence, director of the parochial
schools, has arranged to have the
music made available to pupils
from the fourth through the
eighth grades. Prince Georges
County also has notified all its
schools about the concerts, and
widespread participation Is ex-
pected.
Arlington, Montgomery and
Fairfax County school officials
also plan to encourage use OF the
broadcasts as an aid to their n1u-
sical appreciation instruction. it
was learned today, although no
general plans we're made for hear
ing today's concert.
Educators and symphony lead
ers are expected to work out plans
for distribution Of program in
formation and classroom prepara-
ton, as we'll as for participation
by the school teachers in concert
planning. The symphony associ-
atoms Children's Concert Com
mittee, headed by Mrs. Warren S.
Ege, hopes next year at least to
double the number of concerts.
Commentary by Mitchell.
The concerts, especially planned
for children, will feature COM
mentary by Director Howard
Mitchell as a supplement to class
room instruction by teachers both
before and afterwards. Phono-
graph recordings, either owned by
the schools or supplied by the
symphony association, also will be
employed in many classrooms.
Only elementary pupils will at
tend the concerts in Washington
this winter. Junior and senior
high school students, who once
helped make up the audiences,
now are able to attend the eve
ming Neighborhood Concerts given
in school auditoriums under
auspices of The Evening Star,
school officials pointed out.