Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-15
BY DAY THORPE

Frequently in this country
the teacher of the beginner
wants primarily to please the
parents and to show little
Johnny how to play two or
three pieces on the piano.
There is no question that
Johnny will ever become a
professional musician, and
there is no effort made to give
him the fundamental tech
niques that will lead to pro-
f1ciency.
I'm Europe. on the other
hand, l found that there was
no essential difference in APP
proach in the case of an anna
teur and a dedicated profess
Sional."
The speaker was Emerson
Meyers, teacher at Catholic
University and one of Wash
ington's leading concert plan
lists and pedagogueS. Over
lunch this week at the Cosmos
Club, Mr.. Meyers told me of
the eight months he spent in
Europe, with headquarters in
Liege. Belgium. doing research
under Fullbright grant into
methods of music instruction.
Most Pupils Quit Early
1T has always seemed to
me a serious consideration, "
he said, that in this country
between 70 and 80 per cent of
all children taking music les
sons never get beyond the
third year of instruction. Music
doesn't take with them-they
lose all interest in it, at least
as far as performance is con-
cerned.
There are of course many
reasons for this, and l do not
say which one is paramount.
Most children start taking
lessons because it is the thing
to do because their parents
want them to. not because of
any inherent desire to make
music
Then there are no mini
mum requirements for a music
teacher as there are say for
a dentist or a lawyer, and
while you can find many good
ones, there are far too many
incompetentS who give les
sons merely to augment the
family income.
The European Approach
ALSO. our aim here is typi-
cally TO get the child to play
pieces on the piano or fiddle or
cello. as soon as possible
Everything is secondary to
quick results. to immediate
fluency.
In Belgium. where elemen-
tery instruction in the schools
is under the jurisdiction of
the National Conservatory. the
first year OF training is given
over to solfege. to teaching the
child to read and sing notes,
and then there is instruction
in choral singing before an
instrument is taken up.
In Germany Tor at least in
Hanover. where I studied con-
Gitions), the first year of train
ing teaches the child TO play
some simple and uncompli-
Gated instrument such as the
recorder or elementary xylo-
phone; then comes a year Of
Soltege, then year of choral
singing. and only thereafter
instruction IN piano. violin, or
one of the other major instru-
ments. AT that point. the in
structor does not have to waste
his time on matters of elemen-
tary muSicality. but can con-
centrate on the mechanics and
ttchniques of performance.
AS l said, the aim is diff
ferent. 1t is very interesting
to see music taught where
there is no conception of the
art as a handy social grace.
In Belgium II speak of Bel
GUM not in distinction to other
countries Of Europe. but OILY
because / spent most of my
time there. and know the stu
alton better there is no diff
ference in the elementary
training given an amateur
and one who has decided to
make music his life work. In
struction may be bit stiff and
conservative, but the teachers
don I recognize a state of being
a little musical.
At the Conservatory Level
l asked Mr.. Meyers what re-
suits he had observed. Il heard
quite a bit OF truly first-rate
playing he said. AS you
know. Belgium is one of the
great center of stringed in
Strument teaching. but natu-
rally ! was somewhat more
interested in the piano. It's a
subtle point, but at the con-
Servatory level ! think a fun
damental difference between
Europe and America is that
there the attempt is to teach
the techniqueS of music. here
to teach musicianship.
I'VE are broader, less spe-
cialized, and perhaps not as
thorough.
In Europe the feeling is
that you can only teach how
to do 1t, not what is to be
done: here, our Conservatives
do not despair of producing
artists.
las for the ideals of piano