DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION SECRETARY'S MINUTES OFFICERS President FRANCES E. CLARK, supervisor of music, Public Schools, Milwaukee, Wis. FIRST SESSION.-TUESDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 30, 1908 The meeting was called to order in the Old Stone Church, at 2:30 P. M., by the president, Frances Elliot Clark, Milwaukee, Wis. Wilson G. Smith, Cleveland, Ohio, made the welcoming address. Mrs. Clark gave the president's annual address, speaking on "Our National Music." Vocal selections were then rendered by the third-grade pupils of the Waring School; Miss Sweeney, teacher. A paper entitled "Schools from the Viewpoint of a Superintendent" was read by William McKendree Vance, superintendent of schools, Delaware, Ohio. Several selections were then rendered by the Girls' Glee Club of the Central High School, directed by Mrs. Marie Burt Parr. A paper followed on "High School-Music" by Osbourne McConathy, supervisor of music, Chelsea, Mass. A paper entitled "Psychology of Music and the Light It Throws on Musical Education" was given by G. Stanley Hall, president of Clark University, Worcester, Mass. SECOND SESSION.-WEDNESDAY MORNING, JULY I The department met at 9:30 A.M. in round-table session for discussion of the topic: "What Should Be Expected from a Normal School in the Preparation of a Grade Teacher for Teaching Music?" Vocal music was furnished by the fifth-grade pupils of the Rockwell School; Miss Morey, teacher. Papers on the topic were read by Charles Fullerton, State Normal School, Cedar Falls, Ia., Julia E. Crane, director of music, State Normal School, Potsdam, N. Y., David R. Gebhart, State Normal School, Kirksville, Mo., Miss Clyde E. Foster, State Normal College, Ypsilanti, Mich. Music was furnished by the Boys' Auxiliary Choir, under the direction of Mr. Jones. The following committee was appointed to draft a resolution upon the Uniformity of National Songs: Powell G. Fithian, Camden, N. J., A. J. Gant voort, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Elsie Shawe, St. Paul, Minn. The meeting adjourned until Thursday morning. ADJOURNED SESSION.-THURSDAY MORNING, JULY 2 A round-table discussion upon the topic, "Practical Methods to Improve Our Sight Reading," was opened by Mrs. Harriet D. Parsons, Cleveland, Ohio, and Charles A. Fullerton, State Normal School, Cedar Falls, Ia. Charles I. Rice, supervisor of music, Worcester, Mass., read the report of the Committee on Terminology Reform. The Committee on Resolutions Regarding Uniformity of National Songs reported as follows: Inasmuch as there are several songs of a patriotic character that are commonly sung in all American schools, and inasmuch as there is no uniform setting of words and music to some of these songs; be it Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed by the president of this department: First, to make a collection of songs suitable for use upon patriotic occasions; second, to revise the music and words of these songs with a view to uniformity and singableness. Resolved, That this committee have full power to act and that the committee serve without compensation. Resolved, That the findings of this committee be submitted to the Commissioner of Education at Washington, with a request that the Bureau of Education publish the edition presented by the committee and take such action as to insure the use of no other edition by all United States Government bands. Resolved, That the publishers of school books and others who publish these songs are hereby requested to use in future only the authorized edition of these songs. POWELL G. FITHIAN, Chairman The resolutions were adopted and the following committee was appointed: Gustave W. Ronfort of Cleveland, Ohio, played the organ Sonata in D by Guilmant. The first-grade pupils of the Broadway School furnished music under the direction of Miss McNamara. Alys E. Bently, supervisor of music, Washington, D. C., read a paper upon "Children Voices and Children Songs." Vocal music was furnished by the Normal School Glee Club. Mrs. Alice C. D. Riley, Evanston, read a paper upon "Child Verse in Song;" and Mrs. Jessie L. Gaynor, St. Joseph, Mo., on "Music in Child Song." A paper was read by Anna Goedhart, supervisor of music, East Cleveland, Ohio, upon "Educational Rhythm Training," illustrated by pupils of different grades. It was voted that the Committee on Securing Affiliation of the National Music Supervisors' Conference with the Department of Music of the National Education Association be discharged. It was voted that the Committee on Terminology Reform be continued until next year, and that each member of the Music Department take a copy of the questions referred to in the report, and offer such changes and emendations as he might wish. The Nominating Committee reported the following nominations: For President-Frances E. Clark, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For Vice-President-Charles I. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts. For Secretary Philip C. Hayden, Keokuk, Iowa. It was voted to instruct the secretary to cast a ballot for these nominees. The nominees were then declared elected and the department adjourned. EDWARD B. BIRGE, Secretary PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS OUR NATIONAL MUSIC MRS. FRANCES ELLIOTT CLARK, PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT Music in the public schools is advancing very rapidly in every way. There has seemed to be a lull in the interest felt for music on the part of school people since manual training has occupied the foreground and so much time and effort and discussion have been given over to this newest phase of modern education. However, music has gone steadily along, and wonderful progress is shown in many lines: in the number of schools where it is being regularly taught; in the class of material used; in the effectiveness and thoroness of the teaching being done everywhere; in the advanced scholarship and better preparation of the supervisors; in the number of schools, conservatories, and universities offering courses in school music; in the increased number and enlarged scope of summer schools devoted to school music; in the number of educational journals maintaining departments of music; in the richness and variety of helpful books published on ear-training, child-song, child-voice, harmony, and melody writing; and most of all, in the awakening interest of supervisors themselves as evidenced in increased attendance at the great summer schools; in increased activity in undertaking difficult things; in organizations of music sections in most of the state educational associations; special organizations in different sections of the country, and by this splendid gathering of supervisors from many states in a great national meeting. We should not forget in this connection our sister organization, the Music Teachers' National Association, which, thru its school-music section, is also doing much to interest the professional musicians. There is felt everywhere in our country an awakening in musical activity of every form.. More concerts, recitals, and oratorios have been given this year than ever before, furnishing remunerative engagements for an ever-increasing army of talented singers and virtuosi. New York has two grand operas where once it had but one-Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Chicago are soon to have permanent or extended seasons of opera. Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Pittsburg have their great orchestras. Italian opera flourishes in a half-dozen cities and opera in English may be heard in as many more. May festivals rise and flourish in many cities and college towns, crowned by the great parent movement in Cincinnati. More artists from abroad visited our shores this season than ever before. All of this goes to prove that Americans are waking up musically, learning to demand, enjoy, and produce the best. We have been called unmusical, unappreciative, and are told that we have no art, no atmosphere, and no culture. Possibly the stigma was in some measure deserved a decade ago, but the slander is being refuted every day and we point with pride to our splendid teachers, our great schools, our great artists, our multitude of younger musician workers, artists in embryo, and more than all, to the mighty work that is being done for music in America through the public schools. If America is ever to become what I firmly believe she will become, the greatest singing nation in the world, it must come primarily from the teaching of singing to the millions of the masses in her public schools. Here in our own United States we have every condition to produce not only great singers, but communities of singers-a nation of singers. We have that priceless heritage from our forefathers, freedom, which has in all history set the hearts of men rejoicing, and naturally finding expression in song. have infinite variety of scene, climate, atmosphere, valley, mountain and plain, metropolis and wilderness, the red schoolhouse on the hill, and the world-famed university. Here we have a great cosmopolitan civilization, made up of the best blood from every nation on the globe-children of oppression, many of them-here blossoming into the fulness of liberty of the American citizen. The spirit of our pioneer ancestors bequeaths to us an infinite greatness and grandeur of character, found in thousands of the sturdy common people, who still represent the real American life in spite of the dollar-mad few. We have here the life-saving sense of humor, the power to relax, the lightsome spirit of fun, good clean wholesome fun, oftenest finding vent in some sort of song. Here then is our material, the children of this staunch yeomanry ready to our hand; ours the task to educate them. Most of us have been too well satisfied with the day of small things in achievement in choral work, not realizing the tremendous possibilities of the child-voice in mass chorus, and the educational uplift to the child in the study of better things than we have thought possible to the immature mind and voice of the child in the grammar grades. Then too, here is the place par excellence for the teaching of patriotism. More than we know, the singing of the stirring songs of pride in "Old Glory" stirs the hearts of the children at the impassionable period of growth, and builds down deep into the inmost springs of life the spirit of "If need be, we will die for the land we love the best." There must be a reawakening in all lines of school music, an impetus given to the study of high-grade songs by our own composers, meaningful, musical settings of poems by our own native writers, poems redolent of our own American life and thought, our own American swing and spirit, true to our highest ideals of American manhood and womanhood. We must also be alive to the necessity of introducing the classic composer to the children of the grammar grades while we have them under the regular instruction of the class teachers, before many of them drift out into the workshops and factories, closing forever the doors of musical advancement. There should be given at least once each year a program of classic compositions, of biographies read, of artist friends invited to come in and sing and play for the children from the composers chosen. The Welsh people have demonstrated what interest can be aroused by choral societies to stimulate national singing. Why should not we have inter-city or inter-state or inter-district contests between eighth grades to arouse greater interest in choral work? In a great meeting like this, such a contest was found to be impracticable, but in the state and district Associations, what could be more inspiring than such an exhibition? This year we hope to have such a contest between our schools in Milwaukee, to increase interest in singing, and to give parents an opportunity to hear what is being done. |