Presto

April, 1931
P R E S T O-T I M E S
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN
SCHOOL AND HOME IN MUSIC
A New Phase of Work Taken Up by the National Bureau for the
Advancement of Music
The three days' conference last month of the East-
ern Music Supervisors at Syracuse, N. Y., was much
more of an educational force than any mere formal
set of programs could have given, for it brought to
the attention of parents, music teachers and music
students the necessity of self-expression in producing
music and led out to much enthusiasm on the subject.
This marks a new phase of work which the Na-
tional Bureau for the Advancement of Music has
taken up and which is of tremendous importance to
the music industry as well as to the public generally.
The idea was first suggested to Director C. M. Tre-
maine by R. E. Durham, president of Lyon & Healy.
In a talk to the 235 young players of the Eastern
Conference High School Orchestra by Russell V.
Morgan, president of the National Conference, he
said: "The significant feature of your experience here
is that }'ou will take back home with you a more
complete realization of the fact that high school
students can play beautiful orchestral music in a
beautiful way."
Orchestra Enrollment of 4,000
An actual orchestra enrollment of 4,000 high school
students is represented by those selected for the Syra-
cuse concert. This firsc all-eastern orchestra had
followed similar assemblings from New England
schools, to which were added for this occasion the
schools of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Delaware—making ten states in all.
In choosing the best players from those states, the
orchestra's able management, under Harry E. Whitte-
more, adopted a form of application under which a
student was proposed for membership by his teacher,
who gave data as to the size and repertoire of the
high school orchestra in which the student had been
playing, and also details as to the player's character
as shown by the part played by him or her in the
school life. The boys and girls thus selected were
allocated on a quota for each section, based upon the
scheme of instrumentation adopted. Each successful
candidate received in advance his part for the music
to be played, and was trained in this by his instru-
mental instructor.
Arriving in Syracuse on a Tuesday, the players
plunged into a "three a day" schedule of rehearsals
in preparation for their concert of that Friday night.
These rehearsals were under the highly sensitive and
musicianly direction of the orchestra's conductor,
Francis Findlay, with distinguished guest conductors
in the persons of Dr. Howard Hanson and Dr. Victor
L. F. Rebmann. The general rehearsals were sup-
plemented by sectional rehearsals of the various
choirs, supervised by C. Paul Herfurth, in charge of
strings; Lee M. Lockhart, in charge of wind instru-
ments, and an assisting committee composed of Frank
B. Bailey, Adrian E. Holmes, Raymond McClure,
Jennings Butterfield, E. J. Stribrny, Cyrus D. Thomp-
son, Earl W. Haviland, Jean V. Dethier, William S
Owen, E. B. Albertin and Mrs. Ada Holden Miller.
It is to the credit of these conductors and super-
visors, as well as of the individual players, that with
but four days' rehearsals, the orchestra gave a per-
formance which electrified the audience of school
music experts.
A thrilling experience for the players was their
taking part in a broadcast of the American School of
the Air over a hook-up of some fifty-six stations.
C. M. Tremaine's Address
A new field in which the National Bureau for the
Advancementof Music is beginning to render a much
needed service—the provision of more opportunities
for adult participation in music—was described in the
address at the conference by C. M. Tremaine, the
director of the bureau, whose subject was "Bridging
the Gap Between School and Home."
"A new problem has now appeared on the horizon,"
said Mr. Tremaine. "This is the gap between the
school and the home. Every subject taught in the
schools must justify itself in its effect upon the in-
dividual and the community or state—its cultural and
utilitarian value and its contribution to human happi-
ness and progress.
"There is a growing realization that the schools
should not concern themselves solely with training
the mind, but that developing, directing and safe-
guarding the emotions is part of the process of evolv-
ing the child in its embryo and impressionable state
into the grown man and woman, with full faculties
alert and under command. There is, however, a cloud
on the horizon—perhaps no bigger than a man's hand
—the lessening utilization of music in the home. Here-
tofore the outstanding fact which has constituted the
bulwark of all our arguments, and which is now
showing evident signs of slipping somewhat away
from us, has been that music is of immeasurably more
value in adult life than the great majority of subjects
taught in the schools, and that it therefore should
receive precedence in credit and time allotment. It
is directly in the province of the music supervisor
to see that this statement remains true, and nothing
is more important to his interest. If we are not to
give ground and abandon one of our greatest strategic
strongholds, we must see to it that our school music
program so ties up with the. home and with our com-
munity activities that it actually functions in these
centers."
"The supervisor should not keep in mind the school
program only," said Mr. Tremaine, "but the home
application as well." He suggested that the super-
visor give his attention to the fostering in the com-
munity of vocal and instrumental groups in which
the young graduates of the schools could take part as
adults. The speaker continued:
"I do not know how much of this extended pro-
gram the school music supervisor could take care of
personally. In some cases he could no doubt manage
his work so as to conduct, out of school hours, one
or more of these community activities in his town.
In others he could do little or none of the work
himself. But the essential thing for him at the present
juncture is to realize the need. His own intelligence
will then guide him as to how great a part he can
himself play in meeting it. Once recognized as his
own concern, he may find he can bring a certain
amount of direct and, still more, indirect influence to
bear toward having qualified people secured to lead
musical activities in the community. This influence
can be exerted upon the music clubs, church choirs,
women's clubs, parent-teacher associations, etc., but
more especially upon the young people before they
graduate so that they will be conscious of a continu-
ing need for musical self-expression."
Ella H. Mason's Talk
Another member of the National Bureau's staff, its
piano class specialist, Ella H. Mason, was heard in
one of the general sessions, her subject being "Recent
Developments in Piano Class Instruction." After
briefly sketching the early history of piano class work,
Miss Mason told how rapidly the movement was
developing at the present time. Then she discussed
the many advantages of group instruction and closed
with the following:
"I am still under the spell, as I believe you are, oi
the wonderful talk that we heard last night at our
banquet. Dr. Allen J. Albert brought us a message
of deep faith in the musical future of America. You
will remember that when he was describing the Chi-
cago Exposition which is being planned for 1933, he
told us how great a part in the program music was
to take. He believes that these musical contributions
will bring about a great stirring of the soul of the
American people. And then, with this vision before
him, what did he do? He turned to us as music
teachers to make possible the musical programs and
the musical accomplishments which he hoped the
children all over the United States would be able to
show. What an opportunity for us! And what a
challenge! If we are to justify the dreams of a truly
musical America and if we are to prove to the world
that America can be a cultural nation and that educa-
tion in the arts is on a sound and comprehensive
basis, we must do more music teaching and better
music teaching.
"How often you hear that no chain is stronger
than its weakest link! This is very true of some of
our music curricula today. If we stress vocal music
in our schools and develop bands and orchestras but
fail to put piano instruction within the reach of every
child, his musical education will lack a fundamental
grounding and his musical studies will be pursued
without a satisfactory background. I wish to say
that piano classes are sweeping through the country
so rapidly and proving their educational merit so
conclusively that I believe it will now be but a short
time before piano classes are considered a necessary
part of every well-balanced public school curriculum.
As we continue to strive toward our goal of better
music education, let me recommend to you the piano
class as a very important step in our 'stairway to ful-
fillment.' "
Remarks by Henry C. Lamb
On the same program with Mr. Tremaine was
Henry C. Lomb, vice-president of the Music Indus-
tries Chamber of Commerce, who discussed "The
Musical Instrument in Education." "In setting down
these observations," said Mr. Lomb, "I am drawing
on my personal experience in the field of manufac-
turing of musical instruments, more especially certain
classes of stringed instruments, namely the fretted
instruments, for which, as I may parenthetically re-
mark, a distinct and useful field undoubtedly exists
in spite of the prejudice that seems to prevail against
them in some quarters. As president of the National
Association of Musical Merchandise Manufacturers,
it has been my task to examine more closely into this
ancient prejudice and in so doing I have been led
to some conclusions of a general nature which apply
to all instruments alike and it is of these that I wish
to speak.
''In this connection I cannot forego the remark
that it has been an inspiring experience for me to find
the broad and liberal view that the gentlemen of the
music industry, whom I have the honor to represent
here today, have always taken of the fundamental
problems of musical development.
"Leaving the human voice and extra-human mech-
anical devices momentarily aside, we may assert
that the very existence of music, no less than its
excellence, depends absolutely upon the musical in-
strument. The musical instrument not only symbol-
izes the utter dependence of the performer upon the
music industry but, on the other hand, there is there-
by imposed upon the industry in no uncertain terms
the obligation and the duty to provide the best in-
struments that human ingenuity and skill can produce
at prices that are within the reach of all."
George Fischer and Others Heard
Another speaker on this program was George
Fischer, president of J. Fischer & Bro., whose topic
was "The American Composer." In his remarks the
speaker gave equal prominence to the activities of
the American music publisher and to the Amer-
ican composer. In conclusion, the speaker gave some
advice which in substance amounted to a note of
warning to the young composers to "be natural" at
all times in their writing and not to ape the ultra-
modernists in an attempt to be original.
Two other highly impressive talks on this same
program, which was under the chairmanship of J.
Tatian Roach, were that on "Developing Musical
Culture," by Dr. Frances E. Clark, educational direc-
tor of the R. C. A.-Victor Co., and on "Ideals in
Broadcasting," by Frank A. Arnold, director of devel-
opment, National Broadcasting Co.
SCIENCE OF PIANO SOUNDS
DEMONSTRATED AT LYON &
HEALY'S BY WM. BRAID WHITE
A large audience spent a scientific evening on
March 25 in the Lyon & Healy concert hall, Chicago,
enjoying demonstrations of sound waves and listening
to Dr. William Braid White, director of acoustic
research for the American Steel & Wire Co., speak on
"What Science Says About the Piano."
Dr. Rudolph Ganz, the celebrated pianist, who was
to have assisted Dr. White, was absent due to the
serious sickness of his son, but Prof. Rudolph Reuter
kindly took his place. Others who assisted in the pro-
gram were Mme. Selma Gogg Hummel, soprano; Josef
Rosenstein, violinist, and William Pfeiffer, baritone.
The program was under the general management of
C. H. DeAcres, of Lyon & Healy, and Mr. Anderson,
of the same house, was master of ceremonies.
Mr. White said the piano had been known for 200
years but during the last 100 years it had been the
principal factor in music—the most important and the
dominating instrument of music. To find out what
really happens when an artist strikes the keys was
what he intended to demonstrate. "Scientific method
is not magic; it is not mystery," said Mr. White.
The lowest bass string vibrates 27 l A times a second;
a string an octave higher vibrates 65 times a second;
another octave up and it is 110 times; another and it
is 222. A violin string vibrates 440 times a second:
880; 1,750; 2,520; 4,186.
Mr. White used a cord as long as a clothes-line that
would hold ten shirts to demonstrate vibration. The
moment a vibration starts it begins to break itself up;
the reacting vibration runs back along the string, and
then there are combats of the waves and counter
waves innumerable. -
The differences in the waves of sound were demon-
strated by the use of lights and a screen—the hori-
zontal line shaded on the screen playing a great va-
riety of pranks as the singer or player sounded differ-
ent notes and gave shadings. The entertainment (or
lessons rather) closed with exhibits by Mr. White of
many varieties of sound waves—anything, the yowling
of a cat, the racketing noises of a great city, the voice
of a high soprano and that of a deep bass, and some
of these waves cut up so ridiculously that several
young women in the audience were compelled to
giggle.
Cluett & Sons, Monument square, Troy, N. Y., is
featuring the Stroud baby grand pianos.
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