DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION SECRETARY'S MINUTES FIRST SESSION-TUESDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 9, 1907 The Department of Music Education met in the First Congregational Church and was called to order by President Hamlin E. Cogswell, director of Conservatory of Music, Indiana, Pa., at 2:30 P. M. The session was opened by music by the Krause String Quartette, of Los Angeles, with Op. 18, No. 6, Beethoven, as follows: (a) “Allegro con Brio;” (b) “Adagio ma non troppo;" (c) “La Malinconia Adagio;” (d) “Allegretto." President Cogswell introduced the exercises with brief introductory remarks. A paper by Frederick H. Ripley, principal of the Longfellow School, Boston, Mass., on “The Ideal Music Supervisor," was read by Arthur C. Wahlburg, Fresno, Cal. The Los Angeles Normal School Glee Club, under direction of Miss Hagan, sang a part song, "The Rose Is Such a Lady"-Gow. The department then went into a committee of the whole to consider the report of the Committee on Uniform Course of Study, which was presented at the Asbury Park meeting in July, 1905, by the chairman, Philip C. Hayden (see pp. 667, 668, Vol. of Proceedings, 1905). At twelve o'clock the department adjourned to meet in round table session on Wednesday morning. SECOND SESSION-WEDNESDAY MORNING, JULY 10 The department was called to order at 9:30 by President Cogswell and resumed the discussion on a "Uniform Course of Study," which was commenced on Tuesday afternoon. After a discussion continuing thruout the entire session the department, on motion, unanimously adopted the report in question, and the committee was discharged. The department then adjourned. THIRD SESSION-THURSDAY AFTERNOON, JULY II The department was called to order by President Cogswell at 2:30 P. M., and opened with a violin solo by Mr. Natrop Blumenfeld, of Los Angeles, who presented the following numbers. He was accompanied by Miss Orrie Coons. (a) Romance, G major, Beethoven (b) Serenade, Moszkowski; (c) Mazurka, Zarzycki. Miss Estelle Carpenter, supervisor of music, San Francisco, Cal., addressed the department on "The Vitalizing of the Child thru Song." Mrs. Frances E. Clark, supervisor of music, Milwaukee, Wis., led in discussion of Miss Carpenter's paper. A demonstration of rhythm was then given by Secretary Hayden, assisted by a pupil from his schools in Keokuk, Iowa, Miss Elizabeth Warwick. A paper by Miss Fanny Edgar Thomas, representative of the New York Musical Courier, on the subject, "Free Musical Education a Necessity for the National Musical Art," was then read. The president appointed the following Committee on Nominations: George E. Krinbill, of Arizona P. C. Hayden, of Iowa The department adjourned. FOURTH SESSION-THURSDAY AFTERNOON, July 11 The department met in round table session. The topic for discussion was a paper presented by Charles I. Rice, supervisor of music, Worcester, Mass. The Committee on Nominations reported For President-Mrs. Frances E. Clark, Milwaukee, Wis. For Secretary-Ida M. Fisher, San José, Cal. On motion, the secretary cast the ballot of the department for the nominees, and they were declared elected for the ensuing year. President Cogswell offered the following resolution on music in normal schools: Believing that the normal schools of our country should in every instance provide for a liberal professional training in all subjects taught in our public schools, and believing that in a majority of cases such is not being done in the subject of music, we, the members of the music section of the National Educational Association do hereby present in the form of a resolution, what we believe is necessary in the training of every normal-school graduate, and we recommend that this be printed and a copy of the same be placed in the hands of every normal-school principal for his or her careful consideration and be taken up for careful discussion at our next regular meeting. Resolved, First-That the entrance requirement necessary before taking up the regular normal course, should be equal to that outlined in the course of study adopted by this body for the eight grades of our public schools. Such preparation to be afforded those who need it, in a sub-normal course of daily instructions during the junior year. Second-That in addition to the above, normal students should study melody writing, elementary harmony, counterpoint in two parts, much chorus singing, and in addition to this at least one term in private training for tone production, and care of children's voices; credit to be given for any of the above work done in high schools. Third-That at least one term should be devoted to the study of methods of teaching music, as well as psychological principles underlying each step, and to be instructed in the art of conducting all recitations. Fourth-That every normal graduate be required to teach the various phases of the work during the senior year, either in the various grades of the training-school or to other members of the class, and continue to do so in the presence of a critic teacher until the work done is satisfactory. As it was impossible, owing to the lateness of the hour, to discuss the resolution offered it was, on motion, ordered that it be printed and sent to the presidents of the normal schools in the country for their consideration, and that it should be taken up for full consideration at the next annual meeting. It was voted that an effort be made to establish affiliated relations between the department and the Music Supervisors' Conference. The following committee was appointed: Mrs. Frances E. Clark, of Wisconsin. Ida M. Fisher, of California. George E. Krinbill, of Arizona. On motion of Miss Estelle Carpenter, of California, the thanks of the department were extended to Philip C. Hayden for his efficient services as secretary of the department for many years. President Cogswell, on behalf of the department, extended thanks to Miss Kathryne E. Slone, Miss Verna C. Blythe, and Mrs. Parsons, of Los Angeles, for their valuable assistance in arranging for the department meetings, and for various courtesies and also to those who had furnished music for the department meetings. The department then adjourned. PHILIP C. HAYDEN, Secretary. PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS THE IDEAL SUPERVISOR FREDRICK H. RIPLEY, PRINCIPAL OF LONGFELLOW SCHOOL, BOSTON, MASS. Theodore Parker once said, Every man has at times in his mind, the ideal of what he should be, but is not. This ideal may be high and complete or it may be quite low and insufficient; yet in all men that really seek to improve, it is better than the actual character. Man never falls so low, that he can see nothing higher than himself. The ideal supervisor of music must be something better than the best that now is; he must be stronger, wiser, and purer, else he would not be ideal; yet his greatness must consist of qualities which all may profitably emulate. He must be a gentleman, a scholar, a musician. He must be deeply sympathetic, profoundly wise, infinitely gentle. He must be a leader, and by his art draw all men after him. He must be a deep student of human nature; yet he must never lose faith in it. He must overcome spite, envy, malice, even hatred, without sharing them. In a word, he must be A combination and a form indeed, Where every god did seem to set his seal, To give the world assurance of a man.-Hamlet. But to be an ideal supervisor of music demands special qualities, additions to that general summation of goods which must characterize all men who stand before the community in the teacher's office. He must have special knowledge and special powers which fit him for his difficult position. The relations which he sustains to the school superintendent, to the school principals, to the teachers, and to the scholars, all demand careful consideration and ideal treatment, for no one may exert a greater influence for good or for evil; no one may enter so closely into the life and thought of the community; no one may raise higher ideals in others; no one should be so well fitted to inspire to heroic action as he. Music is the language of the soul which is the source of spiritual life and worthy action. Music is the means by which all art impulses may be stirred. It is therefore the avenue to heaven. Who therefore controls this mighty influence in the community, controls the community. Who is worthy of this great trust? Truly none but the ideal supervisor. Yet he will not be known, he will never be discovered; like the health-bringing quality of this delightful climate, which thousands come to breathe, he silently, imperceptibly, penetrates to the very source of life, does his work, and passes on, unnoticed. This must be so, because the invisible things of life are eternal, and it is the business of the teacher to render himself useless to his pupils. It is a sad thought, but it is a true one. Those who have influenced your life most profoundly are to you unknown. Here then is a paradox. How is our ideal supervisor to be sustained and appreciated so that he may do his work, and yet be ever invisible, unobtrusive, apparently useless. If to win the popular approval and to enlarge his influence he descends to show, to public exhibitions, to vainglorious display, he clips the very wings by which he must take flight, and falls to earth while on his way to heaven. It is the fact that the deeper influences of life are unknown, unobserved, that brings a lack of public appreciation to the teacher. Yet when the teacher would take by storm the place he fain would have, he loses the fairest jewel in his crown and, if successful in his quest, but proves his own unworthiness. We may not expose our art with any more safety than we may expose our love or our religion, for to expose it is to lose it; or better, we may but expose the fact that we lack it. Carlyle says, Prominent world leaders do prosper by their quackery for a day. It is like a forged bank note, they get it passed out of their worthless hands; others, not they, have to smart for it. Nature bursts-up in fire-flame. French Revolution, and such like, proclaiming with terrible veracity that forged notes are forged. On the other hand, we have the striking example of Bach. Of him Mr. Mason has just said, Bach lived quietly and in almost complete obscurity; for the last quarter century of his life, he held a post as teacher of music and church-music director in Leipsic. He traveled little, sought no worldly fame, took no pains to secure performances of his work, and above all, made no compromise with the popular taste of his day. He produced his great compositions, one after another, in the regular day's work, for performance in his church or by local orchestras and players. He never pined for recognition that in the nature of things he could not have; he wrote the music that seemed good to him and thought that his responsibility ended there, and that his reward lay there. The cynic who said “Every man has his price" was evidently not acquainted with the life of Bach. Steadily ignoring those temptations to prostitute his genius for the public's pleasure, which so materially affected the life course of his contemporary Handel, he followed his own ideals with an undivided mind. As always happens in such cases, since it takes decades for the world to comprehend a sincere individual, or even centuries if his individuality is deep and unique, he was not appreciated in his lifetime, nor for many years after his death. Indeed he is not appreciated now, for a man can be appreciated only by his equals but we have at last got an inkling of the treasure that still lies hidden away in Bach; and while Handel and other idols of the age sound daily more thin and archaic, Bach grows ever richer as the understanding we bring to him increases, and still holds out promise of novel and perennial artistic delight. Our ideal supervisor must emulate this great example; he must reject the unworthy and immediate for the worthy and permanent. This means that he must take a broad view of the field and work it as a whole, not in isolated, unrelated fragments. The whole field is indeed a stupendous one. Let us consider the pupils first. They are in classes; the classes are in grades; the grades reach from the kindergarten to the college; and fourteen years likely are required for their accomplishment. Here stands our ideal supervisor with a scheme of work which shall not only afford pleasure and profit over fourteen different stages, but shall take the little one on the first round of the ladder and lead him step by step to the top. Our ideal carries therefore two distinct phases of his work at all times. He has in mind just what he will do for the individual pupil who is just beginning, what steps shall be provided for his development, at every stage in the course, and he has the immediate problem of ways and means for the various groups of pupils who form the classes along the line of promotion. The ideal supervisor never loses sight of the possibilities locked up in each individual. He regards the individual not as he is, but as he will be after years of training. No provision is made for the removal of the pupil, he must be regarded as a permanent charge, a fixed responsibility, and every offort must be made to develop his several faculties to the highest degree. The plan which the ideal supervisor adopts is a large one, yet in detail it is perfect, it omits nothing that is necessary, nor includes anything that is unimportant. It provides for the employment of every moment of the pupil's time, in activities. which are in themselves enjoyable, but which also yield that higher satisfaction which is incident to a feeling of gain in power to do, and of knowledge of art. The technical knowledge which is required, our ideal has always at hand. He understands child-nature, and has faith in it; he understands child-development, and promotes it; he is conscious of child-weakness and dangers, and he avoids them. He inspires with hope, courage, and confidence, and when the end is reached he leaves his pupil, a self-reliant, responsible, thinking creature, prepared not only to do the things he has been taught to do, but to reach out into still wider fields and grapple successfully with new problems. THE TEACHING-FORCE The ideal supervisor studies the teaching-force with the same care that a good soldier looks to his arms when going into battle, for unless the teachers sympathize with the supervisor and co-operate with him, the result will fall from the ideal standard. The teaching-force, that is, the teachers in charge of classes, collectively and individually, must see in our ideal a model of order, precision, punctuality, good teaching, systematic preparation, and sterling character. The music course will unfold before the teacher by such regular and logical steps that she will be inspired to apply the principles involved to her work in other branches. She will catch the spirit of the effort, and realize that unless she takes part in the music her power and influence for good will fall short of the best. It is therefore a main business of the supervisor gently to draw every teacher's attention, to interest her and encourage her to work with him, and finally to render himself so unnecessary to the teacher that she will go on without him and take pride in showing how well she can handle the subject alone. In this part of the work, the supervisor requires the greatest skill. To enumerate the difficulties which the supervisor must overcome would be impossible. No one has expressed more forcibly the one essential element in the work, however, than Carlyle who says, |
