The talking machine world (Jan-June 1922)

134 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD February 15, 1922 Interesting the Supervisors and Teachers of \ Our Rural Schools in Music » by Louise f. wen | iiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ Salesmen for talking machine companies usually are not much affected by what the teachers do. However, action taken recently by a convention of county superintendents in Madison, Wis., may have a good deal to do with stimulating business for them. These people were gathered there from all of the seventy-one counties of the State. They talked about teachers' pensions, about health of pupils, about consolidation of schools and housing of teachers. All this they went through in more or less the usual fashion of conventions. Then the man was introduced who has charge of community music at the big University of Wisconsin. He is Peter W. Dykema, and, while anything that pertains to music interests him, the thing that is really next to his heart is the bringing of joy into out-of-the-way country places by the introduction of music. Mr. Dykema appeared with his assistant, bringing four small phonographs. He put these or. a table for future reference and started his talk. In ten minutes the staid superintendents were sitting up smiling. They drummed on tables, made circles in the air and nodded their heads — all according to directions from Mr. Dykema — and in five minutes more were marching around the Senate chamber of the Capitol. Marching? That is what they were supposed to be doing, but most of them were jigging. And why was it? All because a man who believes in the musical education of country children and who never loses a chance to demonstrate what can be done had got up and told that dignified assemblage to please be pupils and let him be teacher so he could show them what they, in turn, could pass on to the 6,500 rural teachers in the State. The whole demonstration started and stopped with the four little phonographs on the table before him. Two different makes were represented with two machines of each kind. The object was to show what results could be obtained by the expenditure of only the little amount of money necessary to purchase a small machine. Mr. Dykema spoke purely from the standpoint of one to whom the phonograph is a means to an end but not the end itself. But any salesman who canvasses rural schools could take at least half his speech as a sales talk. In fact, an energetic salesman skilful enough to get the ear of a county teachers' meeting could conduct a meeting such as Mr. Dykema did with the superintendents with the possibility of a rich harvest of orders. "I can't teach the children to sing because I can't sing a note myself." This objection of I Demonstration Pro % ( grams of Music That | I Serve to Interest ■ J Rural Instructors in m ■ Talking Machines J the average teacher has been the great deterrent to the introduction of music in the schools, and it was around this objection that Mr. Dykema arranged his demonstration of how pupils can be taught with the phonograph. Proceeding with himself in the role of teacher and with the superintendents as pupils, he put on the record of a simple folk song, asking the pupils to follow it as if they were hearing it for the first time. He announced himself as a "teacher who knows nothing of music and cannot sing." The record was played entirely through, in good time, the pupils all listening. It was then played again and this time the pupils looked at the words, forming them silently with their lips. The third time through they hummed the air quietly and on the fourth playing of the record they sang the words. TOE DMSTOUMEOT ©F QUAIDTY :LEAR AS A PELL The instrument that builds Prestige and Sales Greater Cttp fPfjonograp EXCLUSIVE SONORA DISTRIBUTERS for New York, Staten Island and the lower Hudson Valley 311 SIXTH AVE. TEL. CHELSEA 9237 NEW YORK ALSO JOBBERS FOR THE JONES MOTROLA Learning songs, thus, in rote fashion, it is easy for a child to master both words and music of at least 100 songs by the time he has finished the common school. These should be songs from which he will get pleasure all his life — quaint folk songs, simple selections from the classics, and the national airs. What volumes could be written on these last! But already we are too familiar with the tra-la-la method of singing patriotic pieces. A generation of children brought up on a musical diet taken from well-selected phonograph records will release us from the pain we older ones have suffered in this respect, as they will not only have the correct words but will sing in standard time and tune these much-abused airs. After going over one or two songs rote style the teacher puts on a sturdy record. On this the song is sung through once, using the regular words. Then there is a pause. The teacher explains that the song will now be repeated in Italian and the music begins again, using the do, re, mi, etc., words. For study, the children learn these the same as they do the others. Appreciation is the third method demonstrated. Simple, beautiful songs or music without words is played, and during these the children either listen or hum quietly. Appreciation of all fine music and familiarity with some is acquired in this way. The lively part of the program came fourth and last with the physical expression records. To such tunes as "Wild Horsemen," "Amaryllis," "Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley," and the like, the children gave bodily expression. These selections furnish excellent opportunity for some invigorating gymnastic exercises. It is always fun for the children to play that they are an orchestra. Each one decides what instrument he would like to play and then, as a good, lively march record is put on, he plays his imaginary violin, trombone or drum, keeping time to the music. An old horseshoe tapped with a spike furnishes a good makeshift instrument. Cultivation of rhythmic sense is also accomplished by marching exercises in which interest is stimulated by allowing the children to pretend that they are high-stepping horses. Songs Selected by Supervisors The National Conference of Music Supervisors has selected fifty songs admirably suited to community and school singing. Introduction of these into school work is sure to be followed by an increase of general community interest in music. Box suppers or school plays will soon secure the money needed for the necessary musical equipment. Mr. Dykema recommends the use of at least a $35 machine, though the $25 makes have been used successfully. He believes that any instrument costing over $50 has no added value except in the case. A minimum of $15 worth of records is best. These will naturally be added to by gifts from people in the community, but here lies the danger that the music thus secured will not be up to the high standard it should be. As Mr. Dykema points out, "Time is precious; it should not be wasted on poor music." The county superintendents of Wisconsin voted unanimously in favor of a movement which will end by placing in every rural school of the State a phonograph with an assortment of records. Other States will take up this plan. Here is a real chance for some follow-up work on the part of talking machine manufacturers. The National Bureau for the Advancement of Music has added a new booklet to its list of instructive and inspirational literature on Music Weeks.