Raleigh High School - Excelsior Yearbook (Raleigh, IN)

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of writing, and next to the power to count the sim- plest things in arithmetic, music is the most prac- tical thing in our schools. Let us briefly consider some of the ways in which music is practical: First, it is practical from a religious standpoint. Now, it must be understood that our educational sys- tem of today, like that of all times, is the out-growth of a philosophy based upon religious ideas. This is true no matter how far the idea of practical utility may enter into it. Take away our churches and what would become of our moral and social struc- ture? No church service would be complete Without music. Music is the child of prayer, the companion of religion. We must have choirs, and there must be choir and congregational singing in order to give inspiration to the service and put us in a proper frame of mind and soul to be benefited by it. We cannot get along without music in our Sunday schools and prayer meetings. It is the one part of the service in which all can join, and which gives unity to the exercises. And, as Dr. Talmage once remarked: A singing church is a living, growing church. Second, it is of practical value from a social standpoint. No social meeting would be satisfactory without music of some kind. We must have music to give inspiration to our political meetings, and every nation has its patriotic songs. That person who said: Let me write the songs of a nation and I care not who makes its laws, knew something of the practical value of music in the everyday affairs of mankind. The United States government realizes something of the practical value of music when it pays enlisted musicians twice the salary paid to the men behind the guns. It is music that inspires the men behind the guns to achieve deeds of heroism. Third, music of practical value from an altruistic standpoint. In the singing of a song, whether it be of a religious, social, moral or patriotic nature, all experience the same emotions and thought and are thus bound together by a common experience. It is difficult, says Gottschalk, not to treat as a brother, one Whose voice has mingled with yours and whose heart has been united with your own in a community of pure and joyful emotions. Fourth, music is practical from the standpoint of mental training and discipline. There is no study in the curriculum that requires greater concentration than that of reading music from the printed nota- tion. The eye, the ear, the power of memory and dis- crimination-in fact, nearly all the mental and phys- ical faculties-are called into play, While the rhyth- mic performance is an element of discipline that can- not be over-estimated. Indeed, we are just begin- ning to comprehend something of the value of rhythm as an educational factor. It has long been known that one who stutters in speech can sing with perfect freedom. But it took us a long time to wake EIS to the educational possibilities suggested by this act. Fifth, music is practical from a cultural stand- point, for Culture and refinement are not adjuncts of the toilet, but things of the head and heart. The music that comes down to us from any period in the world's history reflects the intellectual, social and Page forty flve

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Now what can the pupil do who enters the fifth grade, having missed those first four years of val- uable training in the fundamental principles of the subject? He is absolutely helpless. lf he is espe- cially talented, he may catch on to some things and ride along, so to speak, but he is always lacking in independence, a load for the pupils to carry and a hindrance to any high attainment on the part of the class as a whole. lf he isn't especially talented, he flounders along blindly, learns nothing and soon loses interest in the thing he cannot comprehend. And one uninterested discouraged pupil is a menace to the success of any class. But the fact is, there is not only one of him so migratory in our population, that it is not unusual to find a half dozen or.even more of these pupils in a single class. ' Now why is this condition permitted to exist? Is it because music in comparison with other things taught is lacking in practical value as a means of education? But what is the opinion of great educa- tors of all times with regard to the practical value of music E! The educational system of ancient Greece was based upon music. Of course, with the Greeks the term music had a much broader significance than it has with us today. The arts of poetry, song and gesture were supposed to have emanated from the Muses, and they were all comprehended in the word musa, from which the word music is derived. It was a reproach not to be well versed in art. It was considered indispensable in education, from the de- veloping of a beautiful soul in a beautiful body, to the training Spartan youth for war Page fortv four There is not a single great educator of the pres- ent day who does not advocate the teaching of music as one of the most vital and practical subjects. The chief inspector of the educational system of England says: A musical atmosphere in education develops the higher ideals and brings the child into closer touch with nature. The spring with its fiowers, the summer with its fruitage, the autumn with its har- vest and golden glow, the winter with its snow, the rain and the sunshine, the darkness of night and the stary heavens about us, the coming of the morn- ing, the noonday, the setting of the sun, the glowing twilight and the deepening night, can only be in- terpreted to children in song and instrumental music. It was Froebel who introduced the occupational songs into education, putting the work of the world into music in simple songs, which have been most effective in giving the child higher ideals of the work of the farmer, the carpenter, the blacksmith, the shoemaker and of every useful occupation. It is a well established fact in Germany, that anyone who aspires to teaching in the public schools must stand an examination in music. Equally as much stress is laid upon the teaching of music in schools of Denmark, England, France and Switzerland. Philander P. Claxton, the United States Commis- sioner of Education, in an address delivered at the National Educational meeting at Minneapolis last summer, said: lf I were making a public school curriculum, I would put in a little reading and writ- ing, a little arithmetic, a little history and geogra- phy, and a great deal of music. The same author- ity said: Next to reading and writing, even ahead

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moral conditions of the people at that time. It does more than this: it tells us of things which written or spoken language cannot express. It reflects the ideal. When it comes to expressing the deeper emo- tions of the soul, there is a point beyond which the poet or orator cannot go, because of the limitations of language. But music begins here where words leave off, and leads onward toward that indefinable sense of the ideal. Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. The folk songs of the various nations reflect the hopes, trials, joys and ambitions of the human race at all stages of its development. The works of the great composers give expression to the noblest thoughts, the loftiest sentiments and the highest as- pirations of the greatest genius of the ages. All this is a wealth of inheritance which each child has a right to expect from those intrusted with his train- ing for future citizenship-a training which should enable him to grasp, appreciate and enjoy the larger things of life. Thus, in a brief way I have endeavored to set forth some reasons Why music should be regarded as a practical study of the most vital importance in the training of the child. This view is supported by the best educational thought of all time. It is the view taken by those in authority over our schools who have any degree of enlightment as to the real object of education. GLADYS AURELIUS, Supervisor of Music and Art. Page forty six M erry times we've had this year A nd our work is full of cheer R aleigh is the school for me, Girls are jolly as can be A nd we have to get to work, R ight away, we mustn't shirk, E very day our task is new rr eacher says, We must pass, too. S uch good pupils in Room Three, E ach as busy as can be, E very moment precious seems G ood are all those bright new themes, E very boy and every girl R ollick in one merry whirl. S oon this school term will be o'er, nex year we'll be on second floor.