Trafalgar Castle School - Yearbook (Whitby, Ontario Canada)

Page 29 text:

The College has always offered a rich and varied life to those who love mu sic and this year has been no exception. Once again we have enjoyed the series of concerts brought to us by the Canadian Concert Association of Whitby. The visits of Klemi Hamburg and later of Barbara King were further occasions of great pleasure to us and last but certainly not least, we were proud of the eagerly awaited and much ap- preciated recital given by Miss Vance in aid of the Chapel Fund. Even as we write, enthusiasm is high as Okticlos prepares to give us a concert in which all performances will be by students of the Department. PAGE TWENTY-SEVEN

Page 28 text:

In medieval days, gallant squires wooed their ladies and won their favour by composing long poems in their honour and by serenading them in the moonlight. Throughout the Elizabethan, the Classical and the Romantic periods, the beauty and grace of a poem was recognised by society as a refinement which it could not do without. Since the Industrial Revolution has gathered momentum, all but a few have forgotten or disregarded the desire of the human being to express his feelings through the medium of words. When Mr. Wilson MacDonald put foot across the threshold of our Alma Mater, he brought with him a whole new world of ineffable and profound beauty. For most of the girls, there was revealed that night an entirely different and new meaning in poetry. We were given an experience which was deeply felt and greatly appreciated. Rare inspiration and beautiful thoughts, brought forth in verse and imbued with the warm expressiveness and the deep-lying sense of humour of the poet himself made an evening long to be remembered by the students of the College. One outstanding characteristic among the many that are his shines brightly whenever the occasion arises. It is Mr. MacDonald ' s infinite love of little children. He has written of their innocence and sweetness and of the pleasure he has found in their company. None of us will every forget that touching story of Wisp A Wee or the excellent reading that the poet gave of it. A poem, having a lyrical quality, is like a song and without a song in our hearts, how empty life would seem. So it is without a poem. We, the students of O.L.C., wish to express our thanks and gratitude for being given this new insight into poetry and we salute the name of Wilson MacDonald in a song of better understanding. CAROL ROBINS PAGE TWENTY-SIX

Page 30 text:

Okticlo This club, which was founded by Mr. Atkinson, has continued to meet each month. In his farewell speech at the dinner which was given in honour of his forty-four years of service to the College, by the Board of Directors, Mr. Atkinson said that after so many years, it was very hard to say goodby, but he would feel even worse about it than he did were it not for the fact that he was leaving us to the care of someone who was so able and who was such a friend as was Mr. Gordon Hallett. Mr. Atkinson was right. Mr. Hallett, himself a distinguished concert pianist and member of the faculty of the Senior School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, has indeed been an inspiring suc- cessor. As a teacher, his patience and mastery of psychology have aided us in so many different situations. His descriptive terms: more broody , holus bolus and so many peas in a pod have helped us immeasurably with the feeling and mood of our pieces while others like animated alligators and Peter Piper have brought humour as well as improvement in rhythm and time. Under his direction, Okticlos meet- ings have been permeated with an air of informality because of his genuine interest and friendliness, to say nothing of his gifts as a Master of Ceremonies. Students have been keen. So many have performed and stood the test of the constructive criticisms made by the seniors. Before the meetings, there is usually a wild rush to practice rooms where may be heard in unison the tick, tick, tick of metronomes and the sound of furious rehearsal. At the time of performance, it is amazing to recall this — the results are astonishing. But at any time, interest in music is such that spon- taneous gatherings spring up everywhere at any time of the day. In these. Miss Vance is ringleader and her pleasing personality is something that we could not do without. The club ' s February meeting was a special one. Mr. Ralph Peters, one of Mr. Hallett ' s artist students from the Toronto Conservatory, made our February meeting a very special one. He delighted us with Listz ' s Hungarian Fantasia while Mr. Hallett supplied, on piano, the orchestral accompaniment. Variety was given to this meeting by several renditions by organ students. Our music talents have not been unappreciated away from O.L.C. either, for from time to time a student has played at Alumni gatherings, attended Home and School meetings as a performer and sung at Church services. We now have four A.R.C.T. students who come to us from as far away as Penticton, B.C. and South Hadley, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and to borrow a phrase which the Rev. W. J. Johnston gave us in his farewell speech to Mr. Atkinson, we look forward to their winning shortly a pat on the back for their examination work . . . The Editor interrupts me. Speaking of examinations, says she under whose watchful eye and at the prodding of whose painful pencil this article is being written, why no mention of those which the students of a certain Day Girl, referred to elsewhere in this publication, passed not so long ago ? Or of the teaching practice she has built up in Whitby ? Better — modesty need find no place in the records of the achievements of this Society. JOANNE STROWGER, President of Okticlos PAGE TWENTY-EIGHT