Tufts University - Jumbo Yearbook (Medford, MA)

Page 24 text:

FACULTY During the next four years these malleable minds will be subjected to the painful process of Learning. Perhaps it will be a great experi¬ ence for a few but for the majority, Learning will be one more process of life to be endured like birth and death. When the official time for Learning has ended the premature child will be delivered and cast upon the world as an educated man. The tragedy is that he will be accepted as such.

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Daniel C. Abbott “In most people, the most underdeveloped sense organ is the ear.” So says Assistant Professor of Music, Daniel Abbott, whose three semester introductory course sequence has become so popular that he has been forced to use Cohen Auditorium as a classroom. Professor Abbott, the holder of B.A. and A.M. degrees from Brown University, is keenly aware of the drawbacks inherent in such an overcrowded situtation. Nevertheless, he is extremely reluctant to exclude any student from what he calls a “liason with the art.” In fact, he finds that “the whole problem of talking about music is an alien thing, since music is meant to be listened to, not talked about.” Mr. Abbott is also aware that many students, especially those who approach their subjects in a “methodi¬ cal” manner, are disturbed by the fact that his course ma¬ terial is “not as cut and dried as they would like it to be.” With these difficulties in mind, Mr. Abbott views his teach¬ ing task as “a continuing quest for the best compromise.” While Professor Abbott does see the new foundation requirement in the fine arts as one which is “highly desir¬ able,” he points out that he was not militantly for it because of his conviction that a student will probably gain much more from his music courses if he takes them under his own volition. “My three courses,” he explains, “are not an end in themselves. What is important is the student’s attitude toward the art of music, and his future willingness to include music as a significant aspect of his life.” He is trying to promote the appreciation of music as an art “by means of an understanding of its basic elements.” Mr. Abbott points out that the memorizing of pieces and movements is simply a “convenient vehicle” leading toward his primary objective which is “to hear music, not to identify it.” When asked why he is so concerned with teaching people to listen, Professor Abbott replied, “The answer lies in the music itself.” His efforts are really directed toward the “sharpening of critical tastes so that people will become