Music: In Public Schools

Since the days not long ago when public-school music was limited to daily sing-song renderings of a morning hymn, tremendous strides have been taken in this branch of education. Now even remote little schools have their special music teachers, their glee clubs, orchestras, bands, unusual opportunities to hear concerts by professionals. To discuss these comparatively recent developments and to compare achievements, there met last week in Chicago some 7,400 music supervisors for the Second Biennial National Conference. Superintendent William. J. Bogan of the Chicago Public Schools spoke. So did Conference President Mabelle Glenn, music supervisor in Kansas City, Mo., and Vice President George H. Gartlan, music supervisor in Manhattan. Conductor Walter Damrosch talked proudly of his radio classes (TIME, Oct. 29, 1928) which numbered some 1,500,000 last year, 5,000,000 this, with 10,000,000 estimated for next year. President John Erskine of the Juilliard School of Music advocated state music centres, suggested supporting them by a tax on baseball and other public sports. President Joseph N. Weber of the American Federation of Musicians seized the opportunity to flay “canned” music once more. His refrain: “There will be no incentive for young musicians if 200 cheap musicians in Hollywood can supply all the music necessary for 60,000 theatres.”

There were breakfasts, luncheons, banquets, sectional meetings, demonstration classes, by student groups—a Chicago high school band, a national high school chorus, the western division of the National High School Orchestra. New officers were elected: Russell Morgan, music supervisor of Cleveland, president; Max Krone, a Morgan assistant, vice president. A prize trip abroad was awarded to George E. Wahlstrom, supervisor of instrumental music of Ashtabula, O. A Resolution was passed to suggest to Congress to make “America the Beautiful”* the National anthem, instead of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the words of which were voted too militant, the music too difficult for children to learn easily.

There were concerts by the University of Chicago Choir, the Chicago Paulist Choristers, the Chicago Symphony under Conductor Frederick Stock. The Orchestra aroused particular interest as demonstrating the work being done at the National High School Orchestra and Band Camp at Interlochen, Mich. This camp was founded in 1928 by Joseph E. Maddy, a professor of music at the University of Michigan. It had 115 student members the first year. Last summer it had 232 members (86 girls, 146 boys) and its equipment had been increased to include 99 classrooms, 27 student cottages (with electric lights, running water). This summer weekly Sunday evening broadcasts will be given. Next year a European tour is planned, to culminate with concerts at Lausanne before the Anglo-American Music Education Conference.

*Music by Samuel A. Ward, words by Katherine Lee Bates, late Professor of English at Wellesley College. At the Bandmasters’ Convention held a fortnight ago in Middletown, Ohio, there were delegates who wanted Sousa’s “Stars & Stripes Forever” for the National anthem. Their criticism of “The Star Spangled Banner” was that it came from an old English drinking song.