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Why don’t you sing more? Learn to use the odd moments.
“Why don’t you sing more in your school?” “We haven’t time,” is the answer. Bless you, time is worth little without energy. Two stanzas of a joyous song between classes will aid materially in giving the mind renewed vigor. Attention, even by the well disciplined mind, can be fixed upon a subject but for a short time without a “let up.” With children and youth the impulses must be frequent. Many teachers by puttering, pottering, dawdling methods fritter away enough time to sing a half dozen songs a day. Learn to use the odd moments. Plan your work, work your plan. Some teachers would have the song sung and school back at work again while other Aunt Nancies are “getting ready.” Pupils don’t need to “put away the books,” form in line, wait for an organist. Few are the schools in which either teacher or some pupil cannot “pitch the tune” and start the well known song without pitch pipe, tuning fork, or instrument. Put life, movement, rhythm as well as harmony, melody, and expression into the song. The spare moment and the psychologic moment are both gone, if we wait for the accompaniest to get to the instrument, find the selection, arrange her skirts, “feel of her belt in the back” or adjust her hair. Mind we are not now talking of the regular singing hour, planned for educative purposes; nor yet of the longer period or more formal song service that should go with every opening exercise. There are two distinctive purposes and forces in school music, the educative and the vitalizing. Too many schools use so much time in teaching the technique that there’s no time left for inspiring, invigorating, life-giving singing. Some music teachers apparently have no music in their souls. Their stock in trade is sharps, flats, chromatic scale, transposition, beating time. They sing just as little as they can and hold their job. No sensible person doubts the great disciplinary value of music, but every sane person puts much higher its emotional, life giving, character building force. Let us sing.
— Moderator-topics 27:14 (Lansing, Michigan., December 6, 1906) : 274
U Michigan copy/scan (via google books) : link
on the masthead —
(Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. — Ordinance of Northwest Territory, 1787.)
H. R. Pattengill, editor
State Superintendent of Public Instruction