Public production as an aid to music education

106 Pages·04.446 MB·English

by  Stevenson, C. F

PUBLIC PRODUCTION IS AN AID TO
MUSIC EDUCATION
A Thesis
Presented to
the F acu lty of the School of Music
The U n iv ersity of Southern C alifo rn ia
In P a rtia l F u lfillm en t
of the Requirements fo r the Degree
M aster of Music
by
C h arlo tte F* Stevenson
June 1942
UMI Number: EP61764
All rights reserved
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This thesis, written by
OHAmOTTE..P ♦...STCTEKBON......
under the direction of hS>X. Faculty Committee,
and approved by all its members, has been
presented to and accepted by the Council on
Graduate Study and Research in partial fulfill­
ment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF MUSIC
Secretary
Date June, 1942
Faculty Committee
j ^ Chairman
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMSU SED . . 1
The p ro b le m ................................................... 1
Statem ent of the p r o b le m ..................................... 1
Im portance o f the s t u d y .......................................... 1
D efin itio n s of term s used .......................................... 2
Public production ............................... . . . . . 2
C o rrelatio n and in te g ratio n ............................... 3
I I . ACCEPTED PRACTICES AND STANDARDS OF MUSIC
EDUCATION................................................................................... 5
G eneral values of music in education . . . 5
Human or personal v a l u e s .................................... 5
S ocial or group values .......................................... 7
G eneral aims of music education • • • • • • 8
Aims of music public production ..................... 11
S o cial o b jectiv e ......................................................... 12
P ro fessio n al o b jectiv e ..................................... 13
F in an cial o b jectiv e . . . . . . ..................... 13
I I I . PUBLIC PRODUCTION AS AN AID TO MUSIC
EDUCATION................................................................................... 15
In tro d u ctio n • • • • • • • • * ........................... 15
Standards of music . . . . . ........................... 15
P ublic production as an aid to music
appreciation................ 16
Iv
CHAPTER PAGE
L istening to m u s ic ......................................................... 17
Performance of m u s ic .................................... . 18
C reating music ................................................................... 19
Public production as a m otivation to music
e d u c a t i o n .........................................................................* 20
To the c h i l d ....................................................................... 21
To the te a c h e r .................................................................. 21
To the com m unity............................................................. 22
To the s c h o o l ............................................ 23
Public production as a fa c to r in school
and community c o o p e r a tio n .................................... 25
In te g ra tio n a nd c o rre la tio n p ro jec ts in
school and com m unity..........................* . . . 25
P u p il-teach er p a rtic ip a tio n ............................... 28
E ffe ct of size of school on public
p ro d u c tio n ............................................................................. 30
Large c ity system , sm all c ity system ,
ru ra l s c h o o l......................................................... • • 30
IV. THE CASE AGAINST PUBLIC PRODUCTIONS..................... 32
C riticism s by a d m in istrato rs .................................... 32
C riticism s by parents ............................................... 34
C riticism s by te a c h e r s .................................................... 35
G eneral c ritic ism s .............................................................. 36
Conclusion.................... 37
V
CHAPTER PAGE
V. PROGRAM BUILDING . . ......................................................... 39
S electio n of m a te ria l • • . . ..................... 39
Arrangement of m aterial on program * . . . 40
Arrangement of p rin ted program . . . . . . 41
Length and hour of perform ance . . . . . . 42
VI. TYPES OP PUBLIC PRODUCTIONS AND SUGGESTED
METHODS OP PERFORMANCE............................................... 44
The f e s t i v a l .............................. 44
The non-com petitive fe s tiv a l .......................... 44
The fe s tiv a l of music and dance . . . . 45
The all-m usic fe s tiv a l .......................................... 47
O rganization of the fe s tiv a l . . . . . . 48
Costuming the fe s tiv a l • • • • • • • • • 51
The com petition fe s tiv a l ............................... 51
Conclusions on the fe s tiv a l . . . . . . 52
The co n test • • • • • . . • • • • • • • • 53
Case a g ain st the c o n t e s t ..................................... 53
M usical re s u lts of the co n test • • • • • 54
The co n test an Influence fo r sp o rts­
manship « • • • • • ................................... 54
The co n test as a public stim ulus • • • • 55
The a ttitu d e of the music teacher and
the ad m in istrato r to the co n test . . . 56
Organization of the contest « • • • • • 57
vi
CHAPTER PAGE
Conclusion • . . 58
The pageant . • • ......................... 58
Community cooperation through the
pageant ..................... • « • • • • • • • • 58
C o rrelatio n and in te g ra tio n through
the pageant • • • • • • • • • • • • • 59
Conclusion • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 61
The o p e re tta or opera » • » * • • » • • • 62
C reative p o s s ib ilitie s of the o p eretta • 62
C orrelatio n and in te g ra tio n through the
o p eretta • . ............................................................. 65
Suggested methods of production • . • . 64
C riticism s of the o p eretta 65
C onclusions • • • • « • • • • • • • • • 67
The can tata • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 67
Costuming the cantata 68
C o rrelatio n and in te g ra tio n through
the c a n t a t a ............................................................. 68
Solo singing in the can tata • • • • • • 69
Conclusion • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 70
The rad io program • « • • • • • • • • • • 70
Children* s broadcasts ................................... 70
M ythical broadcasts .......................................... 71
Conclusion ......... . . . . * 71
vii
CHAPTER PAGE
The c o n c e r t ........................................................................ 71
Programs fo r c iv ic o rg an izatio n s . • . . 72
The evening concert . . ........................... 73
Conclusion ............................................... 74
M in strel show, v a rie ty show,a nd c arn iv al 74
M aterial chosen fo r th e production . • . 74
C reative p o s s ib ilitie s in these
productions • • • • • ..................................... 75
Achievement p o ssib le through the
m in strel show, v a rie ty show, and
c a r n i v a l........................................ 76
C o n c lu sio n ............................................................... 77
Assembly program, ta le n t hour, and room
program .................................................... 77
The assem bly p ro g ra m ..................................... 77
The ta le n t h o u r ......................................................... 78
The room program . .......................................... 79
C o n c lu sio n ........................................................ 79
In c id e n ta l m u s ic .................................................... 80
Im portance of th is type of perform ance . 80
C o n c lu sio n ............................................................... 81
G eneral conclusions • • • • • • • • • • • 81
V II. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................... 84
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................ 88
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED
There have "been many stu d ies concerning the pro­
duction of the o p e re tta , c an tata, and pageant; but no
study has been made which included a l l of the types of
perform ances p o ssib le and th e ir use as aid s in the
in stru c tio n of ch ildren in the s k ills , techniques and
a ttitu d e im portant in the fie ld of m usic.
I t was the d e sire of the w riter to d iscu ss some
of the g en eral and sp e cific aims of the music educator
and to show th a t he could be aided in the achievement
of these aims by the use of the various types of public
productions.
I. THE PROBLEM
Statem ent of the problem . I t was the purpose of
th is study (1) to consider the g eneral and sp e cific aims
of the music educator, (2) to show how public productions
can a id in the com pletion of these general and sp e cific
aim s, (3) to d iscu ss the weaknesses of public productions,
and (4) to d iscu ss the types of perform ances and suggest
methods of production.
Importance of the study. Very often the operetta
2
has been considered the only type of perform ance which is
given in the public school. The term wo p e re tta ff has
often been used synonymously w ith the term ^public
p ro d u ctio n .” In th is study an attem pt has been made to
group a ll types of perform ances and prove th e ir worth as
aid s to the music educator who endeavors to teach the
c h ild and a t the same time help him to enjoy h is learning
and liv in g .
I I . DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED
Public production. A public production is a
perform ance which is produced fo r the p u b lic. The public
may c o n sist of an a d u lt audience, a high school assem bly
audience, a group of stu den ts from the elem entary school,
or a sm all room audience, l^henever one group of students
perform , e ith e r in a group or as s o lo is ts , before another
group which is watching and lis te n in g to the perform ance,
they are p a rtic ip a tin g in a public production.
For the purpose of th is study the types of public
production considered are; the fe s tiv a l, non-com petitive
and com petition; the co n te st; the pageant; the o p eretta
or opera; the can tata; the radio program; the concert;
the m in strel show, the v a rie ty show, and the c arn iv a l;
the assem bly program, the ta le n t hour, and the room
program; and In cid e n ta l music including sm all ensembles