Public school music implies the recognition of music education for everyone, as contrasted with its study as a speciality. It began with Lowell Mason's work in the Boston public schools in 1837, an example followed promptly in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Cincinnati, San Francisco and other communities. The text books were derived from those of the "singing schools." The first provided for public school use were by Lowell Mason and Charles Aiken. The National MUSIC Course (Luther Whiting Mason, 1870) was the first of numerous courses providing systematically arranged vocal material for all public school grades. In 1885 the Bureau of Education reported 90 special music teachers in 247 communities. By 1914 the number of communities had risen to 622, of which only 15 had no special supervisor of music. This report indicates decided advances in the education of the music supervisor; the existence of 238 high school orchestras (evidently beginning at Richmond, Ind., under the direction of Will Ear hart) ; the teaching of harmony, music history or appreciation in school; the accrediting of private music lessons outside school; and a higher standard of choral music. The Music Supervisors National Conference was organized in 1907; in 1928 its member ship exceeded 5,000.
The literature of musical education has received important contributions in theory from George W. Chadwick, Hugh A. Clarke, Benjamin Cutter, Arthur Foote, Percy Goetschius, Walter R. Spalding, Adolf Weidig and Bernhard Ziehn ; in history from Edward Dickinson, Louis C. Elson, Waldo S. Pratt and 0. G. Sonneck ; in aesthetics and appreciation by Charles H. Farnsworth, Clarence G. Hamilton and Daniel Gregory Mason; in musical education by Frank Damrosch, Carl E. Seashore and Archibald T. Davison; in public school music by Karl W. Gehrkens, T. P.
Giddings, P. W. Dykema and Edward B. Birge.
Scholarship is evidenced by The Musical Quarterly. Of the magazines devoted to music teaching The Etude, The Musician, The Musical Observer and Singing are among the most popular. Regular publications of various associations provide a valuable aggregate of educational ideas. Reproducing instruments of player piano and gramophone types have had considerable place in school-music teaching and offer large supplies of educational material. Organizations deserving mention are the American Guild of Organists (1896), The American Academy of Teachers of Singing (1922), the Associated Glee Clubs of America, the Intercollegiate Musical Council and the National Federation of Music Clubs. The Carnegie Foundation has financially encour aged educational efforts in music, including the church music school at Northwestern university.
The trend of organized music instruction is toward a curriculum which balances performance and general music learning. There is abundant interest in music study and great activity in all its departments. This reflects public as well as professional concern. (C. N. B.) The modern musical-box is an elaboration of the elegant toy musical snuff-box in vogue during the i8th century. The notes or musical sounds are produced by the vibra tion of steel teeth or springs cut in a comb or flat plate of steel, reinforced by the harmonics generated in the solid steel back of the comb. The teeth are acted upon and musical vibrations pro duced by the revolution of a brass cylinder studded with project ing pins, which, as they move round, raise and release the proper teeth at due intervals according to the nature of the music. The revolving motion of the cylinder is effected by a spring and clockwork, and the rate is governed by a fly regulator.