New Era for Music Education in Evansville – Morgan O’Beirne and Devyn Haas
Music education was a part of the school system since 1867 in Evansville, Indiana. With that being said, it was not as recommended nor was it as important as the other classes. In 1848, there was a fee added to your school funds if you were taking music– .50 cents ($16 in today’s world). Vocal music education was very different because they only had a piano and a guitar in the classroom to be able to teach the class, and, unfortunately, the classes were small because of the added fee. However, Professor Tinker changed the way music education was taught by showing that music is an integral part of education. Tinker encouraged each music educator to teach their students in ways that would foster their growth as musicians, such as being able to tell the key of the piece before playing or singing the first note. Tinker also incorporated math, science, and even other languages in his teaching to exercise all areas of the students’ minds.
1914 was an important year; Professor Tinker passed away and he championed the rise of music education in the city. A new supervisor was hired, the first operetta was given, the first choral Festival was held, and the first band was organized. Chloe Stoneking directed the first operetta at Central High School; it was called “Bulbul.” In the fall of 1914, Ada Bicking was appointed supervisor of music in the school system. On November 27, 1914, the day after Professor Tinker’s death, the first choral festival in Evansville was held. Another choral festival was held less than six months later on two consecutive evenings, April 26 and 27. The first was for the “colored” community and the second was for the white community. 700 colored children performed in the festival. 1200 white students performed the following evening.
Dates Local Schools Become Established
- Reitz was built in 1918
- Bosse in 1924
- Lincoln in 1928
- Later in 1956 North was added and in 1962 Harrison was built
Instrumental Music
Martin B. Chenall was the head of the music department at the time, and this era was the beginning of instrumental music. Instrumental music in a concert setting first arose in 1899, when a mandolin group played for commencement exercises. Funds were appropriated for this group in 1903 to help develop an orchestra. Instrumental music integrated into high school curriculum in 1913, but it was an extracurricular activity before become part of the school day. Chloe Stoneking directed the orchestra 1913 and it was made up of 28 members. It was often led by a person who wasn’t a trained music teacher, interestingly enough. In 1914, Martin B. Chennal was hired to succeed Chloe Stoneking, and his responsibility was to teach vocal music and direct the band (the first band in the school system). The band had 44 members including three girls. It had uniforms in a cadet style, and the Evansville high school band made its first appearance in chapel. Chennal also directed a number of shows during his time. The Evansville High School Band even performed at the 1916 centennial celebration. Until 1917, the instrumental program in the school system applied only to the high school. During the same year, Ada Bicking got permission to hire new teachers so that instrumental music could be included in all the grade schools. Music classes for the grade schools were to be held after school from 3 o’clock until 5 o’clock.
Music Supervisors National Conference Comes to Evansville
The Music Supervisors National Conference came to Evansville for their convention in 1918. They could’ve gone to any big city, but Evansville was the top city for music in black schools. It gave the supervisors a chance to hear black spirituals done in an authentic and appropriate way. John McCormack also sang at the convention. He was an Irish tenor who was made a papal count. He studied with Sabatini and regularly sang opera in Italy, the United States and England.
Music Education Under Helen Wilkinson
In 1926, Helen Wilkinson was hired to teach instrumental and vocal music at Central High School as well as supervise music in the nine elementary schools that were in the district. Wilkinson was appointed to supervise instrumental and vocal music in all of the grade schools throughout the entire city, and this made the approach to music education more consistent in Evansville. She was responsible for music education in the city for the next 34 years. The Evansville Public School Music Council was formed in 1928, and its main objective was to demonstrate the progress of music education in Evansville for the Southwestern Indiana Teachers Association meetings. Directed by Wilkinson, the demonstration for the first year included 500 children: combined elementary bands, combined high school glee clubs, combined high school bands, combined high school orchestras, the black glee club from Lincoln high school, and finally an all-district high school orchestra. Dr. Joseph E. Maddie directed the all district high school orchestra. He had been a supervisor of instrumental music in public schools in Rochester, New York and Richmond, Indiana and had also been head of music methods at Earlham College as well as professor of music education at the University of Michigan. He was president of the Music Educators National Conference in 1936 to ‘38. Most importantly, he established the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan.
In 1931, Claude B. Smith was hired as the instrumental music teacher for Bosse High School. In 1933, Paul Yoder was hired as Central’s first full-time band director since 1917; he was a local composer and arranger of high school band music. Both of these men re-organized the instrumental music program.
The Philharmonic Society and orchestra made up of local musicians was formed in 1933. On May 7, 1939, the first youth concert was performed by the orchestra in the Central High School auditorium. The program was given for all seventh and eighth grade students and all instrumental students in the concert were sponsored by both the orchestra and the public schools. In 1933, Central High School’s a cappella choir was selected to represent Evansville at Grand Rapids, Michigan for the National Convention of Music Supervisors. In 1935, Helen Wilkinson was appointed supervisor vocal music for the elementary and high schools. She was the supervisor for vocal music city wide. The following year, Claude Smith was appointed director of instrumental music for both the elementary and high schools. The student population grew in 1952 and it became more difficult for Wilkinson to visit the classrooms as often as she felt was necessary. She utilized the radio station at Evansville College, WEVC, to broadcast weekly music lessons in the schools. A children’s concert was given on November 12, 1953 by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. During this time, workshops are paid for by the system and were free of charge to music teachers that wanted to participate. That wasn’t always the case in the past.
Reorganization and Growth of Instrumental Music
There was a re-organization of instrumental music in 1931 when Claude B. Smith was hired as the new band director for Bosse High School. He had prepared a five your plan for instrumental music in Evansville public schools. Through the re-organization of the instrumental program was born and all city ensemble. The ensemble was for students that were considered gifted and talented from the different city schools. Evansville has always been receptive to contests and clinics—whether hosting them or traveling to them.
Important Dates:
- 1847 First band to arise from Evansville.
- Public school systems began in 1853
- 1867 Music education was added into the school systems
- First public Evansville High School concert on December 18, 1868
- 1872 First singing group, Schiller Gesang by Professor C. Mathias
- 1914 Professor Tinker was the first music supervisor
- In 1935 first time instruments purchased with tax money, and it was the only way to make instrumental music available to all students; Smith was appointed director of instrumental music for both elementary and high schools the same year.
- First all-city orchestra in 1936. An all girl’s band was added the same year, and, fourteen years later, a summer music program added.
- In 1937, the first concert by all-city high school bands and orchestras was given. All-city bands started with gifted and talented students in mind. The same year, an upkeep fee for repair was started and instruments insured for the first time.
- Smith took the Bosse High School band to a national band contest in Elkhart in 1937, and the Bosse orchestra appeared at the Midwest band clinic in 1952.
- In 1945, the system reached the point where each director would be responsible for only two schools.
- A full-time repair shop opened in 1958.
- In 1978, a written music test became a part of Evansville solo and ensemble. The Suzuki program was added for two grade schools the same year.
Source:
Boyer, A History of Music Education in the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation, 1853-78, Thesis for Master of Music Degree
