Critical Days for Music in American Schools

Abstract

In November 1837 an impasse was broken so that music teaching could begin at Hawes I School in Boston. The School Committee had approved music in four schools, but the city council did not authorize funds. Public support was eroding, and the election of a new School Committee was approaching. On November 14, the committee accepted Lowell Mason's offer to teach without pay, which paved the way for curricular music. In a concert on August 14, 1838, the Hawes School children demonstrated what they had learned. Soon after, Hawes School Principal Joseph Harrington advocated school music in a public address. In mid-August, representatives from many states voted for school music at the Boston Academy of Music teachers' convention. These efforts led to the “Magna Carta of Music Education” which was approved on August 28, 1838.

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References

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