Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 177, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1918 — ENJOY SINGING IN CHORUS [ARTICLE]

ENJOY SINGING IN CHORUS

Why Children Should Be Encouraged to Take Part in Exercises of Juvenile Glee Clubs. Anyone who has watched a class of schoolchildren singing their songs together, or the members of a juvenile glee club raising their voices in melody, knows to how great an extent children enjoy expressing thenfselves musically. It is perhaps one of the few times when they begin to get an appreciation of what concerted action means in creating strength and power both for the individual as well as the group. You seldom get a child to stand up and sing alone, but place him among a large group of children and note the change in him —the change in his expression, his bearing and his whole attitude. It is therefore a cause for much encouragement to hear the news that people are growing interested in community choruses for children. The movement for grownups has become widespread and its good results have been appreciated by all who have taken an active part in it. The question naturally arises, then, why wait until a person is grown up before you let him take part in that which undeniably is beneficial to him? Why not give the child an opportunity to musically express himself before he has grown too self-conscious to do it freely?