The History of Music and Music

Education in Rhode Island

A Project for Graduate Students

CAROLYN LIVINGSTON

The History of Music and Music Education in Rhode Island is a

project which graduate students at the University of Rhode Island in
Kingston began in 1992 and have since carried out to document music
activities in the Ocean State. Although students working toward the Master
of Music degree in either music education or music performance and
enrolled in Research in Music study three modes of research, historical,
philosophical, and empirical, the centerpiece of the course is an assignment
that adds to a growing collection of history papers. Each student in the class
chooses a subject that has to do with the state's musical past and writes a
paper on that topic. This article describes the process through which the
collection grew and the contents of the collection at the present time.
Researchers in other locales may want to consider a similar collaborative
exploration of their own area's history.
Historical research offers the opportunity for personal, intellectual,
and emotional growth. In many cases, graduate students at Rhode Island
are the first authors ever to write about their specific subjects. By
contributing to this project, graduate students in music and music education
experience the serious but joyful sense of responsibility historians find
when they realize that it is possible to touch both the past and the future. By
studying, knowing, and reflecting deeply on a small part of the past, one is
able to able to impart its meaning to readers of the future. When a passion
for a chosen subject and a sense of obligation to find out the truth and write

121
 122 CAROLYN LIVINGS10N

it with integrity develops, character strengthens. It is no exaggeration to say

that students usually find their lives changed after the assignment is
completed.
Inspiration for the project came from George N. Heller's 1990 article
in which he summarized the existing historical research in music education
set in the states of the Eastern Division of Music Educators National
Conference, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, Although Heller cited a number
of references for some of these states, particularly Massachusetts and New
York, he concluded that "Much work is left to be done." I He noted that
Arlen Coolidge's article on Providence had appeared in AmeriGrove, as
music researchers refer to The New Grove Dictionary ofAmerican Music,
and called it "the only recent research to appear in print that is directly
concerned with the history of music education in Rhode Island."2 It was the
only work dealing with Rhode Island music history that Heller cited.
Since Rhode Island is in such close proximity to Boston, where music
education in the colonies began, the hypothesis that the history of music and
music education in the Ocean State might prove to be unusually rich was a
natural one. This supposition has has been borne out. Furthermore, as
Heller observed, Rhode Island's musical history has largely been
unexplored by researchers.
Heller quoted Allan Bloom, "We need history, not to tell us what
happened, or to explain the past, but to make the past alive so that it can
explain us and make a future possible. This is our educational crisis and
opportunity."3 Heller wrote that ''This is especially true in providing people
lGeorge N. Heller, "Historical Research in Music Education: The Eastern Division of
MENC," UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education 9 (Fall-Winter 1990),21.
2Heller, "Historical Research in Music Education," 2 I. See Arlan R. Coolidge,
"Providence" in H. Wiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie, The New Grove Dictionary of American
Music, 1986. Earlier relevant publications include Herbert Chandler Thrasher, 250 Years of
Music in Providence. Rhode Island. 1636-1886 (Providence, RI: Rhode Island Federation of
Music Clubs, 1942), and Joyce Ellen Mangler, Rhode Island Music and Musicians, 1733-1850
Detroit Studies in Music Bibliography, vol. 7 (Detroit, MI: Information Coordinators, 1965).
3Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind (New York: Simon and Schuster,
1987), 238-240.
 MUSIC AND Music EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 123

in all parts of the nation with a sense of their local, state, and regional
history and how it fits into the national history of music education."4
Graduate students at Rhode Island are gradually building a history collection
that will help to show how Rhode Island not only fits into the national
picture but has helped to mold the development of American music and
music education.

General Description of the Collection

As faculty facilitator for the enterprise, I naively assumed at the start

that, like most research projects carried out at universities, this one would
have a beginning and an end. This speculation could not have been more
erroneous. The University of Rhode island offers the Research in Music
course every third semester. Whenever the course is taught new topics are
added to the Suggested Projects List included in the syllabus. For the most
part, ideas have come from Department of Music students and faculty
members.f
Students have been resourceful in finding additional topics related to
their own interests and backgrounds as well as in uncovering new subjects
to be added to the list for consideration by students in future semesters.
Individual papers often mention one or more new possibilities. As one
paper is completed, it seems to generate others. Ideas for history papers
sometimes come from newspaper obituaries and other articles. The list of
possible topics has taken on a life of its own and seems to expand without a
great deal of human effort.
When the project first began, it was part of a course in the
Foundations of Music Education. After I was assigned to teach a different
course, Research in Music, the project became part of the new course
instead. This move resulted in one student having written two papers in the

4Heller, "Historical Research in Music Education," 17.

sl am especially grateful for helpful suggestions from my colleagues Ann Danis,
Geoffrey Gibbs, and George Kent.
 124 CAROLYN LIVINGSTON

collection. A graduate student wrote one paper to fulfill an assignment

required by a different professor in another course.
It is not surprising that the majority of papers, nineteen out of a total
of twenty-eight in the collection, are biographical, for it is individuals who
create history and take the major roles on its stage. Five of the nineteen
biographies are of women. At the present time the biographies begin
chronologically with Oliver Shaw, born in 1779, and end with Edgar
Edwards, born in 1935. Both a teacher and a student of Lowell Mason
(1792-'1872), widely regarded as the father of music education in the
United States, are to be found here. The remaining papers have dealt with
other historical subjects, for example, the second youth orchestra, a city's
elementary instrumental music program, an internationally known music
festival, and a twenty-five year view of an entire local music program.
Although these papers are not biographical, individuals play prominent roles
in all of them. One paper has for its subject the University of Rhode Island
Department of Music, and several others provide biographies of professors
emeritus. Because of its well-known attraction as a vacation destination the
Ocean State has frequently been·visited by famous musicians. This fact
leads to a genre of research practically unlimited in its possibilities. For
example, a paper written" this year chronicles the activities of Nicolas
Slonimsky when he came to the Ocean State.
The time span that has been researched so far covers four hundred and
seventy-four years, beginning in 1524 and ending in the spring of 1998. At
least twelve papers deal with subjects of national prominence. No less
significant, however, are the histories that consider events and individuals
whose primary level of interest is local or regional. A recent study pointed
out the importance, particularly in writing the histories of women in music
education, of studying the lives of professionals who were not widely
known. Such research adds to the credibility of the steady and persistent
work that has taken place in many settings, colleges and universities, public
schools, private schools, private studios and religious instltutions.e

6Carolyn Livingston, "Women in Music Education in the United States: Names

Mentioned in History Books," Journal of Research in Music Education 45 (Spring 1997), 142-
143.
 MUSIC AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 125

Students in the class are free to choose from a wide-ranging list of

subjects or to select a subject not on the list. They are encouraged to
research a subject that is tied to their own interests, experiences, or areas of
expertise. One student wrote a biography about a person from her family
history. Another interviewed an outstanding individual who lived in his
neighborhood. Several students selected a subject related to their major
performance area, a topic associated with the town in which they teach
and/or reside, or one that they had been curious about for some time. One
student chose to write about a teacher who was influential in the student's
own life. Oral history techniques were employed in most of the papers.

Papers on the Early Years to 1900

Native peoples of Rhode Island produced its first music. Giovanni da

Verrazzano, a sixteenth century Italian explorer of the Eastern seaboard of
North America, spent fifteen days among the Native-Americans of the area
he called "Refugio, the very beautiful port,"7 an area later to become
Newport, Rhode Island. Verrazzano observed the Native peoples'
lamentations for their dead, comparing their singing to that of his own
community in Sicily. Roger Williams, founder of the Rhode Island colony,
wrote of the Narragansett tribe's festive celebrations, which included music
and dance, in 1643. Rodney J. Caron based his research on these early
writings as well as on interviews with Everett "Tall Oak" Weeden, a
national authority on Native American music who lives in Charlestown,
Rhode Island.s
Caron's paper includes details about authentic instruments in
Weeden's collection such as drums, rattles, shakers, the Native American
flute, and the eagle bone whistle. He discusses the use of music in Native
ceremonies and everyday life. Caron found that only one documented

7Rodney 1. Caron, ''Traditional Music of the Indians of Rhode Island and Related
Tribes," 1996, TM, 12-13. History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department,
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
8Ibid.• 12.
 126 CAROLYN LIvINGSTON

melody of the Narragansetts who lived in Rhode Island before the arrival of
the Europeans, is believed to remain to the present day. It has survived as
the "Old Indian Hymn." Caron's contribution in synthesizing the available
information on this important subject is invaluable.?
Documentation confirms that concerts occurred in Providence at the
home of Joshua Hacker, a wealthy ship owner, as early as 1768. The
earliest evidence of music education in colonial Rhode Island is in Judith
Falconer's description of a singing school William Billings taught in 1774
at the First Congregational Church in Providence. Falconer's study presents
the life of Oliver Shaw (1779-1849), a blind musician and teacher who
lived and worked in Providence and Newport. Shaw wrote original music
and compiled music collections for both secular and sacred uses. He taught
privately, as a singing school master, and in several academies. Shaw
operated a music store and performed as a church organist and vocal soloist.
He established and served as president for several music societies, including
the earliest in New England, the Psallonian Society. While living in
Dedham, Massachusetts, Shaw gave music lessons to the young Lowell
Mason, on whom he was a great influence. A number of his other students,
including some of Shaw's own children, also became music educators.
Falconer points out that it was probably because of Shaw's influence and
example that Mason conducted a singing school for a short time in 1835 at
Beneficent Church in Providence. 10
Another early musical entrepreneur was Eben Tourjee (1834-1891), a
native Rhode Islander bornto a family of textile mill workers. Governor
Elisha Harris, a mill owner who observed Tourjee singing as he worked,
discovered the young man and his outstanding voice. The governor was so
impressed that he decided to sponsor Tourjee's musical studies. James
Manning details the fascinating story of the man who went on to study with
Lowell Mason and become the founder and first director of the New

9Caron, "Traditional Music of the Indians of Rhode Island," 13,

IOCoolidge, "Providence"; and Judith Falconer. "Oliver Shaw: A Musician For His
Time." 1994. TM. 2, 20. History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department,
University of Rhode Island. Kingston, RI.
 MUSIC AND Music EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 127

England Conservatory as well as the first president of the Music Teachers

National Association. I 1
Tourjee was an early proponent of the classroom, or conservatory,
approach to music education. Manning writes, "By advocating a
conservatory method of classroom instruction, Tourjee led the movement
that would eventually define music education in the twentieth century. His
consistent and relentless pursuit of music education for all persons,
regardless of income or status paved the way for an explosion of access to
music education in the United States."12
"The American Band is one of the oldest continuously active bands in
the United States. It contributed to the heritage of the golden age of bands in
the nineteenth century and continues in that tradition today:'13 reports
Aaron Weitekamp in his study of this Providence performing ensemble.
Founded in 1837, the American Band is the second oldest band in the
country. The only older band is the Allentown Band of Allentown,
Pennsylvania which claims 1828 as the date of its founding.i-t
Although Weitekamp was able to find a number of printed sources on
the history of the American Band and other wind bands founded in the
nineteenth century, he also discovered that many of these sources did not
provide references and contained inaccurate information. The histories were
often confusing because of the fact that these early bands sometimes
changed their names frequently or were discontinued. By comparing many
different histories Weitekarnp was able to determine a number of pertinent
facts about the American Band's early years. He discovered that the band
probably enjoyed its greatest success under the baton of David Wallis
Reeves, who conducted the American Band from 1866 to 1900. John Philip

IIJames Manning, "Eban Tourjee," 1994, TM. 3, History of Music and Music Education
Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island. Kingston, Rl.
(2Ibid .• 12.
IJ Aaron Weitekamp, ''The History of the American Band of Providence, 1837-1997,"
1998, TM, 3, History of Music and Music Education Project. Music Department, University of
Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
14lbid., 6.
 128 CAROLYN LIvINGSlON

Sousa greatly admired Reeves's work as a composer and band director.

Sousa said that Reeves set principles for later bandmasters to emulate.15
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (1869-1933), the African American
soprano popularly known in her day as the "Black Patti," was born in
Portsmouth, Virginia. The daughter of a minister, she moved to Providence
when she was around the age of seven. "Black Patti" was a term "used to
compare her with Adelina Patti, a famous Italian soprano of the time,
because their voices were alike in richness and musicality."16 Helen L.
Glynn movingly writes,

The tag of "Black Patti" would follow Sissieretta throughout her life and career. In
a time when life was a constant struggle for equality, civil rights and fair
employment, it served as an indication of the secondary role of blacks in society,
when praise for talent was lavished, but respect was not given.l?

Glynn asserts that African Americans were "shunned socially, exploited

economically, ridiculed intellectually, and left to survive in poverty."18
Jones studied in New York and had an extensive concert career, touring the
United States, the West Indies, Europe, Asia, and Africa at various times in
her life. Although Jones's talent and opera repertoire brought her
consideration for the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, a career in opera
evaded her because of her race.

Papers on Twentieth-Century Topics

Although Nicolas Sionimsky's (1894-1995) visits to Rhode Island

had previously been documented only sparsely, Vyacheslav Timokhen was
able to interview one member of the university faculty who remembered
15Weitekamp, 'The History of the American Band of Providence, 1837-1997," 8.

16Helen L. Glynn, '''Black Patti': The Life and Times of Sissieretta Jones," 1995, TM,
4-5, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode
Island, Kingston, Rl.
17Ibid., 5.
18Ibid., 6.
 MUSIC AND Music EDUCATION IN RHODE IsLAND 129

some unusual anecdotes from those times. Timokhen's paper provides an

overview of Slonimsky's long life and brilliant career as a musicologist,
critic, author, teacher, pianist, and conductor. Conveniently situated
between New York and Boston, the cities where Slonimsky worked for a
large part of his life, Rhode Island was an attractive location in which he
could serve as a guest lecturer for students at URI or relax at the Newport
home of his friends, art collectors and philanthropists Maxim and Martha
Karolik. Timokhen concludes that "Nicolas Slonimsky spent only a short
time in Rhode Island but because of his great impact on the world of music,
Rhode Island should consider it an honor to have had him as a guest."19
Educator, critic, pianist, organist, choir director, administrator, and
composer, Ruth Tripp (1897-1971) is the subject of a study by Andrea
Diman. Tripp was a professional woman who managed to have an active
and varied career in music during the difficult years of the Great
Depression, World War II, and beyond. Tripp taught at the Gordon School,
a private school for girls in Providence, and later at URI. She was a music
critic for the Providence Joumal-Bulletin for a number of years. Beginning
in 1940, she served as director for the WPA's music program in the state
until it was discontinued. Through her teaching, writing, and performing
Tripp's impact on the cultural life of Rhode Island was considerable.20
Elodie Farnum (1902-1914), was a child prodigy on the violin. Lisa
Quigley's study describes the privileged life of a girl whose untimely death
cut short a promising career. Elodie's father, H. Cyrus Farnum, the son of
New England settlers, was a leading New England artist of his time. He
painted several official portraits of Rhode Island governors. Elodie's
mother, Alice Leigh Farnum, was an accomplished pianist. The family
traveled extensively abroad, and their only child was educated by tutors.
Her violin teacher was Heinrich Eichheim of Boston.u
19Vyacheslav Timokhen, "Nicolas Sionimsky and His Rhode Island Connections,"
unpublished paper, 1998, II.
20Andrea Diman, "Ruth Tripp: ALife Devoted to the Culture and Art ofMusic in Rhode
Island," 1996, TM, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department,
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
21Lisa Quigley, "Elodie: A Very Young Violinist," 1996, TM, 2, History of Music and
Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
 130 CAROLYN LIvINGsToN

Elodie began to study the violin at the age of seven and gave her first
recital in Fall River, Massachusetts, about a year later. After a Providence
concert for an audience of six hundred a critic wrote that she played "with
an accuracy of tone and maturity of style quite unusual in so young a
performer"22 Elodie Farnum was not only a gifted musician but wrote
poetry as well. The Children's Room in a branch of the Providence Public
Library is dedicated to her memory. Quigley's paper is interesting from the
historical and sociological perspectives and would also be useful to
researchers studying the child prodigy phenomenon.
Arlan R. Coolidge (1902-1993), who wrote the article on Providence
in AmeriGrove, began teaching at Brown University in 1930. At that time
the music department consisted of an old stem-winder phonograph, a small
collection of recordings, and himself. Largely due to his efforts, the
department grew considerably by the time Coolidge retired in 1967. Laurette
M. Vitello's biography is a valuable record of his life and of the activities of
the Brown music department during the thirty-seven years that Coolidge
was on the faculty.23
Coolidge received many honors for his promotion of all types of
music and for his success in bringing music of the highest quality to the
Rhode Island listening public. The author of A Guide for Listening,
published by McGraw-Hill, Coolidge was one of the signers of President
Johnson's Arts and Humanities Bill in 1967. Vitello was able to interview
Coolidge several times during the year that preceded his death. Her paper
gives insight into the career of this prominent scholar, violinist, and teacher.
She concludes that "Coolidge's ability to inspire a love of music in the
average person" was his most exceptional accomplishment. "For Arlan R.
Coolidge, music was the best part of life, and he worked diligently to make
it the best part for others."24

22Quigley, "Elodie: A Very Young Violinist," 5.

23Laurette M. Vitello, "Arlan R. Coolidge: A Lifetime of Music," 1992, TM, History of
Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston,
RI.
24lbid., 11.
 MUSIC AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN RHODE IsLAND 131

"The many venues of his work illustrate the importance of self-

employed music teachers,"25 writes Susan Hodgin about the versatile
Raymond Knapp (b. 1907). Knapp fostered the development of music and
the arts in the small communities of southern Rhode Island. Although he
taught privately throughout his remarkable career, Knapp also taught and
supervised music at a community center for over fifty years, an institution
for the mentally disabled for approximately forty years, a private school for
twenty-one years, and a university summer music program for sixteen
years.
Stephen Farnum (b. 1910) was the author of published articles and
method books, but he is best known for his work on the Watkins-Farnum
Performance Scale. He developed the test after determining which of the
existing music aptitude tests would best predict a student's success on a
musical instrument after one year of study. When Farnum found the
Watkins test to be the most effective, he expanded it into the Watkins-
Farnum Performance Scale. Farnum based his dissertation on this test for
his Ph.D. in statistics from Harvard University. "At the present time, the
Watkins-Farnum Performance Scale is the only standardized test of its
kind,"26 reports Scott McEneaney, author of Farnum's biography. In
addition to his valuable work in the assessment of musical achievement,
Farnum spent a long career as a band director and music supervisor in
Rhode Island public schools.
Ernest Falciglia (b. 1914), Providence music teacher and
administrator, is a former president of RIMEA. With bachelor's and
master's degrees from New England Conservatory, Falciglia experienced an
outstanding career not only as a music educator but also as a promoter of the
arts. As a member of the executive boards for the American Festival Ballet,
the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Rhode Island Alliance for the Arts, and
the Rhode Island Civic Chorale, he advanced the cause of music and the arts
and helped to bring many outstanding performances to Rhode Island. In an
25Susan Hodgin, "Raymond Knapp: Legacy of a Master Teacher," 1994, TM, 2, History
of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, RI.
26Scoll McEneaney, "Stephen Farnum," 1992, TM, 4, History of Music and Music
Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
 132 CAROLYN LivINGsToN

interview with Roger L. Pelletier, author of his biography, Falciglia

expressed the belief that music education needs strong leaders in order to
maintain its position in the curriculum. "The strongest from among the
leadership may be prevailed upon to develop strategic moves to devise a
virile defense and thrust for the cause of music education," he said.27
Robert G. Godbout discovered that the history of the URI Department
of Music falls into three well defined periods. The first period occurred
from 1915 to 1933 when music was offered as an extra curricular and social
activity, and the second began with the appointment of a Department Head
and Director of Music in 1933 and continued to 1950. "During this time a
more comprehensive offering of courses and an expansion of musical
activity on campus took place," 28 Godbout writes. The period from 1950 to
the present represents a time of expansion in facilities, degree offerings,
faculty hiring, and curriculum.
Ward Abusamra (b. 1916), who retired in 1983 after thirty years as
director of vocal and choral activities at URI, was the third full time faculty
member to be hired in music. His biographer, Marie Cope, determined that
he was prominent in the overall development of URI's Department of
Music. His recruiting techniques could serve as models for educators who
are interested in building a performing ensemble. He organized the URI
Chorus in 1952, and by 1959 its membership had grown to one hundred
and thirty. Abusamra became a co-founder of the Rhode Island Civic
Chorale in Providence in 1957 and served for five years as its assistant
conductor and tenor soloist. 29
Abusamra elaborated on his own philosophy of music education in the
interviews Cope conducted with him. "It is important to remember that we

27Roger L. Pelletier, '''Mister Fat': A Biography of Ernest L. Falciglia," 1992, TM, 10,
History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, RI.
28Robert G. Godbout, "A History of the Department of Music at the University of Rhode
Island," 1994, TM, 2, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department,
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.

29Marie Anne F. Cope,"Ward Abusamra: Professor of Music Emeritus," 1992, TM, 4-5,
History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, RI.
 MUSIC AND Mostc EDUCATION IN RHODE IsLAND 133

are building tomorrow's listeners and participants in music. That is why all
styles of music should be discussed and presented to students in order for
them to become aesthetically aware of the music around them," he said.30
Robert G. Fraleigh calls Elizabeth Crook (b. 1921) "one of Rhode
Island's most prized resources of music education."31 She was co-editor of
a number of Silver Burdett music textbooks. Crook's associates at Silver
Burdett read like a who's who of music education. Beatrice Landek, James
Mursell, David Walker, and Bennett Reimer were a few of her colleagues.
Crook graduated from Rhode Island College (RIC) in Providence and spent
the early years of her career in her home state. She retired after twenty-four
years on the faculty at the University of Delaware and returned to Rhode
Island where she has been active as a part time music educator and clinician.
Fraleigh often quotes Crook's views directly in his paper. At their final
interview she gave an opinion on the art of teaching:

Teaching isn't telling. Teaching is being a facilitator, opening up, leading out,
seeing what's necessary and constantly getting those kids to respond and react to
the music. Not easy, but I don't want to do anything else.32

Aurora Spadea Curran (1924-1988), who spent most of her life in

Cranston, was well known in Rhode Island as a pioneer in the Suzuki
approach to music education. Despite many personal obstacles, Curran's
determination led to an outstanding career. "She had a special fondness for
very young children and developed methods and tools that would enable
them to begin playing violin at a very young age. It was her belief that the
sooner children were exposed to good music and given opportunities to play

30Cope,"Ward Abusamra: Professor of Music Emeritus." 7.

31Robert G. Fraleigh, "Elizabeth Crook: Four Decades in Music Education," 1992, TM,
2, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode
Island, Kingston, RI.
32lbid., 18
 134 CAROLYN LIvINGSTON

an instrument, the more likely they would be to have an active and lasting
involvement with music,"33 wrote Laurette M. Vitello.
The first Suzuki Talent Education Workshop in the United States was
held at the Eastman School of Music in the summer of 1966. A scholarship
was offered to one string teacher from each of the fifty states. Thus Curran
was able to study there with Shinichi Suzuki as the scholarship recipient
from Rhode Island. She was the inventor of "Fiddlestix," an inexpensive
device informally approved by Suzuki, to help start children on the violin.
This paper, Vitello's second study in the collection, provides an excellent
picture of a dedicated string teacher working in the context of the Suzuki
Talent Education movement as it was first translated to American schools
and studios.34
James DeFrancesco is the author of a paper that focuses on the early
career of Abraham A. Schwadron (1925-1987). Schwadron, who was later
to receive distinction for his many articles and his book, Aesthetics:
Dimensions for Music Education, on the philosophy of music education,
served as the first chairman of the Department of Music at RIC. He hired
many faculty members who still teach there and was successful in
establishing the first undergraduate and graduate degree programs in music.
"Schwadron realized the potential that music education could achieve and
was determined to attain those ideals:' DeFrancesco wrote. "He stands for
an in-depth musical upbringing for American youth." 35
Albert C. Giebler (1921-1993), a native of Kansas, was chair of the
Department of Music at the University of Rhode Island from 1968 to 1979,
a period in which the department achieved much of its growth and
development. A preparatory program was established to provide music
lessons for students from the university and the community, and the Master
of Music degree was first offered under Giebler's leadership. Of Giebler's
33Lauretle M. Vitello, "Aurora Spadea Curran: The Merry Musical Mentor," 1996, TM,
2, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode
Island, Kingston, RI.
34Vitello, "Aurora Spadea Curran: The Merry Musical Mentor," 8, 12.
35James DeFrancesco, "Abraham A. Schwadron: The Vision," 1992., TM, 9, History of
Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston,
RI.
 MUSIC AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 135

accomplishments in administration, Levesque writes, "Many of the changes

are still in place today and are a testament to his vision for the availability of
a successful and complete music education. "36
Giebler's contributions in scholarship and community service were
also considerable. A musicologist with a Ph.D. from the University of
Michigan, he was known for his research on the baroque composer, Johann
Casper Kerll. Giebler was active in both Rhode Island Music Educators
Association and Rhode Island Music Teachers Association, serving as state
president of the latter organization.
A house in Providence known as the Music Mansion is a unique
landmark in an exclusive residential neighborhood near the campus of
Brown University. Completed in 1928 as the home of Mary Kimball Hail
and George Hail, the house contains some twenty-five rooms and six
bathrooms. Its music room can seat from seventy-five to one hundred
people. The room has a stage with two grand pianos and an eleven-rank
Estey pipe organ.s?
Throughout her remaining twenty years, Mary Kimball Hail invited
musicians to her home to perform. She made her music room available to
such local organizations as the Chaminade Club, the Chopin Club, the
Colonial Daughters of the Seventeenth Century, the Monday Morning
Musical Club, the Providence Plantations Club, and The Players for
musicales, meetings, and other gatherings. Most of the performers were
amateurs and connected in some way to one of the organizations mentioned
above. Beverly Sills, for example, sang at the Music Mansion when she
was only seventeen.R
When Mary Kimball Hail died in 1948 at the age of seventy-seven,
she left her home in trusteeship to the Rhode Island National Bank along
with half a million dollars to be used for taxes and maintenance. "She made

36Brandon Levesque, "The Life and Achievements of Albert C. Giebler, 1996, TM, 13,
History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, RI.
37Patricia Lill, "The Music Mansion," 1998, TM, 2, History of Music and Music
Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
38lbid., 6.
 136 CAROLYN LIVINGS10N

it clear in her will that she wanted the mansion to continue as a place where
the community can enjoy music concerts, recitals, and anything else relating
to music or that is of 'good' musical character,"39 writes Patricia LiIl, who
interviewed the present caretakers of the Music Mansion and others who
have enjoyed the benefits of this remarkable community resource. In her
paper, the first on the subject, Lill traced the founding of the Friends of the
Music Mansion in 1996, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the
building for its use as Hail intended. "With continuing care by those who
value its unique history and aesthetic value, the Music Mansion can serve
Providence musicians and audiences well into the future," Lill concludes.40
Arthur Motycka (1930-1994), was professor of music education at
the University of Rhode Island from 1972 through 1987. He came to Rhode
Island after serving on the faculties of Otterbein College and Kent State
University. Motycka was the author of numerous articles and monographs.
He served as editor of Music Education for Tomorrow's Society, a
collection of essays by leaders in the field of music education. After a career
as a jazz musician, Motycka entered graduate school at the University of
Illinois where he received his master's and Ph.D. degrees. Motycka
developed the Ph.D. program in music education at Kent State but decided
to leave the Ohio campus after the student killings there in 1970. URI
offered him the opportunity to organize its Master of Music program. The
program remains in place today, with few changes from his original plan.s!
The first full-time music teacher and music supervisor in the public
schools of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Raymond Ainsworth (b. 1931),
developed and expanded the school system's music program. Ainsworth
taught instrumental music, chorus, general music, theory, guitar, keyboard,
and music history. Ron Sanfilippo's paper carefully documents the many

39Lill. ''The Music Mansion," 7.

40lbid., 9.

41Michael J. Barclay de Toly, "Arthur Motycka: In Search of a Life in Music," 1992,

TM, 12, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of
Rhode Island, Kingston,RI.
 MUSIC AND Music EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 137

changes in music education that took place over the thirty-four years that
Ainsworth remained in the Portsmouth system. 42
Joseph Ceo is a leading music educator, performer, and conductor in
Rhode Island as well as a nationally known authority on the viola d'amore.
Ceo, a native of West Virginia who received his doctorate at Catholic
University, was the subject of Leslie Margolin's research. The former
Fullbright scholar taught in the Wawatosa, Wisconsin public schools as
well as at Rhode Island College and the University of Kentucky before he
became orchestra director at URI in 1976. Since his retirement from URI in
1993, Ceo has been busy as the founding conductor of Musica Dolce
Chamber Orchestra, a non-profit organization funded by grants, community
donations, advertising, and ticket sales. 43
Edgar Edwards (b. 1935), the topic of a study by Lori J. Anderson,
taught at Barrington College from 1960 to 1967. He began teaching in the
East Greenwich system in 1967, primarily at the high school. His duties
there included high school chorus, voice lessons, music appreciation, and
music theory. Gradually, courses at the high school were eliminated, and
Edwards moved to the lower grades. He taught general music and
elementary chorus and started a string program in 1978. Since his retirement
in 1991, Edwards has remained active as a violinist with the Rhode Island
Philharmonic and the Rhode Island Civic Chorale Orchestra. He is the
founder of the JED vocal ensemble, a group organized for the purpose of
bringing live opera to school children. 44
In 1954 the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra established the
Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra to give young musicians the
opportunity to play together. Then, as now, few string programs existed in
the public schools of the state. The first Youth Orchestra concert was held in
1956 with approximately forty members in the orchestra. By 1968, the

42Ron Sanfilippo, "Raymond Ainsworth: A Biography," 1994 , TM, History of Music

and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
4JLeslie Beth Margolin, "Joseph Ceo: A Life In Music," 1994, TM, History of Music
and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
44Lori J. Anderson, "Edgar Edwards, 1994, TM, History of Music and Music Education
Project. Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
 138 CAROLYN LIVINGSlON

nearly two hundred students enrolled were divided into Junior Orchestra
and Senior Orchestra. Today the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth
Orchestra enrolls more than two hundred musicians in five ensembles. 45
Leslie Ricci's paper emphasizes the importance of high musical
standards and strong leadership in maintaining such a youth orchestra:

The students of this orchestra must be dedicated. This entails giving up Saturday
mornings during the school year, performing at every concert, and practice. Thus
students can learn a great deal about discipline and responsibility as well as learn to
play orchestral music. The musical quality is high because the commitment is
there from both musicians and the conductors. Students are expected to come to
each rehearsal prepared.46

Christopher Brelsford's research focuses on the history of the

elementary band instrument program in the public schools of Cranston, the
state's third largest city, beginning with the inception of the program in
1955 and continuing to 1994. Brelsford discovered that many innovations
occurred throughout this period while some aspects of the program
remained surprisingly constant. Brelsford's work was undertaken with the
goal of providing some guidance into future decisions regarding this and
other instrumental programs. His paper provides the first written record of
the Cranston elementary school band instrument program. Such issues as
curriculum, evaluation, student performances, public relations, and
leadership are all discussed in Brelford's paper.s?
''The Newport Music Festival owes as much of its fame to its storied
location as it does to its impressive array of performers. The combination of
international talent and rare and unique compositions performed amid the
opulence of America's premiere summer colony, have made the Festival a
unique event," writes Andrew Maddock. He goes on to describe the festival
45Leslie Ricci, "The Establishment and History of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth
Orchestra, 1954 to 1998," 1998, TM, 8, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music
Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
46lbid., 17.

47Christopher Brelsford, "The History of the Elementary Band Instrument Program in

the Cranston Public Schools, 1955-1994," 1994, TM, History of Music and Music Education
Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
 MUSIC AND Music EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 139

from its origin in 1967 as one which featured artists of the Metropolitan
Opera in an outdoor setting similar to that of the Tanglewood Festival.
When Newport's foggy weather proved to be a detriment to singers' vocal
performance, the festival was reorganized in 1969 in its current format. 48
With concerts now held in the glittering former summer homes of
multi-millionaires, the festival "gives the middle class person a chance to
become part of the magical musical soirees of the past in a setting of
opulence. "49 Maddock conducted extensive interviews with Mark
Malkovich, III, who has been General Director of the festival since 1975.
Maddock also interviewed two Rhode Island musicians who have
performed there. Malkovich selects all the music and assigns it to the
performers. He seeks out chamber and vocal works that are either rare
compositions by well known composers or excellent works by obscure
composers. Another feature of the Newport Festival is that concerts are
centered around specific themes. Maddock points out that the festival is also
famous for bringing young talented international artists to the United States
for their American debuts. The festival has generally been acclaimed by
critics, but Maddock does not hesitate to point out its flaws, providing a
balanced view of this famous annual summer event.
Dawn Elizabeth Smith conducted many interviews, examined
newspaper articles, high school yearbooks, and numerous other sources for
her twenty-five year study of music education in Westerly, a town of
22,000 situated on Rhode Island's southwestern Atlantic coast. Smith
examines such complexities as the music programs at all levels of the
system, present and former educators, administrators, the evolution of
music in the local schools, working conditions, the role of music booster
parent organizations, the Westerly Teacher's Association, and fiscal and

48Andrew Maddock, "The Newport Music Festival," 1998, TM, 2, 4, History of Music
and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.

49Ibid .• 14.
 140 CAROLYN LIvINGSTON

budgetary concerns. Her paper provides the first written history of music
education in the town. 50
After examining the many challenges faced by music teachers in the
system, Smith writes optimistically in her conclusion,

The future looks bright for music education in the Westerly Public Schools. The
music educators are dedicated and noticeably enjoy working with children. With
clarified standards, outcomes and assessments, the department progresses towards
the twenty-first century with finite direction and leadership. Teachers and
administrators seem to be moving forward in a constructive manner with mutual
respect for the subject areas in music. Music is indeed alive and well in the
Westerly Public Schools!SI

The past and present implementation of music education for special

populations in our state is clearly described by Christine E. Pierce in her
examination of music education for the disabled in Rhode Island public
schools. As today's music educators are well aware, Public Law 94-142
mandates a free, appropriate public education for all students in the least
restrictive environment. Pierce examines problems in the interpretation of
what the law means as well as difficulties with its implementation in Rhode
Island classrooms. Additionally, she offers suggestions for success. Pierce
interviewed several Rhode Island music educators and examined an
extensive list of reference works for her research. 52

50Dawn Elizabeth Smith, "A Twenty-Five Year History of Music Education in the
Westerly, Rhode Island Public Schools: 1970-1995," 1998, TM, 2, History of Music and
Music Education Project, Music Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
51Ibid., 18.
52Christine E. Pierce, "Public Law 94-142: An Historic Perspective of Interpretacion,
Implementation, and Impact on Music Education in the State of Rhode Island, 1975-1996,"
1996, TM, History of Music and Music Education Project, Music Department, University of
Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
 MUSIC AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND 141

Conclusion

The history of music and music education in Rhode Island is

unusually rich in its breadth and variety. A pervading theme among the
papers in the collection at URI is musicians' and music teachers' struggles
to survive and to adapt to change. They seem to be always seeking to place
music and its value for society in the forefront of the public's gaze. The
dedication, hard work, and determination the graduate students involved in
the research project found in the people, organizations, and ideas they
studied inspired them. The state can be proud of its many contributions to
musical life in the United States. Beginning in colonial times and continuing
to the present, the work of Rhode Islanders extends across the country and
beyond. The exploration of this vast subject has just begun. We look
forward to the continuation of this research project as the years progress.

-University of Rhode Island

.142

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-Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897),

Judgments on History and Historians, trans. Harry Zahn
(Boston: Beacon Press, 1958), 163.