§ MR. REEDasked the Vice President of the Privy Council, Whether, in the appointment of an inspector of singing in training colleges and schools, regard will be had to his fitness to conduct examinations in the Tonic Sol-fa method as well as any other?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, that in regard to music, as in all other cases, the duty of the Inspectors was to examine into results, not methods. The Inspector of schools would ascertain whether the children sang from notes or not, and the degree of efficiency that they had attained. The Government had also thought it desirable to appoint an Inspector of singing in the training colleges, the object being to find out the practical skill of the students and their proficiency in theoretical knowledge. It was, of course, highly desirable that the gentleman appointed should be able to examine in the Tonic Sol-Fa method as well as any other, and his noble Friend (Lord Ripon) had accordingly appointed a gentleman of great musical experience, Mr. Hullah, who, he had every reason to believe, would discharge his duties without prejudice against any particular system. He might add that, although it was open to the students to adopt whatever system they pleased, only 236 out of 8,000 had qualified for the Tonic Sol-Fa method, while in the case of the teachers the number who followed the same course was 57 out of 1,247. It was, therefore, obvious that the appointment of an Inspector familiar exclusively with the Tonic Sol-Fa method would not be advisable.