tory of Music, and the actual teaching of music to the children in the Oberlin public schools. The Conservatory position paid $300.00 year: the public schools, $350.00, for total salary of $650.00 yearbut that was fifty dollars more than the $600.00 year received for teaching German and algebra in the Oberlin High School during the preceding two years. Also: I loved music, and had elected to attend Oberlin because this was a college where one could study music-if one wanted to-while taking pre-medic course. After two or three years as pre-medic student I decided to give it up and become teacher or school administrator, so I took all the courses in philosophy, psychology, and education that were offered at that time by the college, as well as several years of music theory and ear training (under Heacox and Lehman), three years of organ under Andrews, two of music history under Edward Dickinson, and some work in piano and singing. I spent six years in college and upon graduating in 1905, I was pretty good all-round musician, although without notion of becoming professional. I was sure at that time that my lifework would be in the field of general education, and I knew bit about both the past and the present of education-from Comenius, Pestalozzi, and Rousseau down to John Dewey. A few years later I received master's degree from Oberlin, my major being psychology (under Stetson), but my thesis consisting of book called Music Notation and Terminology which was later published and is still in use. These personal things are mentioned because in the end they had great deal to do with my later ideas concerning both life in general and music education in particular.
Read full abstract
Oct 1, 1981
Mary T Burns 
