Amanuenis Monday- Professor Bill in the Google Book Search

My 2x great grandfather, Caleb Rand Bill, was born on 30 May 1833 in Nictaux, Nova Scotia and died on 30 December 1902 in Salem, Massachusetts. He married Ann Margaret Bollman in 1858 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and had nine children. I don’t know all the different places he lived in his life, but his children were born at New Brunswick, Maine, Nova Scotia, Watertown and Beverly, Massachusetts. These were some of the places where he taught as a music professor. He was quite well known as a music teacher, but I didn’t know how well until I found these tidbits in the Google Book Search!

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The New York Daily Tribune, Tuesday July 16, 1889, Page 7, column 5

TEACHERS TAUGHT AT ASBURY PARK.
INSTRUCTORS AND SUBJECTS AT THE COMING SCHOOL OF PEDAGOGY.

Asbury Park, July 15 (Special).- The Summer School of Pedagogy, which has become famous in the last, two years, began Its annual session in Educational Hall today. Among those present are teachers from all parts of the country. The arrangements for the school are upon a liberal scale. There will be lectures by Professor James M. Green, the principal of the New-Jersey State Normal School a t Trenton, on physiology. Professor William M. Griffin, principal of one of the grammar schools of Newark, will lecture upon arithmetic. Professor P. E. Demarest, the principal of one of the grammar schools of Long Island City, is the lecturer on natural history. The programme of the school shows many prominent people in educational circles as lecturers. Dr. Jerome Allen, Editor of "The School Journal,'' New-York, will deliver a course of lectures to the school on the history of educational thought Professor William N. Barringer, Superintendent of Public Instruction. Newark, will lecture on pedagogy. P. E. Demarest will also deliver a course of lectures on botany. The languages will be taught by A. S. Kelly, principal of the Lyman School, Boston, and A. B. Guilford, principal of a Jersey City grammar school. Edwin Shepard, of Newark, will lecture on history. J. S- Cooley, of Windsor Locks, Conn., will teach writing, and Professor C. R. Bill, of Boston, will lecture on music. Dr. E. P. Heff, of Newark, will deliver a series of lectures on physiology, and Stephen S. Day, principal of a Newark grammar school, will lecture on mlscroscopy. Elocution will be taught by Miss Minnie Swayzee, of New-York. A course in woodcarving will be given by Miss Laura L. Thompson, of Jersey City. Professor L. H. Thompson, of Jersey City, will deliver a course on drawing and manual training, and physical training will be taught by Miss M. E. Hampton, of Plainfield.

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History of Public School Music in the United States, by Edward Bailey Birge, Oliver Ditson Co, 1928, page 134

“The first summer school exclusively for school music training was held in 1884 at Lexington, Massachusetts, under Hosea E. Holt. Then in 1886 the National Summer School of Music was started in Boston with the following faculty: - Luther Whiting Mason, N. Lincoln, C. R. Bill, George A. Veazie, O. B. Brown, S. H. Hadley, J. B. Sharland, Henry G. Carey and Leonard B. Marshall.”

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National Education Association of the United States, Journal of Proceedings and Addresses, Session of the Year 1894 Held at Asbury Park, New Jersey, Published by the Association, St. Paul, 1895, page 925

Department of Music Education
Secretary’s Minutes
First Session – Thursday, July 12, 1894
“….The discussion was opened by A. J. Gantvoort, Piqua, Ohio, who was followed by C. C. Congdon, St. Paul, Minn.; J. C. Broekhoven, Cincinnati, Ohio; C. R. Bill, Salem, Mass.; and W. S. Twichell, Paterson, N. J…”

Page 956
Discussion
“Mr. C. R. Bill, Salem, Mass., put special emphasis on the fact that music is no longer taught as it was years ago, but is conducted, in the main, by the regular teacher under intelligent supervision. The whole question of teaching music must be considered from an educational point of view.”

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Municipal Register of the City of Waterbury, Connecticut for the year 1895, Press of C. & M. T. Maloney, 1896, Page 23

Public School Report
“Report of the Teacher of Music
To M.S. Crosby, Superintendent of Schools:

There are two agencies at work in the schools in connection with musical instruction, viz, the director of music and the regular teachers.

It is the duty of the director to visit the schools at regular intervals as time will permit, to plan and lay out a systematic course of instruction for the teachers, and to give lessons regularly to each class in the presence of the teacher. The last named is a very important feature of the direction, because it is here that the regular teacher, who is not supposed to be a music teacher, learns not only what, but how to present musical instruction to the pupils, and it is for this reason that the director of music is very earnest in his desire that the undivided attention of the regular teacher should be given to his work while he is in the room. I am glad to be able to say that such attention is given, and that there is scarcely an exception to this desirable attitude on the part of the regular teachers, and not only is this the case, but what is more gratifying there is an earnest desire on the part of teachers to follow out the directions of the supervisor, and to know just how they may become most useful in connection with music.

The general progress of the schools in music during the past year has been marked. Progress in music as in other things depends largely on conditions. Especially is this true when considered in connection with the order and discipline of the school. If, when the music teacher enters the room, he find the normal condition one of attention and respectful submission to what is required on the part of the pupils, good results are sure to follow his efforts. If, on the other hand he finds a widely different condition of affairs, his efforts will not be attended with that success which is desirable. Hence, the widely accepted principle that good order and attention must be the grand fundamental basis of the teacher’s operation in the school room.

I may mention as prominent in this connection, which is everywhere apparent in the schools, the increasing interest of pupils in the subject of music.

The object of music study in the schools is not only to acquire a knowledge of the principles of music, but to acquire it in such way that an ever increasing taste and love for that which is best in music will be formed. The heartiness with which the scholars take up - as a general rule – their work in music, is in evidence that they are developing a love for it which will increase with their knowledge of the subject, and with their intelligence in musical interpretation.

Here I may say that the original programme of instruction suggested by the director for the various grades is being carried out with good results in the first grades. The little are introduced to the study of music through rote songs suited to their capacity and age. They also study the scale, together with the steps of the scale, and tones arranged in rhythmical form, and commence notation, which means the use of the staff notes, etc. In the second grade the same ideas is continued in a more extended form, and the larger portion of the time is give to note and not rote singing. In the third grade the instruction begins to be more technical, and good work in sight singing may be looked for. Part singing is introduced in the fourth grades. Part singing is established as the regular order, chromatics and studies of the various keys. The subject of time is given very careful attention, the pupils being required to mark and keep their own time.

In the fifth grade studies in the various keys continued, more difficult rhythms, chromatics and modulation, and two part singing in all keys. In the sixth grade the harmonic relation of sounds is taken up.

Three part singing is commenced, chromatics, modulation and minor keys are considered. It is expected that pupils of this grade, as also of the fifth and fourth, will be able to sing two and three part songs of ordinary difficulty at sight.

In the seventh and eighth grades the work of the sixth grade is continued and developed, with practical work in three and four part singing.

The development and progress of music in the High school is dependent largely upon the work of the lower schools. There is already a marked improvement in this school, and as soon as the High school is composed of scholars, all of whom have had musical training in the grammar schools, music will assume a commanding and gratifying position there. In all of the grades the charts and books of the National music course are in use, and as the songs contained in that course are of the best authors of school music, much good in every way may be expected from their use.

Respectfully submitted,

C. R. Bill, Director of Music
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Municipal Documents of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, 1907

Page 416 - 417
“…In 1873, a special teacher of music, C. R. Bill, was employed. He also taught music to the lower schools….In 1884, music was again introduced under the former instructor, C. R. Bill, and free textbooks were first provided.”
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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo