Luther Whiting Mason
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Luther-Whiting Mason (1818 - 14 July 1896) was an American music educator who was hired by the Meiji period government of Japan as a foreign advisor to introduce Western music into the Japanese educational curriculum.
Mason was born in Turner, Maine. He had been working as a music teacher for many years, was in Louisville (1852-55), followed by Cincinnati (1856-64), and Boston (1864-79). In addition to teaching, Mason collected songs, wrote textbooks, and promoted their publication. His teaching method made use of charts and what were called "ladders," to explain scales, staffs, clefs, note values, intervals, and dynamics.
While in Boston, he was scouted by the Japanese Ministry of Education on the recommendation of one his former pupils, Izawa Shuji in 1872.
During his stay in Japan at Tokyo Imperial University from 1880-1882, Mason and Izawa worked together to develop programs for the teaching of music in elementary and middle schools, developing teacher training programs, and creating the first graded series of music textbooks in Japan. He also laid the foundation for a national music conservatory, later called the Tokyo Ongaku Gakudan, and now part of the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music.
Although Mason expressed a strong desire to remain in Japan, his contract was not renewed, largely due to budgetary reasons.
Mason later made four trips to Europe, visiting Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden and England, observing teaching methods and collecting hundreds of music books.
[edit] References
- Howe, Sondra Wieland. Luther Whiting Mason: International Music Educator. Harmonie Press International (1997). ISBN 0-89990-080-1
