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Show I MISS MARTHA JOHNSON'S PAPER AT LOS ANGELES Miss Martha Johnson is director of physical education in the public schools of Salt Lake City. Her paper on "The Eolation of Music to Physical Education," at the Los Angeles convention con-vention was received with great interest. in-terest. Miss Jolinson 's discussion of her subject sub-ject was in part as follows: Popular as the use of music is In the eymnflHlum In tills country, it Is still a mooted question among our educator whether or not wo arc justllled In Its extensive use. The Germans use It to some extent, the Swedes vow little, and we almost entirely Are we dolus right? Physical education has two great objects ob-jects 10 bo attained; First, the stimulation stimula-tion of the nutritive processes of the body, circulation, respiration and digestion: diges-tion: second, the correction of posture. The stronger tho muscular contraction the greater the blood supply to that part of the body and therefore the bettor tho muscular tone. The correction of posture pos-ture is dependent In a large degree upon the nutrition of the body. Weak muscles mus-cles will always cause drooping head, contracted breast and protruding abdomen. abdo-men. Hence, If we'ar to correct erroneous erro-neous posture we must first increase the blood supply and nutrition of the buiiy. By experiment It has been proven that the effects of music upon bodllv movements are: 1. Sound made simultaneously with a movement increases the muscular contraction. con-traction. 2. Intensity of sound strengthens contraction P. Hisrhsr the pitch the stronger the contraction. I. Strength of contraction Is uffectcd by music major stimulates, minor do-presses, do-presses, n. Point of fatigue is postponed. C. Steadiness of contraction stiff ers. Since !ini.?h strengthens and hence stimulates- tho nutrition It Ih a help. But it Is a psychic law that the mind can focus Its attention upon out one thing at a time When music Is used the attcn-t attcn-t on Is averted from the form of execution execu-tion to .the time element. Hence when poHture is to bu obtained music is a hindrance. But when correct form has been, mastered so that it becomes second nature, mutio again la of value as a stimulus. Therefore an intelligent use of music with physical education is beneficial, bene-ficial, but Its absolute continuance is harmful. |