Gallery - Alexander Clark (1843-1913)
Alexander Clark, a trained tonic sol-faist, became an Inspector of South Australian schools in 1884. Under his guidance music secured a place in state supported schooling. Clark was an enthusiastic, committed educator who led by example and encouragement. He was warmly regarded and respected by his peers, teachers and school pupils. He championed the cause of music, pushed for teacher training in the subject, and was its strongest advocate in the public domain. Despite retrenchment from the inspectorate he continued his fight for music and was still teaching and conducting at the time of his death in 1913. In 1890 he co-founded the Public School Decoration Society and inaugurated the annual Thousand Voices Choir concerts, which he skilfully conducted until his death.
Biographcial summary by Jane Southcott.
Reference:
Southcott, J.E., Music in State-Supported Schooling in South Australia to1920 (PhD
thesis, Deakin University, 1997).
Southcott, J.E., 'The
Establishment of the Music curriculum in South Australia: The Role of Alexander
Clark', Research Studies in Music Education, vol.5, no.December,
pp.1-10.
