#139 A VERY MUSICAL DAUGHTER
MARGUERITE (HOMUTH) CRAIGIE
Born in Wingham on Feb 24, 1895 to Florilla and William
Homuth, Marguerite was but 9 years old when her father died suddenly. Her
mother had to petition the courts to assume legal guardianship of her daughter.
Early on, Marguerite's musical talent was noted in the local community.
1906
WHITBY
In 1911,when her mother Florilla accepted a teaching position at the prestigious Whitby Ladies College, Marguerite enrolled to continue her high school studies.
Whitby Ladies’ College aimed to provide a “complete education for young women”, not just academics but refinement and accomplishment. Marguerite would have studied the core academics of English literature, mathematics, history, geography, languages (often French, sometimes German), basic natural sciences, fine arts like music (piano, voice), drawing, painting. Music was important to social polish and especially with her mother on faculty, there was a strong expectation of proficiency. Marguerite would have practised daily (often for many hours), performed at school concerts, and taken the graded examinations linked to the conservatory system.
Whitby was a blend of finishing school and academic institution where girls learned social manners, deportment and responsibility. A graduate of the Whitby Ontario Ladies' College was expected to be educated, cultured, musically accomplished and of a socially moral character. Christian values were emphasized. The school catered to a largely middle and upper middle class preparing daughters for teaching, further study or socially advantageous marriages.
The College pamphlet of 1911-1914 also stressed its favourable location in the country, but not too far from Toronto's culture. "The great school of the future will not
be one cooped up in small quarters in a large city, but one breathing the fresh
air of the country and having an abundance of room for the development of
physical and mental powers. There is something refreshing and life-giving to
the young ... in the extended outlook of nature’s beautiful
landscapes. Breadth of view and freedom of movement such as are possible in a
large open place must increase the working power of a college to lift students
out of dreary languor and stupidity, and to establish desirable traits of
character. To be convinced of the great advantage in the matter of location
that our College has over city schools, all that is needed is to see our
students returning from a “cross-country run” or from a trip to the woods to
gather flowers with their beaming eyes, glowing cheeks and superabundance of
energy to devote to their studies…what counts most for the improvement of the
student is not the outside attractions, however desirable, but the daily inner
life of the school, the power of the teacher in the school-room to bring out
the best that is in the student, and therefore prepare her for useful and
effective service in some particular field of work."
Marguerite certainly thrived at Whitby. In 1914 she passed both her Conservatory piano and vocal exams with first class honours. In 1915, she graduated with the school's gold medal in vocals; she was also chosen May Queen by the senior students.
May Day celebrations included the crowning of the May Queen with a wreath of flowers. The Queen was attended by her court of carefully-chosen maids of honour and flower girls or younger girls. There would be a formal procession of students often in white dresses; students would sing spring songs or choral pieces. There would be group singing around the Maypole where students danced in patterns weaving the ribbons together; this required coordination, rhythm and grace.
Being chosen May Queen was a significant honour and a strong recognition of Marguerite's deportment, personality and shows her popularity and esteem among her peers and staff.
TORONTO
In 1915, Marguerite enrolled in the Toronto Conservatory of Music, the leading music school in Canada and closely connected to the University of Toronto. Founded in 1886, it offered a structured system of instruction and examinations that set national standards for performance and teaching.
In 1916, Marguerite earned her L.T.C.M (Licentiate of the Toronto Conservatory of Music), a diploma that represented advanced musical training equivalent to post graduate certification. In 1916 only a small handful of students--perhaps fewer than a dozen, earned the Licentiate and Marguerite graduated top of her class.
In 1915-16, thousands of students took lower and intermediate exams but only a small fraction progressed to L.T.M.C. Why did so few reach the top level? Because it required years of continuous study, high-level performance, advanced theory knowledge and financial support for lessons, time, and a Toronto residence. Marguerite, thus, was among a small, highly-accomplished group of women who reached near-professional status.
Wingham Times, July 1916
In the early 1900s, the holder of a L.T.M.C. had to pass rigorous exams--first a practical performance which included singing a set programme of classical pieces, (art songs in Italian, German and English) and possibly sacred or oratorial selections; then she would have to demonstrate tone quality, control, range, expression and interpretation. Technical work included scales and vocal exercises, sight-singing and ear training (recognizing intervals and pitch). Written/theoretical knowledge included harmony and theory, musical form and possibly music history. Finally even vocal candidates were often expected to have competent piano ability and understand accompaniment and musical structure.
The L.T.C.M required years of disciplined training, access to high-level instruction and strong personal commitment. Marguerite was now qualified to teach private lessons, hold a position in schools or conservatories and participate in serious musical performance settings. For a woman in 1916, this was a respectable profession, a strong social credential and a path to financial independence.
Marguerite accepted a position at the Toronto Conservatory teaching vocal music.
As a teacher of vocal music at the Conservatory in the years following 1916, Marguerite held a formal and disciplined professional role, providing individual instruction grounded in the principles of classical vocal technique. In this capacity, she contributed to the training of young musicians within a structured institutional setting, combining technical instruction with the cultivation of confidence and artistic discipline.
Her core work would be one-on-one instruction, typically 30 to 60 minute lessons. She might teach several students (6-10) per day, students ranging from beginners to advanced. She would likely acccompany the student--stopping frequently to correct their technique. Training the voice was the heart of her work where she would focus on the student’s deep controlled breathing (especially managing long musical phrases), tonal production, diction ( pronunciation of English, Italian, perhaps German), and exercises (scales, range, soft vs strong singing). Then she prepared students for their exams; her own L.T.C.M. meant she knew the high standards the Conservatory expected.
1928
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