“Every city has a school with teachers and students. A new way will open up someday if you continue to be passionate and make the best music at each moment, regardless of its impure form of orchestra.”

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We have delivered all 10 chapters and completed the series of Motoyasu Morishita’s “the Activity Theory for Amateur Orchestras” in the previous posts. We truly appreciate all readers who read the articles.

As stated in the articles, Motoyasu Morishita advocated his original activity philosophy and led the amateur orchestra activities throughout his life. His history of activities continued to create many stories and portrayed wide variety of characters, in line with his own belief that “If you want a friend, make a friend by yourself; if you want a drama, direct it by yourself.”

In addition to being a strong leader of such activities, he conducted many orchestras as an amateur conductor, including Toyohashi Symphony Orchestra, JAO festivals, Toyota Youth Orchestra Camp (TYOC), and so on, while conveying his own messages and creating the only sound.

From now on, we would like to deliver seven chapters on various performances conducted by Motoyasu Morishita as .

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G. Rossini: “L’Italiana in Algeri” Overture
Motoyasu Morishita, conductor
Hada Middle School in Toyohashi-city
The NHK All-Japan School Music Competition (1962)

G. Verdi: “The Force of Destiny” Overture
Motoyasu Morishita, conductor
Hada Middle School in Toyohashi-city
The NHK All-Japan School Music Competition (1964)

Motoyasu Morishita’s music activities started when he formed a music club at the junior high school where he started teaching as a Japanese language teacher.

Japan was far from prosperous at that time; they gathered poor musical instruments such as harmonica and accordions with holes in the bellows, and started making music with students who have never listened to classical music before. He fulfilled the insufficient supplies with great passions. He never compromised because they were junior high school students, and faced them in sincerity. They continued to practice hard without a break for one year, and the young teacher and the students spent quality time together. The story of 15-year wavers between hopes and fears of competitions with his students was also the beginning of Morishita’s activities over the next 50 years.

Morishita reflected the music club activity as follows.

In such a world where thoughts, philosophy, concepts, and fantasies are all stereotyped and exemplified, it is an urgent mission for a teacher to teach what is preciously true and valuable for students who have become mentally miniature.

Students whom I have taught for 3 years, students who were pioneers of the music club, students whom we had deep discussions about severity of music and enjoyment of music, and students who have taught me how essential it is “to teach what truly is valuable” will leave the school. I would like to say this to the students that they had spent 3 years of fulfilled school life and the best cultural life, which you can never obtain by so-called “cultural life” of sitting on a comfortable couch under sparkling light bulbs.

I will always keep the treasure of what you have taught me; I hereby promise to continue teaching and supporting your junior students and make every effort to seek what truly is valuable through music with them.

Please enjoy listening to the music by the young teacher and students, which they won the national championship after 2 years of founding the music club, as well as their performance from a competition 8 years after this. Though the performance may be unskillful, this is the origin of Motoyasu Morishita’s music activities.

(Please note that the music is arranged widely due to detailed regulations of number of performers, performing time, and use of musical instruments.)

Rossini: “L’Italiana in Algeri” Overture

Verdi: “The Force of Destiny” Overture