By Horace Harragin

Sunday Guardian

November 16, 1997

Page 26

In the gentle and solemn world of music Helen May Johnstone was a fierce taskmistress. But within her steamy web and harsh criticism of mediocrity, she was a marvelous teacher who developed her choirs and ensembles tot he highest status.

In the 1950s, when she taught at Bishop Anstey High School, Port of Spain, the competition was truly intimidating. But she was able to achieve success on many occasions with her respective groups at the bi-annual music festival against the old "enemy", St Joseph Convent, in some of the greatest festival encounters in history.

Mrs. Johnstone was a born teacher. She had the aptitude and natural gift for getting across her points of view. In music, she was a remarkable person who knew when to apply the soft pedal and when to use force. She seldom failed in her quest for perfection.

She was also a very noble soul. After her choir, the defending champions, lost to the San Fernando Chorale at the festival in 1956, Mrs. Johnstone demanded her girls be the first to applaud the winners in the end.

An artist, dramatist and musician, Helen may Johnstone forged a name of high achievement for herself in Trinidad and Tobago, especially in music, but her other endeavours were all undertaken with one objective in mind: Perfection.

No one despised second-rate stuff and sloppiness as much as she did. She discarded mediocrity that she recognized at first sight. But she did give those with promise a second chance. If they failed again, that was it!

Her development into such a character was inevitable. Born in 1900 in England, Mrs. Johnstone was the daughter of a Scottish Supreme Court judge, Justice AD Russell. He was to sit on the bench in Trinidad years later. He was also a poet and musician.

When she was six, Helen May came to Trinidad with her parents. Her early years at school were in this country, but just before the first World War she returned to England and entered the Cheltenham Ladies College and then went on to the London School of Dalcrose to study dalcrose eutythmics (coordinating physical movements with music).

Back in Trinidad in 1921, Helen May threw herself into the world of teaching, music taking pride of place. Her gift for establishing choral groups tot he highest level was obvious from the start and when she took up a teaching post with Bishop Anstey High School, choir singing was surely elevated.

During World War II, Mrs. Johnstone involved herself in several modes of activity, including warden's service with the Civil Defence Force.

In the meantime, she founded the Trinidad Music Association and was the leading light behind the establishment of the Music Festival Association in 1947. She also became a founding member of the Trinidad Arts Society and Trinidad Dramatic Club and was a member of the Child's Welfare League.

When Mrs. Johnstone was quite satisfied her Bishop girls had attained the standard she required she founded the St Hilary's Singing Club a choir that comprised past students of Bishop.

That group also proved to be an outstanding ensemble at the festival and gave senior choirs tough competition as much as the juniors had been doing among schools.

Even as she had her hands filled with teaching Mrs. Johnstone found time to write and produce plays for local consumption and was herself, a very fine orator.

But one of her most ambitious and hard won projects was the building of Queen's Hall. She had been a great part of the festival and concerts staged in Trinidad at theatres and other auditoriums that fell short in space, comfort and most of all, acoustics.

The Queen's Hall effort was pushed and when it finally became a reality, the musical fraternity in Trinidad and Tobago tipped their hats to this woman of influence and imagination.

As she strode through the 1960s, keeping music at the top rung of the cultural ladder, doing her crossword puzzles of which she was something of an expert, and training young women to be a major part of the society, Mrs. Johnstone turned to the media on which to hit out.

Her disposition against poor standards came across powerfully in her letters to the editor or programme director of media houses for weak stories or newscasts. She even phoned in to the announcers or journalists personally to voice her anger.

At a festival performance in the 1950s, boys supporting the respective school choirs began booing the opposing contestants in turn. So exasperated was Mrs. Johnstone she walked on stage at the end of a performance, gave the offenders a biting stare and walked off knowing that was the end of that. And it was.

Helen May Johnstone was married to Captain Robert Johnstone, one of the best known rifle shooters to come from Trinidad and Tobago. He was inducted into the West Indian Tobacco Sports Hall of Fame years ago. As the years went by Captain Johnstone himself became involved in the Music Festival, encouraged no doubt by his enterprising wife.

For her superb work in music Mrs. Johnstone received a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) award in our colonial times and a Chaconia Medal (Gold) after Trinidad became independent.

A few months after she received the Chaconia Medal in 1971 that she passed away at the age of 71. But her legacy has not been lost on all the young women, some grandmothers now, who were under her wings at Bishop and who gave us the magnificent subtleties of music, perhaps which we long for now in these different times.

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