At the end of the nineteenth century, music was an accomplishment that many women were encouraged to pursue. For some, this was merely an additional “ornament” to enhance marriage prospects, but a growing number took the opportunity to turn musical ability into a career option. A small group of musically educated women in New Zealand at the start of the twentieth century is studied. At this time, two British examining bodies, Trinity College, London, and the Associated Board, introduced professional diplomas as the culmination of their graded music exams. In their first five years, forty-five women were successful in these “higher examinations” and gained either an Associate from Trinity College (ATCL), or a Licentiate from the Associated Board (LAB). Armed with a prestigious qualification that granted the right to add “letters” after their name, some then followed a career as a teacher of music. Biographical details of each woman are explored and compared to see if any reasons can be found to explain why some continued with music while others didn’t. Similarities as to family and social background are revealed, while the main reason for not continuing with a musical career appears to be the intervention of marriage and family commitments.

中文翻译：

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专业音乐文凭对 20 世纪初新西兰女音乐教师的影响

在 19 世纪末，音乐是一项鼓励许多女性追求的成就。对一些人来说，这只是增加婚姻前景的额外“装饰品”，但越来越多的人借此机会将音乐能力变成了一种职业选择。研究了 20 世纪初新西兰一小群受过音乐教育的女性。此时，伦敦三一学院和联合委员会这两个英国考试机构引入了专业文凭作为他们分级音乐考试的高潮。在最初的五年里，有 45 名女性通过了这些“高等考试”，并获得了三一学院 (ATCL) 的副学士或联合委员会 (LAB) 的执照。拥有享有盛誉的资格，有权在他们的名字后添加“字母”，有些人后来从事音乐教师的职业。每个女人的传记细节都被探索和比较，看看是否可以找到任何理由来解释为什么有些人继续听音乐而其他人没有。揭示了家庭和社会背景的相似之处，而没有继续音乐生涯的主要原因似乎是婚姻和家庭承诺的干预。