The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-14
THE SINGING SCHOOL.
TEACHING EXPRESSION TO A CLASS
OF LITTLE GIRLS.
A Vast Improvement on the Methods OF
the Old Fashioned "Singin' skule"
Teaeher-A Surprised Audience
Features OF n Rehearsal.

Teacher-A Surprised Audiencc-Novel
Features OF Rehearsal.
How To sing with the eyes is the burden OF
a new system which Mr.. W. l.. Tomlins
taught choir of seventy-five little girls for
public performance at the Music Teachers
convention in the city.
The girls We're ranged in n sort of anphi-
theatre, with NJ Tomlins and the piano in
the center Now" said Mr.. Tomlins, Il
want YOU to mean what you sing; want you
to let your faces show what your voices are
utterinS; ! want you to be merry when the
music is merry, and sad when the music is
sad
The girls began to run up the scale. Low
at first, said their teacher Imagine me to
be i'll in bed. You have come to ask after
my health"
And the maidens, with an air of concern
and heightened faces, and notes quite low
but clear tiptoed their way gently along the
scale.
Louder" cried Mr. Tomlns; II am bet
ter; | am convalescent; You arc happy 10
know that | shall soon be out again
And with expressions Of joy, with smiles
and congratulations, the girls went over the
ground again.
And now shouted Mr. Tomlins, II am
as well as ever am ont with YOU for pie
mic. 1t is tho Fourth OF july and we are
romping in tho fields
With a wild burst Of song the little ones
rushed up the scale with tremendous pecan
of delight
"IIold on to the top note" said Mr. Tom
Inns "lIold on to it, Imagine that YOU are
up in the clouds. Fancy yourself little an-
gels floating in the sky. Up-up-up. Now
softly nu,tcr down"
The spectators applaGdcd vigorously They
had never seen 50 much significance extracted
from an octave. And the singers, having
within the compass OF notes visited a sick
room, gone on picnic, snoutej FIR the
Fourth OF July, and lloated hike angels in tie
nim6us of glory, sat III whirl hals OF pleas
ure, half of amaZement.
Next" said Mr Tomlins, "!et US SIM
Come Out It's Now September"
And of went tine children with the refrain:
Al among the bary
Who woull not be hiho
Whom tine free and n.ppy barley
Is smiling o. the scythe?
"Stop, stop STOP" cried the toacner; you
mustn't cross a barley iiell like that. You
must dance, You must trip, you must he
merry"
In an Instant all the faces changed. Girls
who were intent on catching the notes began
to think of the words Away they swung to
the lit OF tho song. Little tots waggod their
heads or mechanically touched their skirts rs
ii to lit them for dancing. And so tncy be
gin again, tripping among the barley, per
forming sirlbband among the ripcned grain.
The difference was astonishing.
So the little children passed to the second T.
part;
The yellow leaves ara paling and kullng into .
rel.
And the ripe aud golden barley is hanging down
IT. head
Here they We're taught that the paling of /
the leaves was to BE- accompanied with u
quietude Of bearing, Il sadness of voice; that /
the l.indiinS into red was to be expressed /
with emphatic and positive conviction. AlI /
as for the ripe and golden barley, that was /
to be celebrated with the joyous exultation |
OF harvest song. -Four lines could hardly /
be made to carry more variety Of express /
sion
a sweet and tranquil evening hymn was 4
given win tho same changes Of note and +
look The children's voices SAM, low as the .
gloom Of night was supposed 10 approach; .
then swe.cd into fervor at the thought Of .
divine ?r.tec;ion; then broke into rapture as
the heavens opened u2dihe ANGELS descended
in flood, Of light upon tho sleeping child.
Like a sacred song at twilight, falling from
the organ loft Of n dim cathedral, 1t sank
into the heart and moved the sensitive TO
tears.
"And now" said Mr.. Tomlins, after
long silence, Il will sing you a song myself
You will begin by applauding me- and little
Elsie opposite will bring mo this posy OF
flowers when have done"
Nh Tomlins' song. which was given to
show the children how a soloist phrases and
stands before an audience, told Of some
in IA nest with their mother:
..Whoo, said the little ones; "whoo," said she,
All in their nest in the old pine tree.
And when littlo Elsie golden haired
baby, had presented a pOsy Of flowers, the
children took up the refrain Every detail
was infinitely criticised. Don't sing old
pine tree, SAID MI. lOiullL0' as though 10
age were reproach to the pine tree. lt was
a nice old pine tree; pine tree which birds
would naturally choose to nest in. Sing old
with quite another accent
The little girls pursed up their mouths aud
smiled sympathetically, and so made thep Pine
free quite a respectable ornament Of tho
forest And after that there was glad hai-
yest song, and the performance was over.
Il think, said Mr. Toml.ns TO tho specta-
tors. as they gathered around to congratu-
late him. "thi5 system will fnd universal ac-
ceptance. Ii the teachers approve It in tho
convention. it is likely to become popular in
the schools"
'And where did You get the little girlsp
Il sent around TO tho superintcndents OF
six Sunday schools and asked them to send
me all rho younger girls that cared to come.
You SEQ Nhat they have learned. Chicago
Tribune.
New Way to Get Money.
Tie inventor OF one Of the latest swindles
in New York usually represent himself as
an Englishman. He has a decided cocl.ney
accent. il always well dressed. anl presents