Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-08-17
THE SINGING SCHOOL.
TEACHING EXPRESSION TO . CLASS
IF LITTLE GIRLS.

the Old Fashioned "Singin' Skule"
Teacher-A Surprised Audience-Novel
Features of Rehearsal.
How to sing witt the eyes is the burden OF
! 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 were ranged in a sort of amphi.
theatre, with Mr.. Tomlins and the piano in
the center. "Now," said Mr.. Tomlins, u
want you to mean what you sing; want you
10 let your faces show what your voices are
nttering; 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.. Tomlins; ST am bet
Ter; I am convalescent; you are happy to
know that I 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, ''I'am
as well as ever. I am out with you fora pic
mic. 1t is the Fourth of July, and we are
romping in the fields"
With wild burst of song the little ones
rushed up the scale with tremendous paan
Of delight.
''Hold on to the top note" said Mr.. Tom
Inns. ''Hold on to it. Imagine that you ara
up in the clouds. Fancy yourself little an
gels floating in the sky. Up-up-up. Now
softly futter down."
The spectators applauded vigorously. They
had never seen SO much significance extracted
from an octave And the singers, having
within the compass of notes visited sick
room, gone on a picnic, shouted for the
Fourth of July, and foated like angels in the
nimbus of glory, sat in whirl half of pleas
ure half Of amazement.
"Next," said Mr. Tomlins, 'slet us sing
Come Out, IT'S Now September.'"'
And off went the children with the refrain:
All among the barley
Who would not be blithe
When the free and happy barley j
1ssmiling on the scythe?
"Stop, stop, STOP" cried the teacher; "yon
mustn't cross barley field like that You
must dance, you must "trip, you must be
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 Tilt of the song. Little tots wagged their
heads or mechanically touched their skirts SIS
If to lift them for dancing. And SO they be-
gin again, tripping among the barley, per.
forming sarahband among the ripened grain
The difference was astonishing.
So the little children passed to the second
part:
The yellow leaves are paling and kindling into
red,
And the ripe and golden barley is hanging Sfoy. n
its head.
Here they were taught that the payng OF
The leaves was to be accompanied with
4uietude of bearing, a sadness of voice; that
the kindling into red was to ,3e expressed
with emphatic and positive conviction. And
as for the ripe and golden barley, that was
10 be celebrated with the Joyous exultation
Of a harvest song. -Four lines could hardly
be made to carry more variety of express
sion.
A sweet and tranquil evening hymn was
given with the same changes of note and
look. The childpen's voices sank low as the
gloom OF night was supposed to approach;
then swelled into fervor at the thought of
divine protection; then broke into rapture as
the heavens opened and the angels descended
in floods of light upon the sleeping child
Like sacred song at twilight, falling from
the loft Of
into the heart and moved the sensitive to
tears.
"And now" said Mr.. TomIins. after a
long silence, 81 will sing you a Song myself.
You will begin by applaudingtme. and little
Elsie opposite will bring me- this posy of
lowers when I have done,n
Mr.. Tomlins' song. which was given to
show the children how soloist phrases and
stands before an audience, told of soma
aedgelings in a nest with their mother:
''Whoo," said the little ones; "whoo," said she,
All in their nest in the old pine tree
And when little Elsie, a golden haired
baby, had presented posy of flowers, the
children took up the refrain. Every detail
was infinitely criticised ''Don't sing odd
pine tree,'" said Mr. Tomlins, ssas though its
age were reproach to the pine tree. It was
anice old pine tree. pine tree which birds
would naturally choose to nest in. Sing old,
Eth quite another accentn
The little girls pursed up their mouths and
smiled sympathetically, and sosmade the pine
tree quite respectable ornament of the
forest. And after that there was a glad har.
vest song, and the performancew was over.
II think" said Mr.. Tomlins.to the specta.
tors, as they gathered around to congratu-
late him, 'this system will find universal &C.
ceptance. If the teachers approve it in the
convention, it is hkelyfo become popular in
he schools"
"And where did you get the little girlsgs
II sent around to the superintendent OF
six Sunday schools and asked them to send
me all the younger girls that cared to come
You see what they have learned Chicago
Tribune.