The Dickinson press., 1888-10-27
THE SINGING SCHOOL,.
TEACHING EXPRESSION TO A CLASS
OF LITTLE GIRLS.

TEACHING EXPRESSION TO A CLASS
OF LITTLE GIRLS.
A Vast Improvement on the Methods OF
tho Old Fashioned "sinrin' skuIe',
Tcacicr-A Surprised Audience-Novel
Features of q Rehearsal.
How to sing with the eyes is the burden of
u; new system which Mr.. w. L, Tomlins
Taught a choir of s~eventy-ive little girls for
a public performance at the Music Teachers
Convention i'll the city.
The girls were ranged in a sort Of amphi.
~;Eeatre, with Mr.. Tomlins and the piano in
the centcr. Now" said Mr.. Tomlins, 81
want You to mean what you sing; l wantyou
to let your faces show what your voices are
Gitcring; ! want you to be merry when the
music is merry, II sad when the music is
sad
Tho girls began to run up the scale. Glow
mt first said their teacher. 'Imngine me to
be- i'll i'll bed. You nave como to ask after
my health"
And tho maidons, with an air of concern
and heightened faces, and notes quite low
but clear, tiptoed their way gently along the
scale.
''Loudcr," cried Mr.. Tomlins; ~ nm bet
ter; | am convalescent; you are happy to
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, 81 am
rs we'll as ever. | am out with you for n pic
-. II =. 41,~ N~,,-Al "a \ $500
ro.nping in tho fields"
With a wild burst of song tho little ones
rils!:cd up tho scale with a tremendous pman
e. delight.
Hold on to tho top note," said Mr.. Tom
liAs. Hold on to it. Imagine that you are
w in the clouds. Fancy yourself little an
G, Is floating in the sky. Up-up-up. Now
sof;ly nutter down"
The spectators applauded vigorously. They
rad never seen SO much significance extracted
from an octave. And the singers, having
within the compass of notes visited n sick
rao:,. gone on a picnic, shouted for the
F""rth OF July, and noated like angels in the
.~....j,iis of glory, sat in whirl half of pleas
we, hall oil amaZement.
"NrNt,r said Mr.. Tomlins, "let lis sing
'Cp!:ie Out, lis Now September"
Md of went the children with the refrain
All among the barley
Who would not be blithe
When the free and happy barley
IsSmiling on the scythe?
Stop, stop, STOP" cried tho teacher; ''you
mustn't cross n barley field like that. You
mast dance, you must trip, you must be
IL -rry."
In al instant all the faces changed. Girls
WHO were intent on catching tho notes began
TO i!.iMk of the words. Away they swung to
the lit of the song. Little tots wagged their
ho.td or mechanically touched their skirts us
ii . lift them for dancing. And so they be-
GA again, tripping among the barley, per-
forming sarabhand among the ripened grain.
The difference was astonishing.
Sc the little children passed to the second
p;It:
Tlic yellow leaves arc paling and kindling into
red,
| And the ripe and golden barley is hanging down
its head.
Here they wero taught that the paling Of
the leaves was to be accompanied with n
quietudc Of bearing, Il sadness of voice; that
the liindling into rcd was to be expressed
with emphatic and positive conviction. And
us for the ripe and golden barley, that was
to he celebrated with the Joyous exultation
of n harvest song. Four lines could hardly
be made to carry moro variety of express
sion.
y sweet and tranquil evening hymn was
given with the same changes of note and
lock. Tho children's voices sank low us tho
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 tho sleeping child.
Like Il sacred song at twilight, falling from
the organ loft of q dim cathedral, it sank
into the heart and moved tho sensitive to
tears.
And now" said Mr.. Tonlins, after a
long silence, 81 will sing you Il song myself.
You will begin by applauding me, and little
Elsie opposite will bring me this posy of
flowers when | have DONE"
Mr.. Tomlins' song. which was given to
show the children how n soloist phrases and
stands before an audience, told of some
t1elgclings i'll Il 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, q golden haired
baby, had presented n posy of flowers, the
children took up the refrain. Every detail
was infinitely criticised. Don't sing odd
pine %tree,'" said Mr.. Tomlins, las though its
age were q reproach to tho pine tree. 1t was
n nice old pine tree; a pine tree which birds
would naturally choose to nest III. Sing odd
with quite another accent"
Tho little girls pursed up their mouths and
smiled sympathetically, and so made the pine
trce quite Il respectable ornament of tic
forest. And after that there was a glad har.
vest song, and tho performance was over.
81 think" said Mr.. Tomlins to the specta.
tors, as they gathered around to congrat,l-
late him, ''this system will find universal nc.
certance. If the teachers approve it in the
convention, it is likely to become popular in
the schools"
"And where did you get the little girls?"
81 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. "-Chicage
Tribune.