Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-11
Teaching Singing in the Public
Schools of Washington.
ftor Of Tie Evening Star

10 the Edltor OF LIE Evening Star.
Taxpayer No. /, as well many other
old citizens. may well feel little sensitive.
when they see that the good work of the
predecessors of the present managers of
the public schools of this city is not only
ignored, but misrepresented. The article in
The Star of May 4, on Teaching singing"
will astonish multitudes Of the old readers
of The Star. We are told that 1.-The meth
DDS, the theories and the results have been
practically revolutionized," and that IAN
old system (of vocal music teaching) has
been utterly destroyed. and new system
has been established" Let US show some
of the things claimed to be new, and learn
who ought to be credited with any new i'm
provements which are really of any value.
1t is said that ''in former days a class of
children could be heard singing, not only
through the building, but upon the streets"
But what is the object of vocal music, If
not to be heard?
But who has ever heard of residents, liv-
ing near a school, complaining of the
periodic screeching, through which the lit
tie ones were driven like so many young
steam whistles?" AS a proof that former
school singing was not annoying to resi-
dents near the schools let me say that
some ten or fifteen years ago certain high
officials of the English government were re-
siding near the Franklin building for a
month SO, where they could hear the
city, finally, we are told that they visited a
former superintendent of our schools, and
asked for an additional opportunity of hear
ing those children sing, with whose singing
they had been so often delighted. The OPP
portunity was granted to them, of course.
1t may be true that some of the unframed
teachers. who did not know how to sing
themselves, and, of course did not know
how to teach children to sing, have allowed
their pupils ito regard quantity of sound
rather than quality" But 1 can declare
from actual experience, that the majority of
teachers who have had musical training
themselves (Which every teacher ought to
have) have not allowed their pupils to
''screech'' and make annoying sounds"
Indeed, ! know of professors of music
employed in our schools, who have made 1t
a regular speciality to train teachers and
schools to the use of their voices, so that
they could and did give every variety of
quantity and of quality of vocal tones. But
l have never heard them require their pu-
pills to sing in tones which could not be
heard.
All vocal sounds are intended for the cars
of the listeners, and not for the Stomachs
of the singers, although good vocal training
is often very good for promoting digestion.
1t is little marvellous to some of your
readers that the superintendent who does
not even claim to understand the principles
of vocal music, nor to have the ability to
give practical instruction in it, should have
discovered, some years ago, something
wrong in the old methods of teaching
music"
1t is true, he says, che could not put his
finger on the evil element, but he knew 1t
there" But just about this time as he
says, a wonderfully gifted genius sprang
into existence, who had evidently to the
great relief of the superintendent, been
able to put his finger upon the EVIL ele-
ment." 1t is true she had been trained I'M
der this old and now discarded system
which had paid no attention to the quality
of tones" or to ''the management of the
voices,' where their Threats were Strain
ed and ruined" and where there was no
culture in their work.
But even this remarkable genius was not
able to break up the "old system" until after
she went to Boston, and put herself under
the able instruction of the well-known Prof.
Holt and other notable northern teachers
of music
She Miss ScammelD may be and doubt
less is good teacher of music, and she
may be able to enlighten some of her su-
perior officers, for We do not know her, and
the patrons of the schools have never had
an opportunity to judge Of her qualifica-
tons, or of the originality of her system.
Indeed, We are not sure that even she will
claim that it is original.
1 freely admit that proper meditation in
the utterance of musical tones is a very
important element in good vocal music but
this meditation is to be controlled by the
sentiment of the words set to the music,
and not by mere fancy as to loud and soft
tones.
But thousands of people now living in
this city know very well that former lead