The Washington times., 1895-06-05
Pretty Picture Formed by High
School Girls at Rehearsal.
LEARNING TO SING AND SMILE
Prof. Tomiins Kept the oung Ladies
In Happy Mood-They Accented the
Charms of Music with Their Eyes,
and Occasional Shows of PearIy
Teeth-Uni Chorus to Be Heard.

The high school girls are learning TO
sing and, parenthetically, to accent their
music with an occasional CLEAN of their
pearly teeth
The main room of the Central high
school was by long odds the most inter
esting place in the city yesterday after
moon. There was gathered there about a
thousand pupils and teachers OF the city's
high schools, about ninety nine hundredths
of the asscmblage being young. pretty and
charmnely attred, to meet the emergency.
The central group of the picture was
500 girlish forms and faces, these being
the sSghtingales of the schools who had
been selected To sing in the high school
concerts, which will be given tomorrow
evening and Friday evening at the Academy
Of music
Superb ntendent Powell was present,
and with him ON the platform, several of
the trustees aud other officers of the city
schools Mrs Ernest Lent and others,
who Will assist in the concerts, were
also in attendance.
A LAST REHEARSAL.
The occasion wasone OF the last re-
hearsais for the great events which have
been in progress for about two weeks.
Pruf. w. L. Tomlins. of Chicago, directed
the music. He has been engaged tJ
give the teachers and pupils Of the public
schools training in chorus work. He
is a musician who has made a speciality
Of childrens voices, and the trainer and
director OF the children's choruses at the
Worlds Fair. He is an orchestral
director in Chicago, where he ranks among
the first teachers both in practice and
theory. He has published several vol
iImns of specially prepared music, his
| libretti being used by the local high
school children.
Quite an interesting feature of his method
is the attractive manner in which he secures
and holds the attention of his classes. At
the rehearsal yesterday he instructed the
first five hundred from the Georgetown
High School in Voices of the WOdS,"
BOAT Song" .'oId Folks at Home"
and a selection of sacred music.
He kept the girls in a smiling mood at
proper intervals by his humorous criticisms
OF their slight imperfections, all OF which
he disposed of before the close OF the entr-
tainment. He took pains to instruct the
class how to accent the charms of the music
With their eyes, smiles and consequent oc-
casionaI show of rows of pearly teeth.
Inthe boat song the girls sang, after some
interesting instruction, Just as if they had
the oars III their hands and Were pulling
the craft along the Potomac shores on
''Old Folks at Home" as sung by these five
hundred, viii be revelation to the crowds
at the Academy.
PROF. TOMLINS' METHOD.
Prof. Tomins is very happy in his illustra-
tions. His method appears to be TO make
the music an echo of tine sound To the sense
so that there is really a dramatic, or at
least an elocutionary Interpretation of the
music.
The public can count confidently on a rare
treat in the entertainment. The professor
said that the previous preparation of the
students had been admirable.
A chorus of five hundred fresh, clean,
vibrant young voices Will be something
unique, even in Washington, where there is
little that is new under the sun. The OBJ
ject of the concerts is to pay for the in
struction given by P rof. Tomlins.
The High School chorus willsing tomorrow
night and the graded school chorus on
Friday night. Those who will assist at
the concerts are Miss Maude Powell, vio-
linist: Mrs. Ernest Lent, pianist; and the
Apollo Quartet