The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-25
HIS NEW SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Chicago 3Ian Who Will Try to Preserve the

/ Chicago, Aug. 24.-The Mrs. John
Vance Cheney School Of Music will be
/ the name of new school OF music found
ed on philosophy Of technique origi-
mated and elaborated by Mrs. Cheney,
| that will be opened in Steinway hall on
/ Oct 13
This system Of teaching music said
Mrs Cheney, has grown out Of what
have experienced and seen Of the physi-
cal injury done TO pupils by the piano
practice, and is intended to obviate this
/ injury, and TO restore thee health OF
those who have already been injured,
and to do this by a recurrence 10 the
true philosophy Of music and OF physi-
cal and spirital health.
Most people have no idea Of the draft
made on the nervous energies Of per-
son by piano playing. Because only the
fingers touch the keys they conclude
that there can be no taxing Of the ply
steal energies. They do not understand
that the putting forth Of energy through
the finger tips is more eXhaus,ing than
the same amount of energy exercised
through the arms and the body. But the
|
most alarming.
Twenty years ago I practiced and
played on the plano until my right arm
was paralyzed and l could play no more
Since have been restored, or have re-
stored myself, by more rational system
have instructed many pupils in this
country AMI in Europe and l have rarely
met with one whose health had not been
injured in the same way. Many OF them
suffered from partial paralysis, many
more were threatened with it, and two
at least had been rendered insane by
piano playing.
The cause of this is, in brief that the
fingers are not brought into harmony
with the whole body, and the body is
not brought into harmony with the spirit
OF the player. The pupil is taught that 1t
is bad form to allow the arms and the
body to sympathize with he playing, and
that the technique should be confined as
far as possible to the fingers.
That this restraint Is unnatural Is
clear from the fact that every player
uses all the bodily action he can until
he is taught differently, and great play
ers who are independent, never sit mo-
tionless. as beginners are taught TO sit.
but throw their whole bodies as well as
their whole souls into what they are
playing Still this only shows that bod
ily action is natural, but does not snow
what action should be. It is necessary
that one should understand the philoso-
ply Of the matter, and give It patient
study before he can discover the techni-
que nature is craving and that will cor
rect the harm done by the prevailing I'M
natural technique.
'.Now,it is impossible to play the piano
SO that in touching the keys with his fin
gers person shall call into play every
muscle in the fingers. the hand and arm.
/ have submitted my technique TO one OF
the grea test anatomists in Chicago, and
that is what he tells me it does. More
over. the effect OF such playing is not
only 10 task the arm, but to relieve the
fingers, by a distribution Of the muscu-
lar and nervous effect.
But the damage done by an unnat-
ural technique is still further prevented
by a preparatory exercise. This con-
sists OF system Of rhythmic and dynamic
BREATHING which equslizes circulation.
and correlates every part OF the body.
This harmOnizes the body, and the ply
steal harmony by reflex action produces
musical harmony In this way for a
physical technique I substitute a vital
technique. and the pupil or player does
with impunity what would otherwise
work an injury.
For my part I have long since be-
come tired Of sickly pupils. / do not Ike
to work on such poor material I begin !
therefore. by restoring pupil 70 health !
by a peculiar exercise, which reaches I
every part OF the body. and rythmic and |
dynamic breathing. I only wish you
could see two young women. my pupils. 4
whom / have recently snatched from ner- /
vous prostration by these means and .
made into healthy piano players.
According to my theory music stands T.
closely related 10 singing, 10 ora;ory ana I
To personal culture and department. 7 /
have discovered that I need help in the 4
teaching OF these correlated matters and i
therefore have decided 70 open the Mrs
John Vance Cheney School OF Music.
gi-5 4 regular corps q teachers.
zone % my assistants will be Miss
Lucia Gale Baker. formerly OF Iowa, who
has taught With great success in Chi
rago, Boston and New York. who will
have charge Of the department; ot 7hysi-
al expression and % rythmic AM dyna-
mic breathing 10 Tot say We viii
teach Dslsarte. because. while believe
in il. I think its usefulness has been de-
s.royei ny poor teachers
Our vocal department viii ~ In the
hands - John Dennis Mehan o. Detroit.
and T1aieus She-i dan Fritz % Nash
VILE who has taught orat3ry and elocu-
ton in almost every southern university.
Viii teach them for me-. These vi! be
assisted from tine = tine. oy he hes,
lecturers on philosophy. az ana music.
These god people came . me. and
we compared notes an5 found that even
mora than we knew. re had been work
ing 81 Identical lines IN our different;
music. vocal music. o-a.o-v.
5raDs.ic art ana. b5s: OF sH. srt ex2-es-
son sni ryJhnic and dynamic hreath-
.nz. The consequence vas that. Eita ny
new friends. slipped Of in,o Michigan /
AMI oy day AMI BY nigat we planned GU \.
aex scaooL II
"O1, yes. our s-h01I has re same name
3s - many saccl<-nasic. Era-na-ic. d-z-
llatir art. etc but cur methods - aim
~ a. TIE expression % these ats = a.
'e-zat- AL teachers knox that pupils
rarely come 70 them in Pe-fect 9Hys.-lI
and mental health. prepared - - ta=
best work Our -.eih2d IL - lzy 1oIni-
scoa t5- pare at sxpsesss1z- he ring -
Dl-e hes,ia = bel All n9i give fortE I
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