The San Francisco call., 1901-12-01

- Q vcu ka;,-su - know Row ,otta-;
sters axe t2uEEt 10 sing these
dsys: !,
tairiy aehind -ke tin,es ard tie
very frs; thirg you 81 uld % 5s - 'is.t
s1::- ere of t,'e humorous seFoois thst a-e
dotted SO thlck',- over fhe city. II VII Fe-
pay ecu for vsu~ traut.e ard open ycu-
eyes rot 2 I;;!o.
T5u re-r ez.lbe- how you commenced
music Of ccUl Sc, vou DO II wa tie
cid-f2slioncd method ~ sitting m
stool about two feet TO high for ycu sni
saving. Key Of Z. O. y. E. r a=d so
G.. Everything Vas <-urzed into your
head until your brain was all in 2 va'Ih
l.row all about It. fo- I've been through
the agony.
To-day IL is entirely different The pu
r.ls are not ssked 70 understand srE-
thing they are merely requested to pay
s,r.ct attention 10 the teacher. In other
words they learn ny sight. Their eyes
take IN what their brains do nor grasp.
went from school 20 school with Miss
EsteiIe Carpenter. supervisor Of music in
tho public schools. The minute size ~
tered the room every child in the place
bobbed up and yelled ,IstIiy. '-Cood-no-ri-
ing. Miss Carpcatcr.-' ard an EnristaIs-
sble grin spread over every face. That in
. itself was significant. .or the music teach
CT is usually toleratea-that is all.
without the command books went down
and backs vert up Every one sat UP rs
straight as soldier at attention" Sud.
denly the children commenced to breathe
deeply: not in tr,at sh0Ii6cr-moving. pain
ful fashion. but a regular in-and-out.
Then, with 10 warning whatever, all COM
menced 10 sing.
When turned 70 Hiss Carpenter n
wonderment I found snat she was busily
engaged. To all appearance II was a
mysterious deaf and dumb alphabet. She
raised one hand and then the other.
spread her arms far apart, turned he-
wrist IN one direction and then IN another
end then cIapped her palms softly to-
gether. And all this time the children
were singing a tune 20 the accompan.-
ment OF her hands.
She held her hand one way for one H.
vision Of the room. and she other sang a
entirely different STRAIN. After few
notes the strain took or q familiar air,
snd soon Annie Laurie" filled the roor.
The funniest part Of Il all was that the
singers were perfectly unconscious that
they were humming anything that they
had ever heard. They we're simply fo.-
lowing Miss Carpenter's hands.
Ture after tune followed her hands,
and never once was It anything frivolous
or foolIshly light. Meudclssohn's Lula
by would have pleased even the most
fsstidious. The babies were not over 6.
but no one could accuse them Of having
a -throaty'' or a nasal" tone.
Before they began Miss Carpenter eau
toned them not to sing too loudly. RE.
member. the baby wants 10 go TO sleep,
and 4 vou make too much noiSe he won't
Go g. Just whisper IT. And they did.
AL the while they were rocking an imag-
mary baby TO sleep I'm their arms. and
when the last note died away every eye
was on the sleeping eh:Id.
That IS the way the supervisor teaches
music. She wants her pupils to feel first
of all After that all comes easy, she
says: 1T s. Impossible TO crowd their
little heads. but when you appeal TO their
derstand."
A teacher told me an amusing story. A
small boy had been visiting his grand
mother for some time. When he returned
he found a baby sister installed in his
place. Just about that time the little
Tniss had taken II into her head TO scream
ard Dickie watched her with considerable
anxiety.
why, mother. II she keeps on hollerin'
like that, she'll burst her vocal chords.
ard then she can't never sing Let's stop
her and show her how 20 do it right" ne
said.
''You see" said Miss Carpenter. 'fn lit
tie ways ] find out that the idea is
grasped. That small boy is no wiser than
the rest Of his classmates. but he UNDER
stood that something was radically
wrong"