The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-08

| over With mafurer experience. and. more
confident SAVIOUR fare; the teacher who
knows how to explain license reasonably
Will best clear away these seeming incon-
| gruIties of statement. and will less fette.
the mourning or logical mind OF the embryo
composer.
All learners are not alike: some are care
less and apathetic: others stupid and dense:
u few earnest, %plodding, or brilliant.
The best teachers require 10 be apt at
| reading character: or. rather. at discerning
the spirits of those taught. Methods of in
strucrion must vary according as the re-
'cipient of the instruction Is bright. or the
reverse. s
Al Indifferent. inpatient, harsh or I'M
sympathetic teacher-especially if the sub
iect be an emotional one. like musician
do an incalcuiabie amount OF harm. and
often entirely stunts or stultifies an other
wise promising talent.
Thus the responsibilities of the teacher
as of the parent-are great; these hold in
their hands the fate of future generations.
1t has often been a subject of query
whether a teacher. say, of pianoforte, Should
be himself i good eXecutant.
Nothing helps a young learner so much
as to have a piece ably and correctly
played over for him.
Yet the fact remains that many excellent
teachers are themselves but Indifferent per-
formers. and that they can seldom play the
pieces they teach.
Under this heading We must consider two
classes OF teacher-iirst. those who, though
they have been well taught. and can crit
ically Judge of the best styles of perform
ers. yet have never themselves had the
ability or nerve to shine as s%oloists.
There are many such in the great army
OF teachers. and they are none the worse
teachers. Notwithstanding.
Secondly, there are those preceptors who
have, in previous times. been themselves
eminent ayacurantS M. yppaliSfc bui who
through want Of leisure for practice or the
loss of ambition TO appear i'll public. have
allowed their practice. and hence their eX-
ecutive skill. TO slide. and so hand and
voice have lost their former cunning.
In both these cases we maintain that the
SHOW how a passage is 10 be played-and,
no doubt, this is a pity-is competent to
heaithtully and effectively teach and in
Struct. because he or she knows how such
and such a passage should be rendered,
albeit unable to demonstrate II personally.
We are not. of course. now considering
the sham professor of music, with little
hnoWledSe and less conscience, who takes
peoples money on the false pretense of
giving honest instruction in return.
Such a person is a disgrace TO the pro-
fession. and deserves exposure as much as
does the ouack in other learned e~allings.
One must have learned carefully and
thoroughly to teach-that goes without say
ing. We have already limited that there are
different types of teacher, just as there are
different types of individual.
No doubt each. if he be competent 10 in
struct at all, influences a circle of his own
for we have all our proper spheres of
utility and eSertion.
1t is to be regretted. however. tina there
is no regular training. college for teachers
of music Apart from the drilling of tenn
perament-a very important ~point-there are
so many little matters that require the mu-
sic teachers attention.
The cultivation of ear and the faculty of
reading at sight, as of memorization of
pieces, are subjects much overworked by
the often too hard worked school music
teacher. who. in a lesson of twenty min
utes, has scarcely time to discriminate be-
tween gifted and ordinary pupils.
Some young folk prefer Beethoven to
Chopin: others favor Bach in preference 10
the modern and more wildly "'colored"
school. 1t is a question of taste and idiosyn-
Grassy 0sA
But these indications of individuality in
a student are exactly what a teacher should