New-York tribune., 1908-02-24
4 TONE DEAF" CLASS.
Smith College Girls Who Can't Sing
Are Made to Think THev Can.

People who have believed themselves TO be tone
deaf" and unable 70 learn TO sing may take
courage from recent experiment at Smith Col
lege- Professor Henry Dixie Sleeper. head Of the
college music department, conducts class for the
so-called tone deaf and has as Yet failed TO find
z single gin vho. under proper instruction, could
not learn 10 sing fairly we'll
From ten 70 forty-fve Smith girls have been en-
te-1ng this class yearly Professor Sleeper asks
al his pupils 10 give him the OF girls who
are silent IN the chapel services. or who fail TO
Join ii the Jolly college songs. All such receive
Invitations 70 join the tone deaf class.
About dozen Of these voiceless naidens are
grouped for the ordeal Of the first lesson with all
the tremors Of a baby at its first steps = blush
ing girl is called upon. 4 note Is given the
piano violin and she IS asked listen inJently
then 10 try 10 form q mental picture OF the tone
then TO make an effort TO repeat il, then 10 tell
whether she has struck the note correctly not
While a few are tone duh that Il is long
before they tell whether their effort TO repeat
the note is sharp fiat says Professor
Sleeper. the majority make considerable progress
in eight lessons the result OF this simple con-
cent-atson tone
Often girls fairly sure the chest tones,
but founder Tniserably head tones, their vocal
organs eluding all control Sometimes they can
not make any musical sound between the speaking
voice and squeal. IN that case they are instruct
ed TO Try 10 repeat th- squeal as # they can become
of one absurd tone. il : said they then
begin 10 work downward from il 10 a more normal
range. one note is taken AZ a time, then one or
two notes are taken higher Or lower. Groups of
Th-ees and fOErs are formed 10 help one another
d singing together
The average student Of this type" says the in
sJructOr. learns 10 sing well as the ordinary
girl in about half year Of weekly lessons OF half
hour 20 an hour each. Perhaps 10 per cent
are 50 nearly tone deaf that they need daily
lessen for half d year Others who We're singing
fl the most bIUndering fashion have advanced 50
rapidly as be admitted IN the half year sub
stitutes IL the college choir. one student who. by
great persistence for half hour at her first les
son could be made 10 sing only three half tones
able il 2 week with outside practice 10 take
an octave correctly. Singing alone Is 50 rarely
taught II schools that the girls are hampered by
shyness when called upon individually. II ch4-
oren we're made 10 sing alone just they speak
alone i woulg soon become easier. One Smith girl
who had planned TO enter kindergarten work
seemed 70 have met rrohhitive difficulty until she
Joined this class, when she learned 10 sing enough
10 lead children
The blame for failure 10 sing is attributed by
Professor Sleeper largely to parents. who fan 10
encourage singing Al home, and often rlcicuIe me
attempts Of their chiIGren- Graduates Of many
private schools have never had singing instruction
Children from good public schools usually have had
good musical training, but country schools are
often ren-lss-
To illustrate MS belief that any who wants to
sing can learn, Professor Sleeper tells Of q young
man Al a NeH England college whose friends used
20 ask him sing thAt they might poke run
z, his dreadful blunders. lie got tired OF TINS role
Of The clown and quietly took private lessons one
right he was again called upon 70 make sport FOR
me conlpanv when 70 every ones surprise he pro-
dpoa5 2 score C some difficulty, and did IL cor
re-1lv and with spirit
Professor Sleeper regrets that the modern type OF
college song IS so elaborate and involved he
-A,rt-s singing would be more general il simple
ard romantic melodies, ike Fair Harvard were
mora commonly used The further you get, ne
SAYS from the type Of the old German student
song. the less Of z factor singing becomes al
coles-."
American lie TOO. he feels misses no lttle sen
-tr,ent and cayety by lack Of what might De ca4ed
classic popular airs Young people learn the e eL
a-al SONGS Of the day know the same tnlnS'
-be older college and minstrel songs are passe-
rra night last summer Of the big Hamburg
American liners was landing crowd al Plynouth-
II was al emotional moment and many people leIt
lise tuning Up. one man struck up The star
spargled Banner" but the measures were 'oc IN
,z-eI5z 70 20 Another yelled out:
Or the boys Broadway
De back 50 gay
But nobody could think OF anything tailllIr
enough for the crowd 70 sing