The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-20
MUSIC TEACHING, NEW STYLE
"a TONlTIC PLAYERS CALLED
ON TO AID TINE CHILD.
nsbert Foresman. the Author of the sSss
tenn. tsetleves ThRt 10 win saeceesl ~
Mnknpg the First steps Lees irkseale
How the New y, stem o. works ~ Out.

10 Nne grown up AL oQucAtion now
adays seems To he Of the sugar coated
pill variety. Il has remained for Robert
foresman to bring piano instruction
under tho jurisdiction Of reform; ths
little ones of the land may we'll riss up
and elect him their patron saint. for
through him the one time little scale
pEActissr starts out full grown orchestra.
Working on the principle that all edu-
cation must start first with experiences
and he maintained by interest. the nav
methodweaveB aboutthe me ior thread that
the essential form Of music In melody. So
melody il first given to the child that he
may come To recognize. TO know and to
desire Ia initiate.
Theoretically and here every grown up
OF still verdant remembrance will Agrse-
this sounds much better than the old
time horrors OF gaining music and the
love for music through sixty minutes
daily Of mon~s"Uous and hideous FIVE
finger mechanics which seemed TO he a
hard hut the only road to the desired
goal. hIt where and how to find the
means of keeping the melody with the
child the allotted time each day and how
to transfer his interest into a gradual
participation on his own part was the
puzzle.
Then came along the player piano. and
the reformer tn prove that the artistic
soul does not always nee the commercial
stopped To investigate. Result. an en-
during melody giver to the young aspirant
a whole accompanying orchestra in fact.
h - interesting Co observe how this
mechanical device is made To take lie
part in the instruction Of MUSIC the art
once fondly believed To he - far removed
from mechanics.
The young AspiTant begins HE musical
education with nothing To do beyond
kicking his feet and using his ears. the
player piano does all the rest. What IL
gives forth 10 above all pleasant IN listen
To with chords and variations of divers
sorts. which the child will not be called
upon to analyye for months.
After the nelodic harmonic cOmbina-
ton has rolled It's way tO a clo-e there
comes next tn HE ears the simple melody
unaccompanied. The young performer
pedals his way through this. then he
comes to the detached accompa nimeut
part bigger and rich with harmony. hut
unappreciahle TAI his unframed ear be-
cause the melody il absent
40 he goes hack to the first. and care
- taken that the melody may he doEni-
nant enough in tie ensemble TO catch
his interest. And when he coFnes TO tho
simple melody part which n he only
IL are but five finger exercises in dis
s,is-. ne notices or his attention il called
10 the fact that very few keys are work
ing and 80 simply that his own fingers
can easily follow them His ear has hem
caught nv the melody--as a child hs IL
naturally initiative NJ when he IL told
that Tins simple lit,ie part which his
own fingers can d. 40 easily - what 10
lacking IN the third and embarrassing
section of the roll. and that u he learns
the melody part he may them play a duet
with the third part and make q sound
llke the first, he goes 90 work az that
exercise in disguise
AMI when 10 sits and I,edalS and fin
gers through a truly beautiful sud. TO
HIM imposing pictorial New Years
Day ~ -V~-psr hymn. performing
about pcr cent Co the ~ per cen, Of
tho PLAYER pianos celebration. he ha.
fh. Ili--ful feeling that lie - r,-.poD~iIle
for IN tho sound The FIVE finger cHer-
Ci-.. the diEital scal. practice. - appro1,-
mately the ~ me a. that ~ the unfor- /
tuuats C.-iId ~ Yesterday hut now the
cna'ing - thick end sweet
Gripping he attention first through |
tho melody aud desire 20 initiate Al he /
IL 80 ~. same time made To listen 70 mar. |
'nopy and rhythm He serves en- mex
orr hla task master ~ time a. meg
oTahlc 90 the chnoNiou-ly clicking metro !
nome Which. however. never reveal j. !
itssf Hi- little part gradually tntru-
dtics~ variations IT notes. rests end tirus |
grr dTt'"rs. uiIartsr~. ~ teanths. trip'et. .
aud what NOT without ktz ever .ti-- J
I=ctinR tfat such t'inEr pr~ The con /
-'Tnt listening. iruitrt,ng ard fitting IN /
have traired - e@r
~ Cour-s a. new fochniraItiss ar !
gradually worked "a. stiil NJ tnel,~s md
a. fla fingers ~ tho performer h~coms
moro sdept the part ~ the mechanicgl
ac~ompa uist becoms- lighter and lighter
A. length. even IN compl ratiyelv simple
COMPOST Ons the nar aCtuslly MIA yet
- complete enough that H." performer
may trv hi- hands alone and 10 SURPRISES
az what ne can do
u - evident that much ~ the su.ce-s
Of such > method musf depend on the
ATTan cement Of the music that - designed
10 arouss the ch'ld's attention. stimulate
h'z initiative faculties. gradually serve
htz inst rtIrtion technically End acou,,pt
him with the fund mentals
In launching his method Mr. Foreman
has been fortunate In being able to pre-
of such arrangements IN" work Of Arthur !
Edward Johnstone and Harvey Worth !
ingtOn LOOMS. for all these REGULATES, ,
have been considered They have en- |
tered into the spirit Of the originator.
When the time comes for the little pupiI |
To tackle the intricacie- ~ the one time |
bugAboo. the chromaiic scale. there |
u ~ artfully tucked away ia a harmonic I
maze entitled Here ana There SINH |
larry -Topsy Turvy- 10 used TO show how |
one hand takes up the work 81 tho other.
In the matter of hands Mr. Johnstone
has an interesting theory ~ his owre |
He starts the young performers out with |
the left hand. accounting tho Ihse Of this /
throughout. to cotInteract the usual /
comparative helpleNMnese Of that member |
The left hand leading. the right imme- |
diately taking up and following. tho
pupil - influenced to regard his diRits /
as being but the ten fingers of one hand /
IN service and which operate In coniunc-
ton with the etRhty-eight fingers % the |
big hand of the piano player.
Through ME ear and through hiS fingers /
the child gets his hrst training Mr.. i
tombstone can even imagine = perfected 1
state with Paderswsti adeptneas 81 both 1