The Washington times., 1913-10-04
HAS UNIQUE METHOD.
OF TEACHING MUSIC
W. L. TomIin, New Director IN
the Schools, Seeks to Arouse
the Deeper Life.

II YOU happen in a Na6hins ION
school room in the next rev weeks
and hear a room full of children emit
ting a long drawn "sh. don pe
alarmed by the thought that there is
a baby asleep in the room VINO Hish'
be awakened by your entry. Ihis Is
inst the new way the Washington
children are being taught their music
vi. Tomlin, Ehe new director OF
music in the Washington pup
schools, has methods a9sotu.vy ~
unique. His plan does not 90 sic a
with the conventional idea of music
in the schools, but, as he expresses
IL, .it adds to the larger use oi hiusi'
to arouse the deeper life. .Lo
THE public schools are teaen.nS sre s
child m do and to know, but they are
not sufficiently teaching him TO pc; OF
10 feel or to express what he 1eels,
said MT, Tomlin. when asked LOT an
explanation of HIS methoos, t
which there has been SO rhin,tnn rnuen
able comment from ashinS s,,,ai ,o
teachers since Mr.. Tomlins aiii'"i
Mr. Tomlin has discovered and re-
solved to tangible basis what @ ao
most teachers have canea which
force in education, Work Oh ~ ~WniSL
Washington VIII near hiu1"
the coming winter.
Approach to Hidden Sources.
-..It has been my happiness ano soou
fortune said Mr.. Tomiin, TO oisco'e,
a means of approach to the inner anu
hidden sources of the child s nature oS
an appeal to his imagination, to which
he responds through vitalized breathing
both inhalation and parucuiarE
,,irafiop-and the use of various. compl-
nations of consonantal sounds, .help
the children to sense and then give OUT
to me through this varied means Oh
vocalization-a mother hush or these
various combina tions of. consonants
certain emotional ideas or moods whlch
gradually lead them deeper and deeper
into a realization of deeper life.
Mr.. Tomlin was director of chorai
music at the Worlds Columbian Expo
sition at Chicago. in 1855. Later he was
director q she Apollo :elSo, ,,sao and ac'iSe
Il discovered in my children's choral
classes he said. that a certain mys-
terry resided infa free. generous breatn
drawn in through the nostrils III
bathed the children in relaxation and
repose which prepared them for what L
wanted them to do. 1t gave me, first.
their attention: then would have them
breathe that breath out to me laden ana
permeated with sentiments and emo
tons gradually deepening in seriousness
until the little people who at first wei
coined me with their good will upon
'sh' such as that with which mother
will soothe her babe, finally went out TO
me in the same way with pity and con-
dolence for some bereavement, which
for the moment we imagined that l suf-
fered. You see, we were using the ma
teriais and the methods of their play
world. but the significance was Of life,
and their emotional natures were eX-
panding. --..- ....
Singing But An Incident. --
when weet Try to make the children
apprehend these moods and feelings
objectively-that is to say, through their
minds appreciation of them, as they
exist in other people, in story books, in
fair;es or Snomes or other boys and
glrls-they sense them only passably
When they breathe them in by the
tnvigoratfng. self-centering power OF
the breath. when they saturate them
selves by II, and give them out again.
they sense these moods actively. They
have made them their own.
As for the actual singing We do, that
Is but an incident This is not a new
device for teaching singing or sight
reading in the schools. as valuable and
essential as such things are. In later
life the boy or girl may give little or
no thought to singing. but the broader
consciousness and awakened sympathies
which the child has reached through
this work will have gone on automatl
cally"
1t is Mr.. Tomlin's belief that all hav.
within them pewers of individuality
still fewer use" No one need renal,
In the ranks of mediocrity or tn,
commonplace. I arouse this indiv. v.dual
istic power through the breath. and IL
all the elaboration which goes to max
up musical performance" he said.
Il reach the spiritual life primaril,
through the breath. We sustain phys.
cal life by meat and drink and breath
Man can go for weeks without food
He can go for days without water
But with breath il is a question o
minutes only, and IT is the distinctly
thing about breath that while II )
chief In its Ininistration to the materia
life, II also is chief in its ministraton I
he deeper spiritual life
In teaching the children to sing bv hi
method. Mr.. Tornlin first Is teachin
them to feel. He is awakening thei
sympathy and their ina agination Whe
they fiji their lungs and exhaIe dee
breath is to give expression TO som
emotion OF JOY. or welcome, OF hope. o
sympathy or of sorrow. Superintendent
of Schools Davidson is enthusiast
over the manner in which the work i
being taken up in washington. Dr
Davidson has known Mr.. Tomlin 70
twenty years. and was one of the frs
to recognize the broad scope Of his worI
IN the development of the child. a de
veiopment which he believes transcend
any mere method" or system" i
teaching the child to sing. but that in
creases his powers in all branches o
his study and will follow him on int
life.
Mr.. Tomlin's plan is starting off slow
ly, as IL must be explained TO bot
teachers and pupils. but he declares h
is receiving hearty cooperation sn
will have the new idea in workin
operation. With the assistance Of tn
the deeper spirjtudl life