Imperial Valley press., 1913-05-08
new TEACHING METHOD
EXPLAINED BY ADVOCATE

lklhINCu DI huvUUAIt
fBY UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATIONS
ST. LOUIS, May s.--To bring about
nationwide reversal in the methods
Of teaching small children, and es-
pecially the employment OF this method
IN a musical education, is the gigantic
task that Mrs. Fanny E. fIughey, origi-
natOr of the color system OF music
teaching has set for herself. Mrs. HUI
ghey has just returned to St. Louis
after trip through the East where
she demonstrated her system Of teach
ing to hundreds Of the most prominent
educators and teachers in many Of the
big cities. She gave demonstratinos in
New York, Washington, Baltimore,
Richmond, Va, and Boston.
Mrs. Hughey today explained some Of
the important details OF her system
which She says was enthusiastically re-
Ceived wherever she demonstrated. Two
Of the arguments which Mrs. Hughey
uses to argue in favor of changing the
system of teaching now in vogue are
that the nation can better afford to
support formatory schools than reform
story institutions and that children
should begin earlier in life to learn the
beauties OF music.
'Music can be made the basis Of all
other branches Of study" declared
Mrs. Hughey today, land for the sake
Of promoting a higher citizenship and
making the United States musical ma
| ton, the efforts Of our instructors
should be centered upon the child |
might say right here that it is needless
| to argue in favor Of music as refin-
| ing and inspiring influence on humani-
| ty. That is an evident and admitted
| fact. That the little ones are started
| to school earlier than we were is simp-
| ly because our system Of teaching has
| become too involved for children to
| assimilate in the short time that many
| Of them go to school. BY combining the
use Of colors with stories, we are able
| to start the children on their education
| al careers much earlier in life and with
| more Of chance for every one Of them
to get all the good out of the train
ing. We simply appeal to their optical
understanding which is further devel-
Oped in infancy than any other sense.
1
| tie ones is faulty in that it does not
give the child an all-round development
and by the use OF cOloFS and alluring
| stories Of fairies. we may now teach
the child from four to seven years of
age, the rudiments Of music. Combined
with these two features are, of course
other means of bringing the child into
proper lines Of development with our
musical teaching. We also train the
child to an intense observation Of de-
tails, make him concentrate his mind,
and give him an independence and or
| iginality Of action which will prepare
him for the bigger thing Of life when
he meets them later on. Teach children
OF these early ages such thing as con-
centration and observation and 1t will
! be found that all the troubles Of study
in the later years will have been elimi-
mated. In the majority OF cases, it is
safe to say, lack OF ability to concen-
trate has made more trouble for boys
and girls Of from 13 to 20 years than
any other three factors. With concen-
tratiOn there. will be no such thing as
the backward child
1.-The development of a strong NOR
al character is one Of the most impor
| tant branches Of our new system. Mu-
sic gives the child good character and
after their first lessons in 'colors' we
seek to add three traits OF character
aggressiveneSS, resistance and endur-
| ing forcefulness. We simply influence
| the child's disposition and intellect by
putting material before it which holds
the attention and which develops the
forces already there. We do not claim
the impossible OF putting into child
makeup what is not already there.
We go on the theory that every child
has an equal amount Of character build
ing material in him. 1t only remains for
these materials to be given chance
and the best chance-to grow"
While in Chicago recently Mrs. HUI
| ghey demonstrated the wonderful re-
suits OF her work through exhibitions
given by her pupils before the Fedora
alton Of Musical Clubs. The exhibition
was met with enthusiasm and she has
been asked to go there shortly to in
struct class Of teachers who will lat
er employ their time with children's
classes in "cOlOr work." A further
proof Of Mrs. Hughey's claims for the
| system was the result Of her work in
Chicago settlement house where she
had classes of children from modest
homes. After telling them the absorb
ing story OF how eight birds Of diff
ferent colOrs, each singing with a Diff
ferent note had made their nests on
eight different keys of the piano, Mrs.
Hughey had each child sing the various
notes, and within forty minutes each
| little one knew the notes so perfectly
that they could sing them and sustain
them in harmony.
| Where the system Of teaching Is so
simple that it secures immediate re-
sponse from children, Mrs. Hughey be-
lieves 1t should be adopted generally
| in the schools. She has been termed by
Eastern educators the "MontesOrri OF
America" as her system resembles in
many ways, the system that has been
adopted in Italy through the efforts OF
Nine. Montesorri. The difference is
that the Italian method Is used for de-
veIopment of character in men, women
and children who have backward ten
denotes. Mrs. Hughey's system has
been adopted in more or less modified
form in many of the Western and Mid
Ia tn ~