The Washington herald., 1914-04-06
Who's Who Among
Women
Mrs. Fletcher Copp. Who Works
Marvels in Music.

Mrs Evelyn Fletcher Copp does things
in music which seem almost like miracles.
She herself would deny this. Her claim
Is that she accomplishes these surpris-
ing results simply by following natural
instead OF artificial methods
Miracles are contrary to nature. She
follows nature. Therefore, she does not
work miracles. That is her reasoning.
Perhaps she doesn't But she makes
you open your eyes in amazement, Just
the same. She takes little children, four
or five years old, teaches them few
years and brings them to the point where
they not only understand music, but even
compose melodies Of their very own.
These children of seven or eight know
what they are doing. too. They are alb
soluteIy familiar with the keyboard, with
scales, chords. intervals, and rhythm.
They can play in any given key. They
can transpose from one key TO another.
They can moduIate in fifteen different
ways.
They may not be wonderful planists.
That isn't the point. Technique is mat
ter of practice and OF natural dexterity.
But they understand how music is made;
how II was born in the mind that created
It. And they, in turn, can create some
that will express their own feelings.
Mrs Copp has a wonderful collection
of little musical compositions by children
from seven to fifteen years Of age. These
children are not infant prodigies- They
merely have learned musical language as
they would learn French, or as they did
learn their own English. And they ex-
press themselves ia II with the same
naturalness.
Mrs. Copp asserts that 90 per cent OF
the children on whom this method has
been tried learn to read music readily
and TO compose simple melodies OF their
own. She has trained almost 200 teachers
in the method. They. in their turn, have
been teaching IL to hundreds OF children.
So il has had a pretty wide test.
Canada was the birthplace OF Mrs.
Copp She began to learn music. accord
ing TO the old-fashioned methods. before
she was four years old. Later she studied
abroad for five years. Then she began
to teach in a Toronto school.
Gradually she realized that there was
something radically wrong about the
whole process. To the dismay OF her
friends she threw up her position and
started to work out her own ideas She
taught children for next to nothing in
order TO get plenty of human material
to work with.
Inside OF four months she had practi-
cally perfected her method and had de-
vised all the apparatus that goes with
it. So absorbed was she in the work that
often, when she went to sleep. she would
dream the solution u many OF her prob
lens.
About that time she came to the United
States and for the last fifteen years she
has lived in BroOkline. Mas. She has
lectured on her method. not only in this
country. but also in England. France
and Germany. She is married and has
four children Of her own who know more
about music from the inside out than
many a so-called musician who is making
a living teaching piano playing.
How does she do II? Well. IL begins
with the apparatus. The children sit
at a large low table covered with a
white cloth. On this the stan is laid
in black tape. All the symbols-the
notes. clef signs. rests, and so on-sre
beautifully made of polished black
wood. triple veneered so that they
won't warp or crack.
A quarter. note. with its stem is
about six inches long and the other
signs are in proportion. The children
can handle them, turn them over and
over, stick their chubby fingers
through the head of a whole or a half
note. They love to do it And every
fixed in their eager minds.
Instead of the teacher asking them
questions. they do the interrOgatinG
themselves. why does this note have
a hole in it," Why does this one
have a tail?'' why does this tail have
several little tails?' And so on.
Afterward. a note is placed on the
stan on the table and the same note