Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-30
MUSTC'S CHARM HAS
AWAKENED RESPONSE
IN HOMES OF POOR
Teacher Of "Art Divine" Alter
mates Between Culture of Bryn
Mawr and the Lowly Stratum
of the Ghetto
MISS M'CALL1P's TASK

How would you like the Job of translat-
ing the feelings and emotions Of Little
Italy into muster How would you go about
teaching her swarthy sora and daughters
in the great melting pot the rudiments Of
musical form, harmony and melody7
Would you be willing. II you taught in the
homes of the wealthy, and we're accus-
toned to cultured surroundings. had stu-
| died in Paris with famous masters, to coax
| the grubby fingers of Phiadephia's great
| unwashed" into the intricacies of do, re
mi?
This is what Miss Emily McCalllp, teach
er of eurhythmic classes at Bryn Mawr Coll
lege and the Wssahickon School, does daily.
She gives her time to these youngsters of
the ghetto--Irish, Germans, Italians, Rus
sian Jews, Poles Scotch and English-and
Just plain South street, in precisely the same
way she gives II to her wealthy pupils. For
to Miss McCallip there's fascination about
acting as the sponsor of these children
which cannot be equaed by any other ex-
perlence. And the children at the Settle-
ment School, 427 Christian street, repay her
amply by their enthusiasm and progress.
II love to teach music to these children"
Miss McCallip said. But first of all their
interest must be stimulated. They come to
us with shyness and distrust most pa
thetic. They don't know what the teacher
Is going to do for them. First, the physical
side has to be looked after. They learn
games and have storytelling classes, and
sewing and walking clubs, and in this way
their confidence is gained.
II have classes in music and rhythmic
dancing. The idea is to teach the children
to put melodies to words and words to
simple melodies. They work hard, but their
progress is often hampered by the work
they do In the daytime and their racial
limitations.
"A study of the influence of the various
nationalities on their artistic sensibiltles is
very remarkable" continued Miss McCallip
The Russian Jews. for instance. will play
their instrument, whether II Is violin, man
dolin or piano, with a fire and intensity Of
expression that fairly does away with tech
nique. The Irish, English and Scotch ma
tions are more stolid. They may be expert
in technique, but they lack the power of in
depreciation. The Poles are docile, and
many of them show talent.
Ignorance at home is one of the chief
obstacles that the teacher has to combat
The parents of these children are laborers
they have no appreciation of music them
selves, and they make criticisms of the
work as we do 1t that are harmful to the
children themselves. have often seen
practlce-books with a scrawl on the outside
announcing that the parent didn't like these
pieces, and the child should not play them"
Teaching in the schools where wealthy
and cultured girls are pupils and then trans
ferring her efforts to the children of the
congested district has shown Miss McCallip
many phases of modern education. One
morning she instructs at Bryn Mawr, the
same afternoon finds her at the Settlement
School. APT Christian street
Wealthy girls are often inclined to feel
that wealth can buy culture. They may
work hard, but they do not always per-
severe. They have an innate self-satisfac-
tion that is fatal to achievement. The
children at the Settlement have all to gain
by their work along musical lines. 1t is
their only recreation; 1t is, with many of
them, an expression of feelings that they
do not know they possess. For years and
years they have been taught self-repression,
to hide feelings, to suppress emotions. This
makes them so nervous and so highly strung