Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-01-14
By HENRIETTA REEFS.

@ HEN people tell you reminis-
XAII Gently, as two or three at
various times have told me,
- that they studied music for
6X3E62I four or FIVE years when
49, young, and that it not only
did not do them any good, but that
they do not now know anything about
it, what do you know about them right
away
Simply this, that while they must
have gained a certain amount OF
technical ability in that time, and
more or less mental or emotional
stimulation. according to their own
and their teachers lights, that they
did not learn anything about form,
harmony, or counterpart. And this
touches upon one Of the greatest
weaknesses in the way people study
music Of the present day,
How many teachers remember that
they are not only teaching voice or
piano, or whatever else il may be, but
that they are also called music teach
ers and are supposed to be teaching
a certain amount OF music along with
il? How many pupils out OF the great
number who are studying music sup
plcmcnt their instrumental work with
any thcoryi A first-class teacher will
always teach the fundamentals OF har-
mony along with his particular
branch, even a vocal teacher, for a
certain rudimentary knowledge OF in
teryals, chords and their various posi-
tons, different tonalities and various
theoretical points are among the cs-
scntials.
But the way we go on with il is all
wrong Some little youngstcr presents
himself to teacher for piano lessons.
He is taught the rudimcnts and pretty
soon is given little piece to play. He
does this well and another follows.
Besides this he has his technical exer-
ciscs, his studies and certain scales
and arpeggios perhaps, He works on
for a year or two, He is taught to
read music correctly, to hear it cor
rectly and TO reproduce itin time and
the way his teacher tells him to, Per-
fectly all right, and he is on the road
to making quite good pianist il he
keeps on But he is always repro
ducing He doesn't like TO practice
very well. great deal of his music
he thinks stupid, but il is part of his
lesson, and he would like to learn to
play better, so he keeps on, Tic may
continue for four or five years, always
taking more difficult technics, studies
and pieces
Then, perhaps, he decides TO drop
il and in a little while he is, out OF
practice and forgets all about it. But
II he had supplemented his study from
the very beginning with slow and
thorough study OF harmony and coun-
tcrpoint, even though he should drop
his active work in it, he would have
learned something of the truths >of
it and gained greater appreciation
OF ii Nhan he had done in all his
other work.
A child is not taught to speak
pieces alone. He is taught words and
what they mean and he is allowed to
use them himself and TO make his own
constructions and to express his
| thoughts and ideas through them.
Poor enough constructions they are,
too, at the beginning and ohow his
parents laugh at him, but he keeps on,
and after awhile they are better.
Then he learns to write as well as to
talk and soon he essays little sen-
fences, then paragraphs and stories.
His poor constructions are gradually
corrected and he proceeds slowly to
the higher formss In the meantime he
has learned to read and perhaps to
| recite few pieces Perhaps he has
| learned to recite several and do them
quite we'll. But the reciting is con.
sidered only very small part if he
| is learning the language.
We go to the high school or col
lege and take up the study Of for.
cign language. We are given few
words to learn, little about how to
use them simply and then We begin
to translate sentences orally or write
little sentences and to use them. We
gradually get more and are very soon
| told to make up sentence. using
these words correctly. How interest
ing it is and how much we learu Of
the language from our own expert
cnce in it. We wouldn't for one min