South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-05-18
First Lessons
in Music
BY Mrs. Harriet Ayres Seymour.

Any mother who loves music and
has studied enough TO play fairly
well can give her children their first
lessons. II is indeed a great advan-
tage TO have mother teach. for
music will thus become a part Of the
daily life of the home and prove in
valuable in aiding the growth Of the
children in many ways. besides de-
veloping a happy family companion
ship.
Most children love music But
how often is the love OF it killed by
inadequate teaching!
How shall we begin? Bobby Is
eight OF nine years old and has ask
ed to be taught music. You are
eager 10 teach him.
Choose a Day OF Rest.
First, choose time OF day when
you and he are generally at leisure
and rested, and have short lesson
at that time every day. Keep to this
arrangement, for it forms a habit of
regular work, which is OF the great
est value both unsteady and other
wise
What is music? This question
ought TO form a part OF the very
first lesson. and without actually
giving the answer. lead Bobby TO feel
that music is a language, the beauti-
full language of sound, and that when
we play, we must say something that
we feel.
In our new education, we are go
ing to let the child grow and de-
veIop and not force facts into his
mind. so that the main thing is not
10 tell him" or make him" but 70
"let him.
After a little friendly conversation.
play a low, then a high note and ask
Bobby TO tell you with closed eyes
which it is, high or low. Have him
sing high and low for you. Finally,
give him a sheet OF music paper or
a music blank book and let him
write the notes you have played and
he has sung.
Teach Both slaves.
IL is better TO start out at once
with both treble and bass clefs, and
10 give the child a clear mental pic
NNA 20 VI NAAR wv DNeAh % anu AANAo do a
unity and not separated. Grown
ups complain TO me that they can
not easily read the two together be-
cause they have been taught first one
and then the other. Have Bobby
write middle c on an added line
placed between the two clefs and
connect il with both the G which. is
next above in the treble clef and the
G next below in the bass clef. In
this way he will get an actual pic
ture of the connection between the
two clefs. and realize that the on
the added line either above the bass
clef or below the treble clef is one
and the same note.
Ask Bobby to look at this picture
intently-close his eyes. and see il
with mis- minds eyes. He will do it
very readily. Explain TO him that
when he looks at anything very
thOughtfully, picture is made in
his mind which he can depend upon
just as surely as though he had put
IL away in "a desk drawer. Have him
vizualize everything he does. a little
each day.
Hdg lildL lllAo Noulu easily
constitute the first lesson-with per-
haps a song. sung by mother and
Bobby. to end with.
The Second Lesson.
The next lesson comes on the fol-
lowing day at the same time. Begin
by having Bobby repeat yesterdays
lessOn-just what he learned, and
wrote.
After the review Is finished, tell
Bobby TO listen very intently while
you play the G scale. one tone at a
time. Cd-e-f-g up to c. Ask him
whether one tone is like the last, or
different. He will naturally say that
each tone is different, until you get
to the second c, which he hears as
the same as the first note. but high
er. Go back and count the tones:
there are seven. Then there are
seven tones. and after that the same