The Dolores star., 1919-01-31

ions and accents. How much more
delightful to have all this rhythmic In
stinct grow up unconsciously from
happy playtime than to have It left
until child is old enough to be con-
scIous of his lack In this respect and
has to 90 through exacting and tire
some drills to overcome 1t.
Happy the child whose lot is cast
in joyous musical atmospheric There
is thus implanted in his inner being
Il something which will help him to 20
| through many trials with brave
heart and an unconquerable hope and
| faith that this Is after all good
world.
We constantly hear mothers say,
NO, my children have no talent for
music and ! shall not bother TO have
them learn anything about it,
II | could feel that l. had in all my
life made II few mothers. n few teach
ers, understand the difference between
music us performance and music as
a life element, and thereby gained for
Il few children this power which more
than any other stirs the vital forces
by which we live. l should feel that
my share of life's troubles We're Il
small price to pay.
Rousing Feeling for Music.
a like miSapprehension in the do
maiu of art would Danish from home
and school the beautiful pictures and
art forms which awaken u love of oil
that wonderful world of beauty re-
veuled to the seeing eye and the up
preciatiVc mind because, perforce, so
very, very few children have any tai
ent for drawing, painting or Eiodeing.
One of the first steps in rousing II
feeling for music is to lead a child to
listen. How much stress is laid in our
scheme OF education upon teaching Il
child to observe, to see; how little
upon teaching him 20 hear. The eye
is made dominant in all things and we
lose much enjoyment which trained
sense of hearing might bring us. God
made the birds beautiful, but he also
gave thea songs. 50 tender, So thrill
ing that the very breath stops that we
may listen. as we sit ut twilight near
the home of wood thrush or song spnr-
row.
To the open ear is not the gentle.
silvcry murmur of the brook as 1t calls
through the forest as keen II delight
as is its crystal simmer in IL setting
of green, when we have followed its
call and found its home?
Let us not forget that the morning
stars sang together and that he who
created them meant his children TO
hear their music in the melodies and
harmonicS nf all his great creation.
The child brought up in the city
hasn't the beautiful sounds of nature
from which to get his first lessons in
listening. but mother and Nndergart-
ner can make use of what they have.
Even the scissors grinder and rag
man help us out here. one OF my lit
tie pupils, the daughter of musical
parents, gained her first idea of imi
tating sounds correctly from II rag
mans call.
Lesson Prom the Rag Man.
As we We're having our lesson one
day we heard this song come-I was
going To say hoat-in at the window,
but the ragman's tones are rather too
strenuous TO be called floating tones:
Rags. rags. rags; any old rags or
botts." The tune can be written thus.
Do 81 la sol sol sol do do. but no words
can describe the quality of the tones.
At once / initiated the theme and lit
tie Frances, to my great surprise, imi-
tated me exactly, whereas before this
she had hardly been able to get one
single note correctly. His tune was
unique and 1t appealed to her.
Lead the children to listen in every
way yon can think of. Tap on differ
ent substances. wood, glass, silver.
You may find a lampshade that gives
forth definite musical pitch. Play
tunes on tumbiers, tuning them to mu-
sical pitches by varying the quantity
of water in them and striking lightly
with silver knife or spoon. This de-
vice l found most useful in arousins
interest in music in n boy who seemed
to have no musical instinct whatever.
a writer says: THE greater part of
chldren's time is spent In elaborate
inpersonation and make-believe and
the entire basis of their education Is
acquired through this directly assim-
ilative faculty" This applies most
forciby TO music and gives to those
who have the care of children almost
unlimited opportunity for developing
musical expression.
A lullaby song at the childs bedside
at night is Il benediction beyond esti-
mate.