The Washington herald., 1920-06-13
VIEWS
ON TEACHING
Mime. Won Unschuld Talks
To Herald Reporter on
Musical Topics.

Something must be done to pre-
vent the increase in the number Of
incompetent music teachers" said
Nine. Marine Won Unschuld to q
Herald representative. II am do
ing everything l can to uphold the
artistic and pedagogical standards
OF music as an educational and
musical factor in Washington and
in the whole country. for that mat
ter. We should do all we can to
improve the prevailing system of
high school credits for music. A
pupil of the high schools in this
city Is allowed to take lessons from
whoever she pleases. No one con-
nected with the schools knows
whether that pupil is receiving the
proper ground work and prepara-
tion.
Il have called the attention OF
the Board of Education to the i'm
portance of regulating the qualifi-
cations OF music teachers" con-
tinued Nine. Won Unschuld. "and
also recently appeared before the
Investigation committee of Con-
gress. While talking with those
gentlemen ! endeavored to impress
upon them the necessity of formu-
iating a law which would license
all music instructors after they had
taken and passed a suitable examI-
nation given by a competent board
| of examiners"
That the licensing of music teach
ers is being advocated throughout
the United States is a well known
fact, but the question of who is to
pass upon the qualifications of the
examiners is one that always pre-
sents itself when the subject is
broached.
Just as the war was getting un-
der way, Nine. Won Unschuld was
placing the finishing touches to an
invention which is planned to aid in
piano technic instruction. The pat
ent was granted. but it has been al
lowed to remain dormant until the
present time.
my idea in arranging this method
of instruction" said Nine. Won Un-
schuld. was to be able to import to
the student OF the piano the proper
conception of piano technic through
the portrayal in animated form of
the positions of the hands and fin
gers. These pictures are shown on
a film simultaneously with the mu-
sical notation of the finger move
ments, thus enabling the student to
determine accurately the proper po-
sitions to be assumed.
I'm the use of the present inven-
tion in its simplest form / employ
a series of successive tables outlin-
ing the different movements in mu-
steal notation. These tables" she
stated, include preparatory exer-
cises or developing ffexibility of the
fingers. and the like. For the more
| advanced students the tables will
include exercises for the chromatic
scale. the octave, the triad. the triad
arpeggio. the double third, the trill,
and similar movements"
Nine. Won Unschuld went on to
explain further that the proper po-
sitions of the fingers and hands are
outlined upon a film such as Is com
monty employed in motion picture
work.
while the films show the correct
positions of the fingers and hands
in playing the different movement
they are also made to include ce-
pictions of incorrect positions.
! thereby guarding the students
against the common mistakes met
in acquiring these movements"
While the film is being run the
proper fuliness and bound of the
tones are illustrated by playing the
piano synchronously with the show
ing of the pictures.
MN. Won Unschuld now laughs
when she recalls the tremendous
amount Of hard work required in
properly filming this series of in
structive pictures, but when the
work was being done there was alb
solutely nothing to smile over. The
work of making the pictures was
done in Washington by q local pho-
tographer.
Nine. Won UBschuld was Court
Pianist to Her Majesty. the Queen
of .Roumania, and 10 the possessor
of numerous high orders and medals
from crown-heads and music acad-
emies Of Europe. She was born in
Oltmutz in Mahren, and Is the
daughter of a Royal Imperial Field
Marshall, Nine. Won Unschuld came
to Washington as the protege Of
the then Austrian Ambassador and
Nine. Won Hengelmuller.