The New York herald., 1921-04-03
WHAT MUSIC CAN DO FOR YOU. BY
Harriet Seymour Harper Bros.
Reviewed by SUSAN STEEL.

That teachers Of music should teach
much more than music is a dictum
arrived at by the painful road Of fail
ure. Many pupils who have learned
hy note how to play and sing might
have been made happier provided their
teachers had been humanists as well
as piano players or voice culturists.
~ the much needed class of teachers
who teach more than music must be
placed the author Of this book. She
feels the art which she has learned
and besides being able to write Of
music-intelligibly and helpfully also
she can make her pupils feel it too.
The simplicity Of Miss Seymour's
method OF bringing music to her pupils
and making them teach themselves
almost merits TO be called a religion.
Indeed, the effects of what she teaches
cannot fail to affect the young as a
lovely religion-one fashioned on love
and not creeds-m might very well do.
Nothing that she says of the art that
fills her life is faddish: her methods
are the natural ones and her advice
is always rational. Moreover. what
she says has been practically demon
strated by years of teaching
Melody" technique" and phi
losophy,' three of her chapter head
ings, are the same topics that have
been written about for 10 these many
years. Written about but that is all.
What Miss Seymour does is to tell her
readers how they may know" music
and get its delights; she smooths the
way to this admirable result and is
not content to repeat all the battling
things that have been said about
music and musical methods and kept
II away from people for so long.
"Symbolically music stands for the
| harmonizing principle in life and prac-
tically 1t so works out IL we are will
Ing to be very simple about it." And
| again, Listening has been known
down the ages as a means of spiritual
development, learning really to listen
Is what brings us in touch with our
selves and through this inner contact
we get the answers to our problems. =
Also, If we are really musically con-
scious music brings us to a feeling OF
harmony within and without which at
once becomes religious"
| Miss Seymour's method of teaching
or bringing these admirable truths TO
life in the breasts Of her pupils is lucid
and natural, but up to the present
| time il seems to have been ignored.
She has the child find out for him
| self how music is composed by train
| ing him TO recognize three elemental
chords on which all composition Is
built. then TO build simple harmonies
himself upon what he has trained his
ear to hear. Rhythm is first awakened
| in him and on that he can build tunes
for himself or hear the under tone" in
| tunes builded by other persons. Up
the hill he goes, but IL is a pleasant
ascent and far from rough or stony
! TO his unaccustomed feet and ere long
he will be found to be playing the
piano naturally and able 10 ''re-image'
upon It the musical pictures that have
formed In his brain. Such a self
| taught" child can go to concert and
benefit from IL infinitely more than
the person. standardly taught to play
| pieces by notes set in front OF him.
He will hear the under tone" and see
| the line of rhythm taken By the music
he hears. This line even a neophyte
will be capable of drawing on his pro-
gramme to help him re-live the music,
So simple and clear is Miss Sey-
mour's way of putting down her in