THE MUSIC LESSON by Edwin Barnes

Training-School Pub. Ass'n, Ltd. · Battle Creek, Michigan · Jan 1900

FromTraining School Advocate, The Advocate, Vol. 2, No. 1.

THE MUSIC LESSON.

By Edwin Barnes

BY EDWIN BARNES.

The student should be thoroughly familiar with the hand signs, and the mental effect of each note of the scale, as given in the last number of the ADVOCATE. It can be used by the church-school teacher as a part of the regular musical work during the year, by taking the place of the usual chart drill.

The pupil should readily skip to any note indicated by the hand sign. The notes most frequently taken by a skip should be studied first; viz., Do, Mi, Sol, Do, Ti, as in Nos. 123, 132, 127, 83, 111, 99, 54, etc., of the hymn book. The skip from the upper Do down to Mi needs a little extra attention, and a practical illustration of this will be found in Nos. 37 and 85 of the same book. The other more difficult intervals can be introduced next, or from time to time. For

instance, from Re to lower Ti (usually called Si) as in No. 34; from Fa to Mi, as in No. 41; Ti, Sol, Re, as illustrated in No. 92. This tune furnishes a good example of skips. The interval from Fa to Ti you will find in No. 17, and from Sol to upper Fa in 158, etc. Teachers can readily find examples of the various skips in common use by reference to any of our hymn books.

It is interesting to notice the fitness of words with music. A verse from several different hymns may be written on the black-board, a tune sung, then let the class decide which would be the best setting for the music. Sing or play a few notes of a simple melody, then ask the pupils to tell you the names of the sounds they heard. This, of course, would be rather difficult at first, but a little at a time, persevered in, will give surprising results.

Do, Mi, Sol, Do, are neutral sounds, so to speak, that is, they do not require you to move up or down from them; but Fa, as the hand sign suggests, has a strong tendency downward to Mi; also La to Sol; while Ti has an equal desire to be followed by Do. This will be a help to pupils in recognizing the sounds they hear. An interesting illustration of this would be for the teacher to sing by syllable some familiar tunes, as “Rock of Ages,” in which the pupil can see the application: Sol La Sol Mi Do La Sol Do Re Mi Re Do Te Do.

Numerous means of illustration of the above principles will suggest themselves to the teacher. Thus the study of music can occupy quite a period of time before a word need be said in reference to its representation; viz., the staff, bars, notes, etc., and the pupil is made to realize that music is not signs, but an expression of feeling. Signs and symbols, the representation of music, are entirely of secondary importance.