MUSIC.
THE first requisite to the Kindergarten is Music. The voice of melody
commands the will of the child, or rather disarms the caprice, which is
the principle of disorder. Two hymns are given in this Guide with which
to commence school,--one being the Lord's Prayer, set to cheerful music.
But there should be regular scale singing, and if conducted by a teacher
of tact, a ten minutes lesson may be given every day, and the interest
be kept undiminished. The first lesson should be preceded by the
teacher's drawing on the blackboard a ladder of eight steps, and then
saying to the pupils, "Now listen to my voice, and see how it goes up
these steps." She then sings the eight notes very clearly, pointing to
each step of the ladder; and runs her voice, with equal distinctness,
down the descending scale. The children can then be asked to accompany
the teacher in going up and down the ladder, singing the numbers 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, instead of _do_, _re_, _mi_. There will doubtless be
enough discords to be palpable to all ears, and these can be spoken of
by the teacher, and a proposition made that every one who thinks he can
go up and down the ladder alone, shall hold up a hand. Some may be able
to do so, but a majority will fail. Some will not try at all.
The teacher can then say, "Now I am going to teach you all to do
it,--one step at a time. Let us all sing _one_." The piano is struck,
and teacher and pupils all sing _one_. "Now let us go up a step,--one,
two." Let this be repeated several times. Then stop, and say, "Now I am
going to strike one of these notes and see if you know it." Strike two,
and ask, "What is that, 1 or 2?" There may be difference of opinion; in
which case, ask all to "hold up their hands who think it is 2, and then
all who think it is 1." Tell which is right, and say, "Now let us all
sing 2." Then say, "Now let us go down that step,--2, 1; and now up
again,--1, 2; now all hold up their hands who can sing 1, 2, 1?" Select
one after another to sing it alone with the piano, and after each has
tried, let all sing with the teacher 1, 2, 1, before another is asked to
sing it. Then let all sing 1, 1, 1; 2, 2, 2; 1, 1, 1. Go on in this way
till all the eight notes are learned. They will be able to tell these
notes, when struck upon the piano, much sooner than they will be able to
strike them with their voices. And other exercises, every day calling
upon them to name notes struck,--at first one note, afterwards
combinations of notes.
The following exercises were given in my Kindergarten in one year, which
resulted in nearly all the children being able to sing them alone, and
tell any notes struck.
1st.--1 2 1; 1 1, 2 2, 1 1; 1 1 1 1, 2 2 2 2, 1 1 1 1 2 1 2, &c.
2d.--1 2 3, 3 2 1; 1 3 3 1, 1 2 1, 2 3 2, 3 2 1.
3d.--1 2 3 4 5, 5 4 3 2 1. 1 3 5, 5 3 1, 1 5 5 1.
4th.--1 2 3 4 5 6; 6 5 4 3 2 1; 1 6, 6 1; 1 3 5 6.
5th.--1 2 3 4 5 6 7, 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; 1 3 5 8, 8 5 3 1.
6th.--1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, 8 7 5 6 4 3 2 1; 1 3 5 8.
This exercise can be varied by repeating each note one two, three, or
four times.
7th.--1 1 2, 2 2 3, 3 3 4, 4 4 5, 5 5 6, 7 7 8, 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.
8th.--1 1 2, 3 3 4, 5 5 6, 7 7 8; 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.
9th.--1 2, 1 2 1; 2 3, 2 3 2; 3 4, 3 4 3; 4 5, 4 5 6; 5 6, 5 6 7; 6 7, 6
7 8; 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
10th.--1 1, 2 2, 1; 2 2, 3 3, 2; 3 3, 4 4, 3; 4 4, 5 5, 4; &c.
11th.--1 3; 2 4; 3 5; 4 6; 5 7; 6 8; 8, 6; 7, 5; 6, 4; 5, 3; 4, 2; 3,
1.
12th.--1 3 5 8, 8 5 3 1; 1 4 6 8, 8 6 4 1; 1 8 8 1.
13th.--1 1, 3 3; 5 5, 8 8; 8 8, 7 7, 6 6, 5 5, 4 4, 3 3, 2 2, 1 1.
14th.--1 2 3 2 1; 2 3 4 3 2; 3 4 5 4 3; 4 5 6 5 4; 5 6 7 6 5; 6 7 8 7 6;
7 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.
15th.--1 2 1 2 3 3; 2 3 2 3 4 4; 3 4 3 4 5 5; 4 5 4 5 6 6; 5 6 5 6 7 7;
6 7 6 7 8 8; 8 8 8 8; 7 7 7 7; 6 6 6 6; 5 5 5 5; 4 4 4 4; 3 3 3 3; 2 2 2
2; l l l l; 1 8; 8 1.
Besides these ten minutes on the scale, (which should not occur next to
singing the hymn, but after some other exercise has intervened,) it is
an excellent plan to let the Kindergarten close with singing songs by
rote. The words should be simple, such as "The Cat and the Sparrow," and
other pretty melodies to be found in the Pestalozzian Singing Book and
the many compilations prepared for children. For it is well for the
child not to go out of the natural octave, and to have the words of
songs adapted to the childish capacity. Besides this singing, the
piano-forte should be used to play marches, as the children go from one
room to another to their different exercises. "Order is Heaven's first
law," and music is the heavenly voice of order, which disposes to
gentleness and regularity of motion. As all the exercises change every
quarter of an hour at least, this brings the marching to music as often;
and it will last one or two minutes, sometimes longer. The children get
accustomed to rise at the sound of the piano, and it will be easy to
make them silent during the music, especially if it is hinted to them
that _soldiers_ always march in silence. Besides this, the piano is
necessary for the gymnastics, and for the fanciful plays, which are
always to be accompanied by descriptive songs.
A few songs and plays are given in this Guide which, if taken in turn,
will recur not oftener than once in ten days. We subjoin a description
of the plays.
I will finish this chapter by a translation from a notice of
"Enseignement Musical, d'aprés Froebel, par Fred. Stern, prix, 2
francs: En vente à Bruxelles, rue de Vienne, 16, et à Paris, rue Fossés
St. Victor, 35." "A man to be complete, should be master of linear and
musical expression. Most of our education aims only to give him lingual
expression; and drawing and music are considered accomplishments merely!
The divine art which enables us to reproduce the human figure
illuminated with the expression of the spirit, a mere accomplishment![C]
Music, the melodious expression of our most intimate thoughts, the
colored reflection of the heart,--a mere accomplishment!
"Life is sad, monotonous, earthy, without the arts. If a woman of the
middle and higher classes especially, does not daily realize the higher
life by knowledge of truth and love of beauty, what shall save her from
the frivolity and _ennui_ that gnaws away the heart, tarnishes the soul,
and brings misfortune to the fireside? Every woman should be an artist,
and make artists of her children, if she would do a woman's whole duty.
Especially should the mother teach her children to _improvise_ music,
which can be done by pursuing this method.
"He commences by the study of the three sounds constituting the major
triad, and, as in the model gamut, _or gamut of do_, there are three
similar triads, three perfect major chords, do-mi-sol, fa-la-do, and
sol-si-re, we begin naturally with the central chord, do-mi-sol, which
we name the master chord; for, in the model gamut of do, it is around
this, as around a centre, that the two other triads balance themselves,
the lower fifth, fa-la-do, and the higher fifth, sol-si-re. We can show
the unity of plan between these three established notes, in all the
possible changes. We thus introduce a fine variety into the exercises,
which permits the repetition of the same sounds and intervals, without
causing fatigue or weariness to the child.
"Scarcely have our pupils learned to sing or to repeat alone, at will,
the three sounds do-mi-sol, when we have them mark them with pencils on
the staff (key of sol); only as in the unity of tone there are yet the
two other perfect chords, fa-la-do and sol-si-re, we let them write the
three notes of the central chord with a red pencil, and reserve the
three sounds of the chord on the left, (the lower or subdominant,) to be
written with a yellow pencil, and the chord on the right, (higher or
dominant,) with a blue pencil. On the other hand, for the appellative
chords (dissonant,) made by the combination of the chord sol-si-re, with
one, two, and even three notes of the chord fa-la-do, we use green
pencils (mixture of blue and yellow). For we would keep the theory in
mind by visible signs, which act most powerfully upon the minds of
children.
"Then we pass to perfect minor chords, and terminate this first branch
of our method by the study of the gamut.
"Our pupil knows as yet only a single tone,--the tone of _do_, which we
designate by the name of model tone;--but all musicians are aware that
to know well one tone, is to know them all, since they are all
calculated on the model tone with which we began. The second part of our
method will treat of the other tones, but it will prove no serious
difficulty to our pupil.
"We have carefully avoided scientific terms, though doubtless, by a
learned terminology, we should have struck superficial minds more. But
we address ourselves to the serious, who know that it is better to know
a thing in itself, (in what constitutes it essentially,) without knowing
its technology, than to know obscure terms and be ignorant of the thing.
"Later, we shall initiate our pupil into the language generally adopted
by all treatises on harmony. We wish that one day he may be a
distinguished harmonist, knowing musical grammar at the foundation. It
is strange that the study of grammar, so vigorously recommended for all
other languages, is so entirely neglected in respect to musical
language. The study of harmony seems to be reserved exclusively to
artists; and even among them, only the few who are occupied with
composing devote themselves to it with any profoundness. It is to this
culpable negligence that we must attribute the difficulties of musical
education. Where is the intelligent musician who would dare to deny the
happy results inseparable from the most profound study of music? The
scholar would necessarily have to give much less time to know the art in
the best manner, which is now accessible only to remarkable persons of
strong will. The grammatical study of music should begin at the same
time as all other studies, and soon music would become the language of
all, instead of being reserved exclusively to the privileged.
"Doubtless great reforms will be necessary to arrive at this result, and
the spirit of routine which unhappily reigns everywhere will render such
reforms difficult.
"However, we found great hopes on the inevitable development of the
method of Froebel, for the principles he lays down are of general
application."...
I am myself so profoundly impressed with the importance of little
children's beginning music in this manner, that, having found a teacher
who is capable of it, I intend, another year, to have extra hours for
those who will commence instrumental music, in my own Kindergarten; so
that each child can have a lesson _every day_, and only play under the
eye of the teacher until quite expert.
I do not cast out these pages about instrumental
music; but I will say, for the comfort of those
Kindergartners, who cannot command an instrument, that
in German Kindergartens I never found one. All the
plays were done to vocal singing, unaccompanied.
FOOTNOTE:
[C] There is no excuse for its being so considered in Boston, now that
Dr. Rimmer, the remarkable sculptor of the Falling Gladiator, has
founded the true method of teaching to draw the human figure. It is
indeed a method which it is not probable any person of less profound
knowledge of the human figure than himself, (a practical surgeon as well
as artist,) together with genius less bold and original, can conduct as
he does; unless he shall train such teachers.