Miss. 492.30.1832 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1832, by in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. PREFACE. The connexion of music with primary instruction, has of late become an object of much interest. It has been too long supposed, that for the cultivation of this art, peculiar natural powers were required, of which few persons were possessed. Hence, as forming a branch of education, of general application, it has hitherto excited but little attention. For those who from peculiar inclinations, were led to become its professed votaries, it was thought little instruction was necessary, and for most others, all was useless. It certainly is not true, that it is in the power of every one, to become musicians of the first class, and on the other hand, it is certain that a few notwithstanding every attention, and the most careful instruction, will not accomplish enough to prove a source of much gratification to themselves, or others. But this is no more, than from the consistency of things, we should be led to expect. In every pursuit some with apparently small effort, will make rapid progress, others with great exertions, will accomplish but little. The error has been, that while music has ever been esteemed as possessing high claims, whether regarded as an aid to devotion, an elegant accomplishment, or a source of enjoyment only, insuperable obstacles have been supposed to exist in the way of its becoming an object of systematic education, capable of being generally diffused. Experiment has demonstrated this to be an error. It has proved, that where musical instruction is combined with the early studies, under judicious directions, most children make satisfactory improvement with great facility, and that where there would seem to be a deficiency of natural capacity, and even apparently an entire want of it, it may be developed and become susceptible of good cultivation. Some will be found less easy to instruct than others. Some with the greatest care bestowed on them, will make only tolerable progress. There will be dunces here as in every species of acquirement, and here also pupils with inferior capacity with more time and labor often outstrip those naturally more apt. It is by no means necessary, that in consequence of this combination, other and more indispensable studies are to be supplanted or neglected. Great attainments |