BREATHING.

The teacher will instruct the pupils to inhale ano expel the breath through the nostrils, and to take the arm movements in a steady manner, the arms to be extended their full length but avoiding rigidity of the muscles.

INTUITIVE TRANSPOSITION AND MODULATION.

Teacher pointing to ladder Tonic, and giving E or E flat as the pitch, will dictate, Sing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, prolong 5 over to 1 on ladder Dominant and sing 1, -indicating what is required by slowly moving the pointer from 5 on ladder Tonic to 1 on ladder Dominant, and being careful that the children carry the tone 5 on ladder Tonic to 1 on ladder Dominant on the same pitch, Practice this until thoroughly understood

Teacher again pointing to the ladder Tonic, and of course giving the pitch E or E flat for 1, will dictate

The pupils will readily master this exercise The teacher may now dictate the num bers and require the class to sing the vowels a, o or oo, or syllables containing these vowels.

The instructor may vary these exercises and in a short time the pupils will obtain by this method a mental picture of what has been aimed at for the present, viz: an intuitive conception of transposition of the scales, the related ladders constituting the object.

10

THE AMERICAN MUSIC SYSTEM.

PRIMITIVE TRANSPOSITION.

The above represents the staff, consisting of five lines and four spaces, and also the added line below.

In the beginning, the added first, second, or third lines, or the added first, second' or third spaces may be used as the tonic (one). The teacher should draw the above diagram on the blackboard and point slowly and decidedly, having the pupils watch closely the movements of the pointer, responding promptly to its changes.

No notes or signs should be used at this stage of progress as they would be confusing to the eye and mind of the child, whose whole attention must be concentrated on the tip of the pointer, in order to thoroughly fix in mind the location of the intervals.

Example-The teacher pointing to the added line says: "What line is this?" Pupils answer, "The added line below the staff." Teacher, "What number will you give this line?" Pupils, "One." Teacher pointing now to the added space below the staff says, "If one is on the added line, what number will you give this space?" Pupils, "Two." Teacher, pointing to the first line, "What number now?" Pupils, "Three."

The teacher then points to the first space, second line, second space, third line, and third space, and the pupils reply accordingly.

Then the teacher points to the first line and asks, "If number one is placed on this line, what number would be on the second line, third line, first space, second space, etc.?"

Pupils should now sing as the teacher points, should be made to distinctly understand on what line or space the key note (one) is intended, and should be made to sing slowly but surely, the different combinations the teacher gives.