The New Student's Reference Work/School-Song, The
School-Song, The. Since the rote-song in music, like the story in literature, proves to be the “Open! sesame” of interest to the child, a careful selection of such songs should be made for their initial educational value. The following examples serve to illustrate the uses of song in meeting the problems of music-training for school-grades. The work is divided into three periods: Imitative and Dramatic Period; Investigative Period; and Constructive Period, the different steps showing the development of the subject.
IMITATIVE AND DRAMATIC PERIOD.
In the popular musical pleasantry, The Chicken, by Neidlinger the entire spirit of the words is carried over into the music, which naturally represents their meaning in pitch and vocal inflection:
I think when a little chicken drinks
He takes the water in his bill
And then he holds his head way up
So the water can run down hill.
Much to the delight of the little child the water musically “runs down hill” through the descending scale-passage, while the entire song blends speech and song.
The Call of the Crow is a charming bit of musical imaginery by Mrs. Knowlton. To a melodious accompaniment is given the simple call of the crow on two notes for the middle voice, which may be realistically interpreted by the children at first. Later the caw suggests a natural vocal lesson, opening and relaxing the throat as adequately as would an Italian exercise. In the two chanting phrases which follow, speech and song are blended:
Over the standing corn
The cheery cry is borne.
Such words as “corn” and “borne” suggest vocal emphasis upon round, open tones. A change of mood is shown at the close in an accompanying note of regret to the words:
How I wish I could go with him,
Where the woods are wild and dim.
The entire song is made on five notes of the scale and, while naturally told, is thoroughly musical and poetic.
The familiar Mother-Goose rime set to music by L. Orth:
Blow, wind, blow; go, mill, go,
That the miller may grind his corn,
That the baker may take it
And into rolls make it
And fetch us some hot in the morn.
Blow, wind.
gives contrasting movements, slow and fast; broad, full vowels of the first phase, short, quick vowels and rapid enunciation in the second part. The words and increased tempo suggest action, the turning of wheels, grinding, kneading and baking. The whole song is an action story which the children will take pleasure in representing. The broad vowel and breathing involved in the word “blow” furnish the material for a good music-lesson, as does the tempo, fast and slow, which can be converted into accented time and divided beat, again to be defined by clapping, tapping or marking on the board. The last part of the song repeats phrases of the first and second part, thus closing in good musical form. In this song we have a capital story in music and words, vowel-coloring, repetition of phrases, rhythm, dramatic representation and musical form, besides the suggestions arising from a well-composed accompaniment.
Stevenson's Bring the Comb (Modern Music Series, First Book) pictures a mimic band and soldier drill, presenting the problems of rhythm in a playful way. The soldiers mark time and keep step to the drum-beat of the two strong pulses of the measure. In clapping out the pattern of the fife and rat-a-tat-tat of the snare-drum and, later, with the aid of drums and toy instruments, the children define the melody, learning to contrast the elements of time and tune.
For further illustrations in pitch and time, such songs as The Chicken and Katydid (Knowlton) will be helpful for pitch-studies in high, low and medium tones of songs. Neidlinger's Robin and Squirrel give good practice in ascending and descending passages. The rhythmic suggestion in Snow-Balls and Scissors-Grinder (Knowlton) will be freely acted. Favorite rhymes and Mother Goose will serve for initial time-lessons in recognizing groups of twos, threes and fours. Miss Bentley's song-primer, the Zoo, Clock and others give happy suggestions of scale, pitch, time and rhythm lessons for this first period.
First Step. Through these songs the child is introduced to a concrete, musical experience, which must tend to vitalize all his later study. Here he learns to express himself freely in song, to respond to rhythm and to appreciate harmony. On account of his limited power, he will distribute his interest equally over words, rhythm and melody. The words of the song will be helpful in enlarging his vocabulary, in making associations with color, sound, motion and number. The motor-side of music will strongly appeal, leading out into gesture and dramatic action in rhythms, games and dances. The child also becomes familiar with a variety of musical forms, which prepare him for future analysis and reasoning.
Advanced Step. The ear-training and naming of pitch from songs of the preceding stage are followed by translating from memory into syllables; also by recording them in notation. This will be found a helpful transitional step to the sight-singing of the next grade. Simple tonic phrases from Knowlton's What Robin Told, The Crow, The Postman, The Soldier, “Workshop's Primer” (Modern Music Series) have been offered by the children, when asked to sing parts of songs from memory.
Original song-making on the part of the children at this period helps to define the phrase and lead to music-construction. The song-sentence, the couplet and quatrain both in words and music can thus be produced, acquainting children with meter and time groups in a practical way.
Folk-games and dances related to the work of the grade carry on the training in rhythm and unite the musical experiences in a larger dramatic whole. Some of the old guild-dances, Shoemaker, The Wool-Weaving and Harvest-Dances of a more formal kind take the place of the freer dramatic games of the earlier period.
The teaching points to be gained might be stated as follows: To gain the expressive use of song,
1. The character of the song should be dramatic and directly related to the child's interest and to school subjects. The song should be used as a story, told in simple language with melody and rhythm directly representative of the content of the words.
2. The vocal aim at this period is to gain fluency of utterance in word and tone. A close relation between tone and language should be kept by means of a study of imitative sounds and words, as expressed in the songs. The children should learn to recognize and group sounds by their qualities, as round, sharp, bright, rolling or humming, leading to combined vocal and reading phonetics. In this way simple vocal exercises in oh, ah, e and oo will be drawn directly from the song, as suggested in the Blow, Wind. Breath-exercises should be developed in the same way.
3. Pitch will first be discovered as sounds in nature and environment are represented, in such songs as Call of Crow, Katydid and Steam-Whistle. This will first be described as high, low and medium, gradually defining the scale. The sequence of tones, or expressive pitch used in the phrases of the songs, develops melody.
4. Rhythm will first be defined by the motions and movements of the body, power to walk, run, skip and march, in the imitations of nature and movements of things these will be further defined by clapping, marching, skipping and acting the various songs as above shown. Thus the pulse or beat becomes recognized by the child through his own self-activity.
5. Corrective work. At this period the monotones can be treated in a special group, ear-training and individual help being given to those deficient in music.
Books of reference: Elliott's Mother Goose; L. and J. Orth's Mother Goose; Reinecke's Children's Songs; E. Smith's Kindergarten Songs (Vols. I. and II); Neidlinger's Small Songs for Small Singers (in Earth, Air and Sky Series); Knowlton's Nature Songs; Hill's Songs for Children, Bentley's Song Primer; Hofer's Singing Games and Popular Folk Games and Dances, Modern Music Series; Primer, First and Second Book, Ed. Music Course, Ginn and Co. See Teacher's College Record, January, 1904: The Teaching of Elementary Music for fuller discussion of this subject.
INVESTIGATIVE PERIOD
First Step. Proceeding into the second period, songs become more and more the material for theoretical investigation on the part of the pupil. In this distinct stepping over, the esthetic element of song is pushed somewhat into the background. To avoid the dullness which usually creeps into singing at this point, the situation should be strongly reinforced with interesting, descriptive songs, which still retain their vital qualities.
Illustrations: Patriotic Song, Knowlton, a vowel study in e and in broad phrasing. Translate into pitch names. The Woodpecker, sustained singing and rapid enunciation — writing of phrases. The Fireman, vocal imitation of bell and whistle — study in pitch. Wind-Song, clear, ringing tone — illustrates use of chromatics, sharps and flats. Squirrel's Thanksgiving, rapid passages in crescendo and diminuendo — study in time and divided beat. The Mill, soft, vibratory singing — study in monotone and climax. Primer and First Book (Modern Music Series).
At this time more formal vocal exercises can be given and the range of voice extended, as it is now inclined to be most brilliant in quality. All singing should be light and carefully reinforced, with suitable breathing and physical exercises to avoid straining the fast-maturing vocal organs. The following exercises are suggested by needs of songs: viz., Patriotic Song and Woodpecker — deep sustained breath to support high tones, Fireman, expulsion of breath on “ding-dong;” Mill-Song, pouring breath on in steady stream; Squirrel, chasing tones with breath. Following these lines, vivid interpretation induces active bodily response on the part of the pupils and corrects bad position.
Advanced Step. Interesting songs with which to help advancing sight-singing at this period are the Round and Catch, the familiar folk-ditties known as The Three Blind Mice and Chairs to Mend, where a distinct melody capable of harmonic repetition is given. This is an excellent device for avoiding the “growling” of a second part, the usual attempt at alto singing without sufficient reading knowledge. These with the two and three-voiced canon make a natural and pleasurable approach to part-singing, and also show the development of the period and simple song form.
The simple classics on general subjects usually introduced into school-music books for this period here serve a good turn. Part-songs in thirds, sixths and octaves can be introduced in connection with these. The importance of part-singing can be emphasized by letting these middle grades sing an alto melody against the other parts in general school-exercises. Interest should be stimulated in general school-singing through the easier American, Scotch, Irish and German folk-songs, of simple emotional content and not too extended range. A list of these would include Dixie, Kentucky Home, Tenting To-Night, Fir-Tree, Lorelei, Keel Row, Campbells are Coming, John Peel, Hunt Is Up, Wearin' of the Green, Canadian Boat-Song, Blue-Bells of Scotland or Santa Lucia.
References: Songs for Schools, Farnsworth; Songs Every Child Should Know, Bacon; Folk Songs, Ditson; Modern Music Series, Second and Third Books; One Hundred Rounds, Boosey and Co.
CONSTRUCTIVE PERIOD
The next cycle of development includes the upper grades and the high school. The character of the work of this period is synthetic, aiming to unify the free investigation of the material of the previous stage.
First Step. From the study of rounds and easier part-singing the pupils should settle into steady and ready sight-singing. This material is easily supplied from the various school-music courses in short, bright choruses and glees, supplying practice in time and interval difficulties, harmonic and key changes. Rapid passages in thirds and sixths may be found in the gay folksongs and in more elaborate musical compositions, found in the Modern Music Series, Third and Fourth Books; in Songs of Life and Nature by Smith; and in other music-readers.
Advanced Step. In order to teach the bass-clef, songs are given with the melody arranged for the boys in the bass, thus introducing them in a practical way to their own realm in music-reading. Pages 136, 150 and 168, Third Book, Modern Music Series, serve to illustrate. McFarren's Harvest-Home of this series is a very good illustration of the bass used as an accompaniment to the gay, bright obligato in the soprano. This can only be used where the boys' voices have changed.
Studies in harmony can now be carried forward through the analysis of the hymn and singing in parts. This will aid in the structural understanding of music. Examples used are America; the harvest-hymn and processional, We Plough the Fields; A Mighty Fortress; Crusader's Hymn.
HIGH SCHOOL
Music in the high school presents difficulties peculiar to this age. Change of voice, increasing self-consciousness, the uneven training and grading as to musical knowledge — all these make high-school work the most difficult and least satisfactory from a musical point of view. For ungraded classes the descriptive unison chorus, sufficiently mature to meet the advanced taste of the pupils, may be used. Among this list would be classed the more difficult national and patriotic songs: Scots Wha Hae, Minstrel Boy, Marseillaise, Sword-Song, Fatherland Hymn, Greig, and college and popular songs.
In a well-trained chorus having the brilliant quality of the soprano voices, altos chosen from the medium voices, with a sufficient power in the bass, the more elaborate school-choruses can be attempted in parts. Among these are the well-known favorites: Soldier's Chorus in Faust, Pilgrim's Chorus in Tannhaüser, Spinning Chorus in The Flying Dutchman and The Heavens by Beethoven, various selections from popular operas, descriptive and national music. The enlarged content of these demands increased vocal ability and power as well as a reading knowledge which is not usually found. The Laurel Song-Book and Reader by Birchard may be quoted for these. Where time and interest permit, a correlation with history and literature can be made through such noble songs as are here supplied. The Novello editions of national and folk-songs will also be found useful in illustrating Russian, Scandinavian, Eastern European and other national music.
GENERAL ASSEMBLIES AND FESTIVALS
To keep the spirit of music alive in the school there should be a continual oncoming body of song from all the grades. Anniversaries, national days, seasons and festivals should be the objective point of the musical programs of the year. Less time should be spent on uninteresting exercises for the elucidation of musical theory and more given to the preparation of ensemble material for the enjoyment of all. The standard literature of music in choruses, hymns, patriotic and national songs, selections from choral works, even the giving of cantatas, would fairly represent a public-school, not a college, course in music. It is not the function of public-school music to produce the finished artist, but to make for common standards of training in the democracy of art, of which our country stands in such great need.