In schools where sight-singing is taken as part of
the regular curriculum it is not necessary to work at this in the song
class. In beginning a new song the chief thing is for the teacher to get
the class to seize the spirit of it. If difficult words occur, they may
be explained later, but it is absolutely essential that the children
shall get hold of some idea which they can express in singing.
Mr. W. Tomlins, who came over from New York in order to show some of his
methods for dealing with large classes, produced some admirable results.
He worked up the enthusiasm of his classes to such an extent that the
effect of their singing was electrical; and it was all due to the few
words he said before the song was sung, not to any corrections he made
later. It is not necessary for a teacher to _conduct_ the songs all the
time during the lesson, or the fact that the class is expected to watch
the baton tends to make them rigid in their attitudes, and therefore, to
a certain extent, in their singing.
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