The handwriting, exact
position of accidentals, &c., should be carefully watched. With young
children it is well to use manuscript books which have the lines ruled
very widely apart--a little child's hand soon gets cramped if it is made
to write in an ordinary manuscript book.
When a class can take down simple melodies correctly it is time to begin
two-part work. As a preliminary, get a child to play middle C on the
piano, then to combine with it each of the notes of the scale of C major
in turn. The class will decide which of these two-part chords are
pleasant to listen to. Opinion is generally unanimous in favour of the
third, sixth, and octave, which will therefore be the basis of the first
exercises in two-part dictation.
Plenty of practice should be given in isolated examples of these chords,
in more than one key, before the class attempts to combine time with
tune. When they are ready for this, the work should begin with very
simple phrases, with plenty of repetition to enable them to be quickly
memorized.
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