s of America

Copyright, 1895
By F. E. HOWARD

Copyright, 1898
By NOVELLO, EWER & CO.

Copyright renewed, 1923

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

One of the most encouraging signs of the growth of musical taste and
understanding at the present time as regards the singing of children,
is the almost unanimous acquiescence of choirmasters, supervisors,
teachers, and others in the idea that children should sing softly, and
avoid loud and harsh tones; and the author ventures to hope that the
first edition of this book has helped, in a measure at least, to bring
about this state of opinion.

It is true that for a long time the art of training children's voices
has been well understood by choirmasters of vested choirs, and by many
others, but its basis was purely empirical.

Something more, however, than the dictum of individual taste and
judgment is needed to convince the educators of our schools of the
wisdom of any departure from established customs and practices. The
primary end, then, of the author has been to show a scientific basis for
the use of what is herein called the head-voice of the child, and to
adduce, from a study of the anatomy and physiology of the larynx and
vocal organs, safe principles for the guidance of those who teach
children to sing.

The conditions under which music is taught in schools call for an appeal
to the understanding first, and taste afterward. These conditions are:

First, the actual teaching of music is done by class-room or grade
teachers. The special teacher, who usually supervises also, visits each
room, it may be as often as once a week, but in most towns and cities
not oftener than once in three or four weeks. At any rate the class form
their ideals and habits from the daily lessons, which are given by their
grade teacher.

Second, these teachers in the great majority of cases acquire their
knowledge of music through teaching it, and must also, it can easily be
understood, develop a sense of discrimination in musical matters in the
same way. There is a strong natural tendency in the school-rooms to
emphasize the _teaching_ of music, or teaching about music, as
contrasted with actual singing. The importance of using the voice
properly will not suggest itself to many teachers.

It is necessary, then, that this, which is the essence of all
instruction in vocal music, should be brought to the attention of the
vast army of instructors in our