cises suggested are intended for daily practice, and
the fewer in number and simpler in form they are, the better will be the
results in tone. This vocal drill which should precede or begin the
daily music lesson must not be for over five minutes at most. Half of
that time is enough, if it be spent in singing, and not frittered away
in useless talk, and questions and answers. A practical application of
the vocal drill is to be made to the note-singing from the book and
chart, and to the school repertoire of songs.

The phrases voice-culture, voice-training, voice-development, etc., have
been avoided in treating the subject of children's voices, because of
possible misapprehension of their intended meaning. The terms are not,
of course, inapplicable to children's voices, but they must convey quite
a different significance than they do when applied to the adult voice.
In each case, the end of voice-culture is the formation of correct vocal
habits; but it would seem, that while it is possible to develop the
adult voice very considerably in power, range and flexibility, we ought,
in dealing with children's voices, to adopt those methods which will
protect weak and growing organs. The aim is not more power, but beauty
and purity rather. It should not be inferred that beauty of tone is not
equally the aim in culture of the adult voice, but in that case it is
consistent with development of strength and brilliancy of voice, while
with young children it is not. If the tone is clear, beautiful, well
poised, and under the singer's control, then the training is along safe
lines. If the tone is bad, harsh, pinched or throaty, then the training
is along unsafe lines. When the parts act harmoniously together, and
there is a proper and normal adjustment of all the organs concerned in
the production of tone, the result is good. Bad tone follows from the
ill-adjustment of the parts concerned in voice production. It is the
office of the teacher to correct this ill-adjustment and bring about a
perfect, or nearly perfect functional action. The teacher must judge of
the proper or improper action of the parts concerned in tone production
by the sense of hearing. No accumulation of scientific knowledge can
take the place of a careful and alert critical faculty in training
voice. Tone color must guide the school teacher in determining register
as it does the professional voice trainer. But we can also call the
mental perceptions of the child to