it is
wise to let the dictation work in the class take the form of phrases
which can be harmonized with these chords, so as to accustom the
children to use them. This gives invaluable practice in the first
principles of harmonizing melodies, and should precede all formal
treatment of the subject.

Another useful exercise at this stage is to let the children add a
second part, either above or below a given melodic phrase. This will be
the foundation of later work in formal counterpoint.

The class is now ready for the treatment of modulations on the piano.
If the preliminary work in cadences, dominant sevenths, &c. has been
conscientiously done in all keys there will be no difficulty in
extemporizing a sung melody, which modulates, and adding a simple
accompaniment at the piano.

Other chords can now be added, and the children will be ready to
extemporize short tunes, entirely at the piano, without the aid of the
voice. To some people this may seem an easier thing to do than to
accompany the voice, but experience has proved the contrary. The child
is so accustomed to use the voice that it will at first be inclined to
think of all melody as vocal, and will be a little troubled when told
not to think about vocal pitch.

The discipline of these early restrictions is obvious, and cannot be
over-estimated. It quite does away with the 'hymn-tune' style of early
composition, which is such a trap to many amateurs.

Side by side with this work it is advisable to get the class to
extemporize chants, under the same restrictions as have been put on the
melodies, i.e. they will begin by using only tonic and dominant chords,
then adding the subdominant, and so on. The double chant will give
opportunities for more than one modulation being introduced at a time.
This work will prepare the way for figured basses, and more formal
harmony. The children will learn to avoid consecutive fifths and eighths
because they gradually notice the ugliness of them, which seems a better
plan than to learn to avoid them as a 'rule'.

There is an interesting reference to methods of teaching harmony in the
Board of Education Memorandum on Music, issued in 1914.

The writer says:

'It cannot be emphasized too strongly that the current method of
teaching harmony, whereby pupils are taught to resolve chords on paper
by eye, quite regardless of the fact that 99 per cent. of them do not
realize the sound of the chords they are writing, is musically