Guide to the Kindergarten and Intermediate Class and Moral Culture of Infancy Part 2

I will finish this chapter by a translation from a notice of "Enseignement Musical, d'apres Froebel, par Fred. Stern, prix, 2 francs: En vente a Bruxelles, rue de Vienne, 16, et a Paris, rue Fosses St. Victor, 35." "A man to be complete, should be master of linear and musical expression. Most of our education aims only to give him lingual expression; and drawing and music are considered accomplishments merely!

The divine art which enables us to reproduce the human figure illuminated with the expression of the spirit, a mere accomplishment![C]

Music, the melodious expression of our most intimate thoughts, the colored reflection of the heart,--a mere accomplishment!

"Life is sad, monotonous, earthy, without the arts. If a woman of the middle and higher cla.s.ses especially, does not daily realize the higher life by knowledge of truth and love of beauty, what shall save her from the frivolity and _ennui_ that gnaws away the heart, tarnishes the soul, and brings misfortune to the fireside? Every woman should be an artist, and make artists of her children, if she would do a woman's whole duty.

Especially should the mother teach her children to _improvise_ music, which can be done by pursuing this method.

"He commences by the study of the three sounds const.i.tuting the major triad, and, as in the model gamut, _or gamut of do_, there are three similar triads, three perfect major chords, do-mi-sol, fa-la-do, and sol-si-re, we begin naturally with the central chord, do-mi-sol, which we name the master chord; for, in the model gamut of do, it is around this, as around a centre, that the two other triads balance themselves, the lower fifth, fa-la-do, and the higher fifth, sol-si-re. We can show the unity of plan between these three established notes, in all the possible changes. We thus introduce a fine variety into the exercises, which permits the repet.i.tion of the same sounds and intervals, without causing fatigue or weariness to the child.

"Scarcely have our pupils learned to sing or to repeat alone, at will, the three sounds do-mi-sol, when we have them mark them with pencils on the staff (key of sol); only as in the unity of tone there are yet the two other perfect chords, fa-la-do and sol-si-re, we let them write the three notes of the central chord with a red pencil, and reserve the three sounds of the chord on the left, (the lower or subdominant,) to be written with a yellow pencil, and the chord on the right, (higher or dominant,) with a blue pencil. On the other hand, for the appellative chords (dissonant,) made by the combination of the chord sol-si-re, with one, two, and even three notes of the chord fa-la-do, we use green pencils (mixture of blue and yellow). For we would keep the theory in mind by visible signs, which act most powerfully upon the minds of children.

"Then we pa.s.s to perfect minor chords, and terminate this first branch of our method by the study of the gamut.

"Our pupil knows as yet only a single tone,--the tone of _do_, which we designate by the name of model tone;--but all musicians are aware that to know well one tone, is to know them all, since they are all calculated on the model tone with which we began. The second part of our method will treat of the other tones, but it will prove no serious difficulty to our pupil.

"We have carefully avoided scientific terms, though doubtless, by a learned terminology, we should have struck superficial minds more. But we address ourselves to the serious, who know that it is better to know a thing in itself, (in what const.i.tutes it essentially,) without knowing its technology, than to know obscure terms and be ignorant of the thing.

"Later, we shall initiate our pupil into the language generally adopted by all treatises on harmony. We wish that one day he may be a distinguished harmonist, knowing musical grammar at the foundation. It is strange that the study of grammar, so vigorously recommended for all other languages, is so entirely neglected in respect to musical language. The study of harmony seems to be reserved exclusively to artists; and even among them, only the few who are occupied with composing devote themselves to it with any profoundness. It is to this culpable negligence that we must attribute the difficulties of musical education. Where is the intelligent musician who would dare to deny the happy results inseparable from the most profound study of music? The scholar would necessarily have to give much less time to know the art in the best manner, which is now accessible only to remarkable persons of strong will. The grammatical study of music should begin at the same time as all other studies, and soon music would become the language of all, instead of being reserved exclusively to the privileged.

"Doubtless great reforms will be necessary to arrive at this result, and the spirit of routine which unhappily reigns everywhere will render such reforms difficult.

"However, we found great hopes on the inevitable development of the method of Froebel, for the principles he lays down are of general application."...

I am myself so profoundly impressed with the importance of little children's beginning music in this manner, that, having found a teacher who is capable of it, I intend, another year, to have extra hours for those who will commence instrumental music, in my own Kindergarten; so that each child can have a lesson _every day_, and only play under the eye of the teacher until quite expert.

I do not cast out these pages about instrumental music; but I will say, for the comfort of those Kindergartners, who cannot command an instrument, that in German Kindergartens I never found one. All the plays were done to vocal singing, unaccompanied.

FOOTNOTE:

[C] There is no excuse for its being so considered in Boston, now that Dr. Rimmer, the remarkable sculptor of the Falling Gladiator, has founded the true method of teaching to draw the human figure. It is indeed a method which it is not probable any person of less profound knowledge of the human figure than himself, (a practical surgeon as well as artist,) together with genius less bold and original, can conduct as he does; unless he shall train such teachers.

CHAPTER IV.

PLAYS, GYMNASTICS, AND DANCING.

IN playing THE PIGEON-HOUSE, the teacher, who should always play with the children, takes three quarters of the number, and forms them into a circle, while the other quarter remains in the middle, to represent the pigeons.

The circle is the pigeon-house, and sings the song, beginning with the words:

"We open the pigeon-house again,"

while, standing still, they all hold up their joined hands, so as to let all the pigeons out at the word "open;" and, as the circle goes round singing,

"And let all the happy flutterers free, They fly o'er the fields and gra.s.sy plain.

Delighted with glorious liberty,"

the pigeons run round, waving their hands up and down to imitate flying.

At the word "return," in the line

"And when they return from their joyous flight,"

the joined hands of those in circle are lifted up again, and the pigeons go in. Then the pigeon-house closes round them, bowing their heads, and singing,

"We shut up the house and bid them good-night,"

which is repeated while the circle swings off and again comes together bowing.

The play can be done over until all in turn have been pigeons.

In playing HARE IN THE HOLLOW, a fourth of the children sit in the middle, on their hands and feet, while the rest, in circle, go round singing the three verses, and when the words "jump and spring," in the last verse, occur, the circle stops, and the joined hands are lifted up, and all the children leap out and around, on their hands and feet, (not knees,)--while the last lines are repeated twice.

In THE CUCKOOS, a circle is formed, or two concentric circles, and four children are put in the four corners of the room to enact cuckoos. The cuckoos sing "cuckoo," and those children in the circle answer; and when the words of the song indicate that the cuckoos should join the children, all four burst into the circle, and those who are found at their right hands become cuckoos the next time.

Almost like this last is the play of THE BEES; one child being put in the corner as a drone, and at the word "_Beware_," the drone breaks into the circle.

THE WINDMILL is done by dividing the children into companies of four, and letting them cross right hands and go round, and then cross left hands and go round the opposite way. By a change of the word _windmill_ to _water-wheel_, the same music will serve for another play, in which there is a large circle formed, and then four or six spokes are made by six crossing hands in the middle, and then one or more children lengthening each spoke, and joining it to the circle, which forms the rim of the wheel. This is a more romping play than either of the foregoing, as the different velocities of those who are at the centre and circ.u.mference make it nearly impossible to have the motions correspond in time; but it is great fun, and serves for a change.

THE CLAPPERS IN THE CORN-MILL is made by one or by two concentric circles, going round as they sing the words; and the beauty of it consists in their minding the pauses and clapping in time. Whenever there are concentric circles, as is often necessary, when there are many children, the circles should move in different directions, and all circular motions must be frequently reversed.

In THE SAWYERS, the children stand facing each other in couples, in a circle, and move their joined hands from shoulder to shoulder in time to the music of the first verse. In singing the second verse, they skip round with their partners.

In THE WHEEL-BARROW, they are also arranged in couples, back to front; the front child leaning over to imitate the barrow, and stretching his hands behind him, which the child at his back takes as if to wheel. When the words are repeated the children reverse.

In THE COOPERS, the children, who form the barrels or hogshead, stand back to front in a circle, each taking hold of the waist of the one before him. The coopers walk round outside in time, at every third step pounding on the shoulder of the child nearest him in the barrel. When the word "around" comes, the barrel must begin to turn, and the coopers stand still, pounding on the shoulders of each child as he pa.s.ses.

In THE LITTLE MASTER OF GYMNASTICS, each child in turn stands in the middle of the circle, and makes any motion he chooses, which all the rest imitate.

EQUAL TREADING is done in a circle, or in two concentric circles.

In WE LIKE TO GO A-ROVING, the children march round freely within sound of the music, singing and keeping time carefully.

In THE FISHES, the children are arranged as in the pigeon-house; and at the words "swimming," "above," "below," "straight," and "bow," the fishes must make corresponding motions, while the circle that forms the pond goes round singing.

In THE PENDULUM, the children follow each other in a circle, moving one arm before them, like a pendulum, in time to the music, and with a strongly marked motion, while they all sing the song. When one arm is tired, the other can be used for the pendulum.

Let the children also follow one another in a circle to play THE WEATHERc.o.c.k. Beforehand, the points of the compa.s.s should be defined in the room, and the children must point, as they sing, "North, South, East, West."

The prettiest of all the plays is THE PEASANT. All join hands and sing, going round in time with the music, when they come to the words, "Look, 'tis so--so does the peasant," they must make the corresponding motion.

In the first verse, they make believe, as the children say, to hold up the ap.r.o.n with one hand, and throw the seed with the other. In the second verse, they kneel on one knee at the same words, and make believe hold the corn with one hand and cut with the other. In the third verse, they put the doubled fists at the left shoulder, and make the motion of thrashing. In the fourth verse, they make the motion of holding and shaking a sieve. In the fifth, they kneel on one knee and rest the head in the hand; in the sixth, they jump straight up and down, turning to each point of the compa.s.s, till the chorus, "la, la," begins, when each takes his next neighbor for a partner, and they skip round the room.

Some other plays, accompanied by musical words, can be found in the guide-books of European Kindergartens; and the music, with English words, will be shortly published in this country by Ditson, of Boston, to meet the growing demand of Kindergartens.

But the above description of the plays gives no adequate idea of what can be made of them, such as the Kindergartner obtains at the Normal cla.s.s; for they are much more than bodily exercises. It is wonderful to see what is made of them, in such a Kindergarten as that of Madame Vogler in Berlin, where the conversations before beginning, and in the pauses for rest, call the children's attention to the facts and processes of nature and art, symbolized by the plays.

The words and music are taught very carefully, and the dancing is gentle, so that there may be exhilaration without fatigue.