VOCAL MUSIC IN THE FAMILY AND SCHOOL. 33 



intsructor, at small expense to each member, and practice at home 

 will do wonders toward perfecting in this most important branch of 

 the art. 



This brings me to the subject of vocal music in the school, for, 

 after all, that is the place where class and choral drill should begin. 

 In the schools of England and of Europe generally, this fact was long 

 since recognized and much more thorough provision made for such 

 instruction than is found in the great body of our schools. 



Several years ago Mr. John Iiullah, a prominent musical expert and 

 composer in England, at the request of the British government per- 

 sonally visited several countries of Europe and reported upon musi- 

 cal instruction in the elementary schools of the continent. He found 

 various features of excellence in different quarters, some of which 

 may be alluded to here. 



Thus, he found, in portions of Austria and in Germany, that atten- 

 tion to individual students, while in class, the singing of this or that 

 bar or phrase separately, was not an unusual practice, as it divested 

 the scholar of aid from others and served to give confidence. In 

 Holland he noticed excellent sight reading and that the instructor 

 rarely sang at all. 



In Holland and Belgium children sang, at sight and faultless!} 7 , 

 new and difficult passages, written at the moment by Mr. Hullah, on 

 the blackboard, corrected faulty harmonies he had intentionally 

 given them, named various combinations and modulations to be ren- 

 dered on the piano, and sang part songs with a spirit and correctness 

 that could hardly have been exceeded. 



In the schools for boys in Brussels, he states that the scholars 

 showed an extensive and accurate acquaintance with musical theory, 

 and " all the classes sang from notes ; the youngest children learn 

 their songs so, none by ear." 



In every school there the children, almost without exception, an- 

 swered every theoretical question put, and read at sight, correctly, 

 every passage written for them. Thoroughly trained professors 

 were at the head of this kind of insruction, each having a general 

 supervision over a number of schools, and the quality of the work 

 done was kept up by frequent "surprise" visits from various disin- 

 terested experts who were allowed to demand exhibitions whenever 

 they desired. 



