MENTAL
94
WELFARE
CORRESPONDENCE Dear
Editor, DULCIMER
PLAYING
FOR
DEFECTIVES*
I think you may be interested to hear of my method of teaching defective children to play a dulcimer, with a range of two octaves.
On the each
note
notes
having
of the first its
own
octave I
paste
a
disc of coloured
mentally
gummed
paper,
colour.
On the notes of the second octave, I paste similar coloured discs but with a green base, i.e., say, a red disc is chosen for the middle C, then
the addition of a
red disc
on a
green base is put
I write out
its tonic
on
tunes, using the stave as in ordinary music, but in place of I substitute coloured ones to correspond with the coloured discs
simple
the black
notes
pasted
the instrument. Thus the child
a
on
similar colour The
on
rests are
"
and
"
Before the
rhythm
a
lot of
note
bearing
stave?1, 2, 3, 4, for
common
time
using
the
for shorter notes, e.g., 1, 2, and, 3, 4.
with
joy
red C and strikes the
written in black.
practising
Needless
sees a
his instrument, etc.
I also mark the time above the
word
octave.
a
"
a
piece
small stick
"
on
on a
the
instrument,
wooden board
or
I let the children tap
out
drum.
say, when they can manage to play simple little tunes, from their accomplishment, more especially when they to
they are
derive able to
accompany whilst other children march, etc. A dulcimer
player
is also
a
valuable addition
to a
percussion
band group.
Yours etc., Elsie E. Billington. "
Glenora," Well Bank, Haslingden, Rossendale, Lanes.
"The refined feeling, intellectual discrimination, and artistic initiative of the mature musician will not, as a rale, be found even in the higher grades of mentally deficient instrumentalists. The music that they make has a mechanical, imitative quality and is of a superficial type. Its function in their lives is not that of a vocation, but a socializing recreation: thus its final evaluation should answer this question: In how far have musical activities brought out the maximum of the patient's physical, mental," and social assets, and to what extent have they, in doing so, contributed to his happiness? Wu.i.EM van der Wall.
IVe hope in a subsequent issue to publish some notes on the value of music and rhythm in the education of defectives, from material collected from papers presented at the recent Conference on the Musical Education of Defective Children held in Switzerland, and from other information supplied to us.?Ed.
94
WELFARE
CORRESPONDENCE Dear
Editor, DULCIMER
PLAYING
FOR
DEFECTIVES*
I think you may be interested to hear of my method of teaching defective children to play a dulcimer, with a range of two octaves.
On the each
note
notes
having
of the first its
own
octave I
paste
a
disc of coloured
mentally
gummed
paper,
colour.
On the notes of the second octave, I paste similar coloured discs but with a green base, i.e., say, a red disc is chosen for the middle C, then
the addition of a
red disc
on a
green base is put
I write out
its tonic
on
tunes, using the stave as in ordinary music, but in place of I substitute coloured ones to correspond with the coloured discs
simple
the black
notes
pasted
the instrument. Thus the child
a
on
similar colour The
on
rests are
"
and
"
Before the
rhythm
a
lot of
note
bearing
stave?1, 2, 3, 4, for
common
time
using
the
for shorter notes, e.g., 1, 2, and, 3, 4.
with
joy
red C and strikes the
written in black.
practising
Needless
sees a
his instrument, etc.
I also mark the time above the
word
octave.
a
"
a
piece
small stick
"
on
on a
the
instrument,
wooden board
or
I let the children tap
out
drum.
say, when they can manage to play simple little tunes, from their accomplishment, more especially when they to
they are
derive able to
accompany whilst other children march, etc. A dulcimer
player
is also
a
valuable addition
to a
percussion
band group.
Yours etc., Elsie E. Billington. "
Glenora," Well Bank, Haslingden, Rossendale, Lanes.
"The refined feeling, intellectual discrimination, and artistic initiative of the mature musician will not, as a rale, be found even in the higher grades of mentally deficient instrumentalists. The music that they make has a mechanical, imitative quality and is of a superficial type. Its function in their lives is not that of a vocation, but a socializing recreation: thus its final evaluation should answer this question: In how far have musical activities brought out the maximum of the patient's physical, mental," and social assets, and to what extent have they, in doing so, contributed to his happiness? Wu.i.EM van der Wall.
IVe hope in a subsequent issue to publish some notes on the value of music and rhythm in the education of defectives, from material collected from papers presented at the recent Conference on the Musical Education of Defective Children held in Switzerland, and from other information supplied to us.?Ed.
