directions and these
records. They are a great boon to young aspirants in small towns, where
there are really no good teachers. In such places local teachers can
study and teach from these records.

"Again, you often find people too shy, or too ashamed to go to a teacher
for a voice trial or lessons. They want to sing--every one would like to
do that; but they don't know how to go at it. With these records they
can begin to study, and thus get ready for later lessons. With these
records those who are far from a music center can have the benefit of
expert instruction at small cost. I might work with a pupil for several
months in the ordinary way--without the records--and not be able to
teach him even with half the accuracy and quickness obtainable by the
new method.

THE ACCOMPANIST

"All singers know how important, how necessary it is to have services of
an expert accompanist. The student of this method has one at hand every
hour of the day; a tireless accompanist, who is willing to repeat
without complaint, as often as necessary.

THE SPEAKING VOICE

"A very important branch of the work, for the would-be singer, is to
cultivate the speaking voice. Tones in speaking should always be made
beautiful and resonant. Even in children a pleasant quality of voice in
speaking can be acquired. Mothers and teachers can be trained to know
and produce beautiful tones. The ear must be cultivated to know a pure,
beautiful tone and to love it.

BREATHING EXERCISES

"The management of the breath is a most important factor, as the life of
the tone depends on the continuance of the breath. The student must
cultivate the power of quickly inhaling a full breath and of exhaling it
so gradually that she can sing a phrase lasting from ten to twenty
seconds. This needs months of arduous practice. In all breathing, inhale
through the nose. The lower jaw during singing should be entirely
relaxed.

"The tone should be focused just back of the upper front teeth. The way
to place the tone forward is to _think_ it forward. The student must
think the tone into place.

"To 'attack' a tone is to sing it at once, without any scooping, and
with free open throat. When the throat is tightened the student loses
power to attack her tones in the right way.

PHRASING

"Phrasing, in a limited sense, is simply musical punctuation. In its
broader sense it is almost synonymous with interpretation. For it has to
do not only with musical punc