repeat middle C, and stop on it a
little. Do this three or four times, telling the children to count the
notes as you play up the scale. When they are all sure that eight notes
have been played, ask them why they think you repeated the middle C at
the end. They will probably say: 'To make it sound finished.' In other
words, they have grasped the 'mental effect' of the key-note _in every
key_, the pivot round which the other notes revolve. Give the hand sign
for this note, according to the Sol-fa plan, and tell the children that
the note is called _doh_. Now repeat the scale, but this time play it
from high C to middle C, repeating the high C at the end. The children
will see at once what has happened, and that the high C now 'finishes'
the passage. Thus it will be called 'high _doh_', and the hand sign will
be repeated, but at a higher level. Be careful not to bend the hand at
the wrist when giving this sign, or the effect of finality and repose
will be lost.

At the second lesson, repeat this work, the children telling you what to
do. Then make eight large dots on the blackboard, and against the first
and eighth of these write _doh_ and _doh'_. Now play the first five
notes of the scale, and repeat the first as before. Ask how many notes
were played. Then play them again, but starting from the fifth
downwards, and repeat the fifth at the end. Ask the children why they
think you did this. At first they will not be able to express what they
feel, but gradually the idea will emerge that you want to call attention
to something of interest. People often call to each other by singing up
a fifth. The new note is sharp and bright in sound when related to the
key-note. Hence the hand sign. Give the name _soh_, and write it against
the fifth dot on the board. The children should now sing from the three
hand signs known, also from the notes on the board. They should also
identify the notes when played in groups of two and three on the piano.

When they can do all this easily, the next note, the third of the scale,
is taken in the same way. The 'mental effect' is calm and soothing,
hence the hand sign. In addition to singing from the hand signs, and
from the Sol-fa 'modulator' which is gradually being constructed on the
board, the children can now sing from the horizontal Sol-fa notation,
and from the staff notation. The first of these is invaluable in the
early stages, as it absolutely precludes guessing. In singing from the
mod