ent. The greatest difficulty in teaching part-singing is a moral
one: a child who takes an under part does not like the feeling of some
one singing above her. The voices must be divided carefully for this
work--some teachers prefer to get the balance on the side of the under
parts, in order to avoid the feeling that it is necessary to shout in
order to be heard! The ideal plan is to interchange the parts freely at
the same lesson.

Exercises should be chosen at first in which the under part starts on a
fairly high note and, if possible, before the upper part enters, in
order to give confidence. The under part should also move freely, and
should not consist of long holding notes. Exercises in which the parts
cross afford excellent practice. Good instances of easy exercises are to
be found in Nos. 9, 68, 80, 101, &c. in Book III of _A Thousand
Exercises_; also in the many canons to be found in that book.

Sight-singing in three parts should always begin with exercises written
in the contrapuntal style. There are instances of these in _Three-part
Vocal Exercises_, by Raymond, published by Weekes & Sons. This book is
also suitable for use where men's voices are obtainable, the two treble
parts being taken by two tenors, and the transposed alto part by a bass.

A good series of part-songs is to be found in the Year Book Press, which
only admits songs by standard composers.

CHAPTER VII

THE TEACHING OF TIME AND RHYTHM

It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of careful study before
a teacher attempts to train children in a sense of time and rhythm.

Not only must an intellectual conception of the importance of the
subject be arrived at, but a subconscious realization of it. The
function of rhythm in the world should be perceived, and such natural
phenomena as day and night, the seasons, the tides, and countless
others, seem to be examples of the same principle. The same influence
may be traced in social activities. Work cannot be organized and carried
on where rhythmic order is not found, and no conception of the brain or
of the artistic faculty can emerge uninformed by rhythmic continuity.

A human being imperfectly endowed with a sense of balance or rhythm is a
danger to the community, and one who is entirely without this sense is
spoken of as 'insane'.

In the training of the teacher it is well to call attention first to the
rhythm of speech, before entering into that of music. Those who have had