before the class takes it up.

Do not _tap_ time when beating: it cultivates a habit of inattention on
the part of a class. Nor should the teacher beat time when the class is
doing so, unless for a moment, to correct an error. One reason for this
is that if the time signature be anything but [2/4] or [6/8], the
teacher's arm moves in a different direction in certain beats from that
of the class facing her, and this is most confusing.

Never correct a mistake by singing the right note yourself. This would
be teaching by imitation--as we teach a bird to sing a tune--not
teaching by method.

Remember that we are not aiming at artistic performance in a
sight-singing class, so do not hammer away at a tune until the
performance of it has reached your ideal. If you do, your aim is
'performance'--not sight-singing.

If a child makes a mistake in dictation, do not tell it what is wrong,
unless you are very short of time. Get it to sing the phrase it has
written to Sol-fa names--in this way it will find out its own mistake.

In writing notes, either on the blackboard or on manuscript paper, it is
not necessary to fill up all the space between the lines, as is done in
printed music. If children are allowed to do this, they will spend a
long time over their exercises. Teach them to turn all tails of notes
_up_ which are written on lines or spaces below the third line, and
_down_ for those above. The direction of the tails of notes on the third
line itself will depend on the context. These directions refer, of
course, to the writing of melodies. It is often necessary to remind even
grown-up students that accidentals must be placed _before_ the note
affected, not after it; also that a dot after a note which is written on
a line must come on the space next above, not on the line itself.
Children often forget that the leading note in a minor key invariably
carries an accidental.

We must now say a little on the subject of revision. It is a fault of
the young teacher that she often entirely neglects this, with the result
that her class can only sing accurately at sight, and do dictation in,
the last key learned. During the first few lessons in a new key it is
certainly inadvisable to give exercises in the preceding ones, as the
whole attention must be concentrated on the new tonality. But other keys
should be taken at least once in three weeks. An impatient person may
say: 'But properly taught children could not forget so soon!'