THE MUSICAL FACULTY OF FEEBLE-MINDED

CHILDREN.

"Every work of right art has a tendency to reproduce the ethical state which first developed it. Music, which of all the arts, is most directly ethical in origin, is also the most direct in power of discipline; the first, the simplest of all instruments of moral instruction; while in the failure and betrayal of its functions it becomes the subtlest aid of moral degradation. Music is thus in her health the teacher of perfect order, and is the voice of the obedience of angels and the companion of the course of the spheres of heaven.” -John Ruskin.

INNATE LOVE OF MUSIC APPARENT.

NEARLY all feeble-minded children have a keen love for

music. They are very susceptible to musical sound, be it tone or note. Even if unable to speak a word or to understand speech many of them can hum tunes. Frequently, though the vocabulary be limited to but a few words or even sounds, they will use these without sense or meaning in combination with some melody.

The power to imitate musical sounds, tones, themes or melodies is present, although these same children cannot be induced to use the voice for ordinary speech or to reproduce words, not even if they know that by so doing they can express their thoughts and wishes, thereby gaining some desired want or object.

The love of music is so strong that for hours these defectives will listen eagerly without showing signs of fatigue or of being bored.

For this reason music has been found to be one of the most powerful of agents in developing this particular class of defective children.

MUSIC CHALLENGES ATTENTION OF FEEBLE-MINDED.

A peculiarity of many of these abnormal children is that many of them "have eyes but see not." We might also add, ears, yet they hear not, for many of them seem to be intel

lectually deaf. Owing to general brain defect, sense impressions of audition do not percolate the brain as in normal children, although the organ of hearing is apparently perfect. It seems as though a certain brain area was not responsive to spoken sound, but is stimulated by music which challenges the attention. Spoken commands, for instance, are disregarded, not because of lack of hearing, but because the brain is not in an apperceptive state for verbal sound. The mind seems to be in a continual state of inattention. Music seems to reach the brain quicker than any other sound. Other sensations of sound, noise, speech, etc., produce in comparison (with some of these children) but little impression, whereas musical sound, tone, theme, melody and harmonies seem to impress immediately.

The result is shown by the reproduction (in response to the musical stimuli) of the musical tones, themes or melodies and by rhythmic bodily movements. Possibly one reason why musical sounds are more pleasing than speech, is that they require no mental effort on the part of the child to interpret. The mind concentrates involuntarily, whereas with speech conative effort is required for interpretation.

KIND OF MUSIC.

A well-known authority on idiocy says that "idiots prefer easy music." This is true, but it is not characteristic of this particular class of children only; this indicates, rather, a primitive mind, for it is characteristic of the race as well as individual types, and also of primitive races. All races considered to be in the primitive stage of their development-the Indian, the African and the Chinese-have easy and primitive music. They appreciate and express themselves in no other. The music of the Indian race, for instance, has but few tones. The melodic range is very limited.

BODILY EXPRESSIONS OF RHYTHMIC SENSE.

In the rhythmic bodily expressions of the primitive races we find the same appreciation of simplicity in time as we do simplicity and range of theme or tune.

The dancing movements of the Chinese and Indians are extremely crude. The complex movements responsive to waltz and 6-8 time, such as the beautiful Spanish movements, are almost unknown.

Even normal children do not respond to waltz time. Hence this appreciation and fondness for "easy" or simple music cannot be said to be a salient characteristic of feebleminded children, for it is significant of the primitive mind -it is significant of all normal children who are in a certain stage of development.

From musical tests (as to rhythmic and melodic appreciation) made on about 275 kindergarten children of various mental calibres and of varying social conditionsincluding slum children, children in fashionable private schools, public school children and feeble-minded children, the following observation was made: That time caught the musical sense before melody.

It was also observed that the constantly recurring beat of 2-4, 4-4 and 4-8 time called forth reeognition and was more readily responded to than 6-8 two-step and 3-4 waltz time.

Considering the question in this sense, simple music (constantly alternating and recurring beat) does appeal first, but this is not any more a characteristic of feebleminded children than of the average child.

In the girls' dancing-class at this institution, in which there are about fifty-seven feeble-minded patients (about forty-five adults) similar tests have been made and the same observation made, viz.: That the appreciation of the so-called simple or easy music indicates the primitive mind and an uncultured ear for music rather than an idiosyncrasy of a defective mind. In teaching these patients dancing I found it necessary to begin with the most simple step-the march step-drilling thoroughly in alternating the feet to the alternating beat of the music. Now, after nearly fourteen months of instruction, their ears detect quickly change of time, and about thirty-five of the

fifty-seven patients can respond to any kind of march music, 2-4, 4-4, 4-8 or 6-8 time, but the musical sense had to be tutored to the different time. In teaching the steps for round dances we began with the two-step, that being the simplest round dance, gradually leading up by sequence of more complicated steps to the waltz, the most difficult of round dances. Its time is the most complex and intricate, although seemingly simple. Waltzing is the poetry of movement, and is in dancing what poetry is in literature; hence one can understand why it requires a certain amount of development before the complexity of waltz music can be interpreted or translated into bodily movements and why at first it was utterly beyond the range of these patients.

In other exercises given to the dancing class to develop foot flexibility, balance, poise and repose, including arm and ankle movements, etc., it was noticed that the recurring beat of 2-4 time was more quickly responded to. Gradually, as the ear became educated to a more complex time, we advanced to the poetical music-waltzes, etc. Deducing from these observations it can be correctly inferred that easy or primitive music is appreciated and responded to more readily because of the stage of development of the musical sense. Invariably these patients are fonder of social music or the so-called dance music than of soul music— that is, classical music. This is also due to their keen sense of rhythm, which seems to be wanting in so many, and possibly to the stirring, contrasting tones and rollicking nature of dance music.

Even the lowest custodial patients show traces of the music faculty (more particularly time sense). They show it in the swaying and rocking of the body and by emitting, at regular intervals, uncouth peculiar sounds.

Sometimes feeble-minded patients totally devoid of other æsthetic feeling have a remarkably fine ear for music, in fact, so keen that in the training of this musical sense they can be developed far beyond the normal child of the same age.

CONCENTRATIVE POWERS IN MUSIC.

Miss Erwin, director of the department of music at the new Wisconsin State Institution for Feeble-Minded, and who has had considerable experience with normal juvenile and adult classes in music, says that many of these defective children have a wonderful power of concentration in music-far beyond some of her normal pupils.

As a rule the feeble-minded pupils concentrate in music, if in nothing else, and a peculiar fact is that some of the most apt pupils in music are defective in everything else, but they are patient and persevering and hence succeed in this one branch.

In contrasting the power of concentration of a normal child and a feeble-minded child; Miss Erwin cited an instance of a bright little eight-year-old normal child—a pupil who took first rank in all of her other classes, but whose concentration in music was woefully lacking. One day during a lesson the child had apparently been listening attentively to some bit of instruction, and her teacher was congratulating herself on at last gaining the child's interest, when the girl broke in with, "Say, are you a Democrat or a Republican?" Another child-a feeble-minded patientused to concentrate so hard that when the fatigue point came (and it is reached much sooner with these children than with normal) he used to be dripping with perspiration, but his love of music was so strong that he could not bear to give it up.

MUSIC AS A FACTOR IN DISCIPLINING.

Some children, very fractious, resistant and obstinate, are reduced to order and quiet only by the means of music. One child in particular, a girl of about eight years, at first could be subdued only by soft music. No matter how turbulent she was music had a soothing effect on her. This child's musical faculty shows in silent appreciation rather than by outward expression, for she is unable to reproduce a melody of simple range, and makes no attempt to keep