Mutual Work Helpful Hints

Mutual Work Helpful Hints (For Directors of Boys' Choruses, Y. M. M. I. A.) BY PROF. EVAN STEPHENS This is written to aid the M. I. A. Junior Choruses to excel in the rendition of the "Boy Scouts' Chorus," the contest piece for the next musical contest of the M. I. A. The first and most important item towards superior excellence of rendition of music, is the organization of the chorus itself. With- out the greatest care in selecting the voices most suited to each part to be sung, the good rendition of that part becomes from the first an impossibility. Every boy selected to sing the upper part should be able to reach the D Flat (fourth line, treble cleff) with ease and freedom. If he can do this, the the fuller the voice the bettter will be the effect, provided that coarseness does not mar the fullness. Remember that one rather harsh, shrill voice that has to strain to reach this top note may spoil your entire chorus. The second part can be safely left to the boys who have good, full voices not yet "changed" into bass or tenor, or to a "man voice." As a rule this "change" does not occur in a boy's voice before he is about fourteen years of age, but remember you cannot depend upon the age, as this change of voice differs, over a period of three or four years,, in dif- ferent boys. You must hear that the boy sings up like a woman before selecting him for either the first or second part. Find out this mat- ter by having the boys of your association sing the treble of any of the familiar songs. Sing at your meetings before you take up this chorus at all, and the boys who sing this treble like a girl should be set aside for the two upper parts. Those who will sing it down unconsciously, even though softly, will have "changed" voices, and will be unfitted for upper parts, and if used at all should be for the bass part. In this voice testing, let the boys all sing together. It might frighten them too much to sing separately. Any good listener can hear, by getting fairly close, whether a boy is singing up or down. As fast as you hear and decide, set the high-voiced boys in a row by themselves until you have them all separated from the low (changed) voices. Next select the boys for the second voice. Out of the unchanged voices take any who may have sung alto before, if any have done so; if not, take the larger or stouter boys in preference to the more slightly or delicately-built, dividing the whole number of unchanged voices into two equal groups. The more you have the better, the more good you are accomplishing; and then, by letting all the balance learn to sing bass you will turn your association into a chorus or singing class. Here find out just ho'w many will work, and to clinch the matter have every one who means business sign for a copy of the chorus (10c each), and you are ready for a start in learning "The Scout Boys' March."

SUGGESTIONS

If you have only two copies, one for the conductor and one for the accompanist, vou can make a start. Have them learn by note, ear,

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or imitation, the drum imitation section, and the shout ("hooray"). It will make a merry diversion if you are not too serious about it. First teach the two repeated measures only, this will familiarize all with the manner of rendering the "rub, ruba-dub, dub, dub, dub, dub." Then when that is done properly, add the next four measures, calling attention to the slight change in the last measure but one. Note that the first two mesaures, after the repeat, are an exact imitation of the first measure, and that the measure following is the only really new one, the last being the same as the second measure. Then when the part is all put together mechanically, try the crescendo effect, that is, starting almost in a whisper, and gradually singing louder and louder through the last four measures. Do not try to attain full singing power for this; that must appear only when they sing in shouting fashion the "hooray." Study the latter by first having all the men give it (the bass) strongly to pitch, holding it until you count seven exactly, chopping it off sharply on the seventh. Then add your second alto, and finally your first alto, doing it over and over with care, until it rings out a strong harmonic shout. (Any hanging on, after the seventh beat, will ruin the effect.) This preliminary work will create much interest, if done well and heartily, and perhaps is about all that should be done before the individual copies arrive, even if it takes two or more weeks. Then, in taking up the march, or song proper, let me recommend first the mastery of the words,— two lines only at a time. Some will prefer, and I should myself, having the second alto by themselves, alone, for say twenty minutes, or better, a whole evening, in a separate room or house to get them well started. Indeed, the enthusiastic director will get all the separate practice he can with each part, either in full or a half dozen leaders, before the first full rehearsal. Then take the song up in short sections, two lines at a time, until each of the three parts are going with certainty. When the song is absolutely mastered to the first double bar, or second page of the music, remember that though you have reached only to less than the end of one-third of the music, you have mastered really more than three-fourths of the work. In repeating from the words, "the bright and the true," the second verse is sung ending in the words, "A friend's heavy load." Compare well the two endings, so the boys will look out for the difference. If after even preliminary part rehearsals you can get this far well done, at the first full rehearsal, you are doing well, and perhaps better than if you try further. Prepare now the next section, in the same manner that you did the first, going no further than, "the whole day long." Then when this is going all right end by singing verses one and two. If they are right well learned there will be very little forgetting, but remember to "make haste slowly;" what is learned too quickly is quickly for- gottten. "When the way is dark" is our next task, try to catch the in- tense undertone, mysterious, almost "boogybooish" way of express- — ing it from the first, swelling the tone where marked. If a little over- done at first, it will modify itself later, out of the crude into the artistic, dramatic effect intended. The shout is repeated at the close of this, and then while we have the march of the first verses here, we find things all changed so that we need our separate rehearsals again to master each part. The boys of the first alto to whistle a new tune, or melody, while the second alto sings the old tune to the first verse; the bass only singing its old time notes to the words. To get this

276 IMPKOVKMKN T ERA whistling as good as possible, try and discover one or two better and — best whistlers, in your society some who have the gift, and let all the other boys try and imitate. There will be lots of work about this, but an equal lot of diversion, and interest created. To vary an exer- cise and avoid monotony, you have now the other parts to sing over, and the two closing lines to learn.

GENERAL HINTS

To get superior effects, prize-winning ones, in addition to the general correct rendition of the whole piece, certain things and touches must be emphasized. I will name a few. Wherever there is a pause, it must be made impressive, notice- able, whether it be silence or holding the tone. — Wherever there is a staccato mark, it must be clean-cut without jerking. The singing of the first and second sections of the march espe- cially; also when the melody recurs on the last page, the singing must be done with a light, bouyant, rhythmic swing, that gives it the character of youthful, springy stepping. In the dark, mysterious parts, this should be forgotten, in a sense, in the other more important expression. And in the closing two lines, it must get firmer and heavier until it slackens and broadens into big, heavy steps in the last line, ending with full power and the last note to strict time. The words must naturally be brought out in the clearest distinct- ness throughout. Remember the singing is entirely the expression of what you are saying. You will notice that I advise that the entire association learn to sing it, and then later select out of your then plentiful material the required number for the contest. In this way you will not only do vastly more good by the learning, but you will have the chance to select the best material in the community to enter the competition. It is poor economy to try and get along with as few copies as possible, at first especially, of course; later, no one should use a copy when singing, but a copy for each member will be — useful in many ways, such as in rehearsing to take with them when they go on a mission, to have in the house. Many a music copy has resulted in a family becoming musical.

New Regulation for Collecting the M. I. A. Fund

At a meeting of the General Board held on the 16th of December, itwas ordered that the General Fund be based on the active enroll- ment in our associations, and that a roll of honor be established on the basis of the payment of 100% of the active enrollment. Also that another roll of honor be established on active membership, to be based on 12% of the Church population. In case each member does not contribute 25 cents, the amount of the fund, presidents and superintendents are at liberty to collect the balance by concert, or entertainment, or by any other honorable method. A roll of honor will be opened for the stakes having the largest enrollment, and the campaign for 12% of the Church population to be enrolled in Mutual Improvement Associations of the young men will be continued. The membership committees should get after this work immediately if they have not already secured the 12%. Tt is

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expected that before the first week in February, the fund will be col- lected and that immediately thereafter the amounts will be remitted to the General Secretary, and not kept until May, as some stakes have done heretofore. Prompt action, brethren, in matters of finance make lasting friends.

Three New Instructions for Winding up the Season's Work

At the meeting of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A., held Novem- ber 11 last, it was ordered and recommended that each association, at the close of the year's work, hold a meeting at which the annual sta- tistical and financial reports should be presented and approved, and a report made of the various activities carried out in the association for the past year. At this meeting, also, the list of junior boys who have passed suc- cessfully the first and second year's courses, should be presented, in order to give due recognition to them in the ward. The officers for the ensuing year should, as far as possible, also be presented and voted on by the associations, so that they will be pre- pared to carry on the summer's work, and be ready to take up the reg- ular work as soon as the convention season opens in the fall. Officers will kindly bear this in mind and give proper instructions thereon to their associations. They are also advised to forward their reports, at once, after the final meeting to the stake secretary, so that he may be able to compile his stake report and have it in this office on time.

The City Boys' Industrial Contest

The winners in the Y. M. M. I. A. City Boys' Industrial Contest hist summer, were, left to right: Samuel Stewart, 12 yearsold, 740 East Broadway, first prize, $40; Albert H. Reiser, age 17, 554 South Eighth East, seco nd prize, $30; Eugene Hinckley, 15 years old, 723

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East Seventh South, third prize, $20; Wilford Reichmann, 16 years old, 943 East Fourth South, fourth prize, $10. About thirty boys were entered in the contest, the object of which was to impress on the Mutual boys the value and use of money, encourage them to work, and to save money during their summer vacations. The winner of the first prize worked as a cash boy at Z. C. M. I. and later at one of the concessions at Saltair. He earned, on an average, $1 a day, besides caring for the lawn at his home and cultivating a small garden which supplied the family with vegetables during the summer. The winner of the second prize worked at Lagoon and earned $135, saving vir- tually all his money to pay for his school tuition and books for the winter. The winner of the third prize worked at the freight depot of the O. S. L. railroad and saved $120. The winner of the fourth prize worked at a soda fountain during his vacation and earned $101. He paid his parents for his board, purchased books for his schooling, and had $50 left. The judges of the contest were Mayor Samuel C. Park, Hon. W. W. Riter, and Judge Elias A. Smith. On the 9th of -Decem- ber the boys appeared before the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A. President Heber J. Grant, in an encouraging speech to the boys, pre- sented the prizes. A similar contest for the school vacation, for the summer of 1915, will be held under the auspices of the Vocations and Industries Committee of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. The contest is open to all city boys who enter under the regulations of the General Board.

The Reading Course The following members of the M. I. A. who have read the Read- ing Course books reside in Castle Dale, Emery stake: — "Philosophy of Mormonism," "Their Yesterdays," "Ches- Senior class ter Lawrence," read by Hyrum S. Rasmussen; "The Fair God," "The Philosophy of Mormonism," by Clarence Clair; "The Fair God," Floyd Day and Horace Larsen; "The Philosophy of Mormonism," Samuel H. — Larsen. Junior class "Cattle Ranch to College," Perry Day, Joseph Jameson, Harold Jameson; "The Young- Farmer," Perry Day; "Chester Lawrence," Randall Andersen, Hector Petersen; "Their Yesterdays," James Rasmussen.

Vocation Counselors

Attention is called to a recent recommendation made by the Com- mittee on Vocations and Industries, and approved by the General Board, that where ward associations have not yet chosen their voca- tion counselors, the president of the association shall act in that capacity, until some other suitable person can be found to take up this work.