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VOCAL EXERCISES WITH CALISTHENICS.

E the instrumental music never so good, the instructor should always conduct a portion of the movements to vocal exercises.

1. COUNTING. Let the members of the class count continuously in concert, from one to eight inclusive, at an average rate of ninety in a minute, which rate may be most readily determined by the use of a metronome. The instructor gives the words of command, and the students take the required positions and execute all the movements in exact time as marked by the counting. For Varieties, see No 28, page 143.

2. PHONETICS. When phonetics are employed, all the members of the division will produce the tonics consecutively, as arranged in the Table of Oral Elements, p. 20, uttering each one eight times, or adopt some other variety of No. 29, page 144. Combinations formed by prefixing and affixing subtonics and atonics to the tonics will be employed in like

manner.

3. RECITATIONS AND SONGS. Spirited recitations in octosyllabic verse--narrative, descriptive, and lyric; national odes, and battle-pieces, should frequently be used with Calisthenics to mark the time. Appropriate selections are given in this work. Let the pieces be so recited that the poetry may address itself to the heart; that the tones of the voice may be more akin to music than ordinary speech; that the prosody may be carefully observed, giving every line its proper part in the melody, without spoiling the sense by a sing-song cadence. Vocal music should also be employed in this connection.

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MUSIC WITH CALISTHENICS.

N order to awaken a lively and abiding interest in calisthenic and gymnastic exercises, and to secure an enthusiasın and a fascination that shall convert indolence and

sluggishness into cheerful and vigorous activity, it will be found absolutely necessary to employ instrumental music.

The best music for this purpose is furnished by a brass band; and is specially appropriate for public inspection or exhibition. There are many single instruments that are easily obtained. A drum, a tambourine, a triangle, or even a common plow-clevis, while less pleasing than some other instruments, secures most perfect concert. The flute, the guitar, and the violin are excellent; but the piano, all things considered, is preferable. Appropriate music, specially arranged for the last-named instrument, is introduced in the body of this work. For commands, and further explanations, see p. 147.

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FORMATION OF THE CLASS.

O execute the classes of movements well from the different positions, the students must be placed in a definite order, and this is called the formation of the class. The

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formation depends on the kind of exercise, and also the place of exercise. When the space permits, all the students are to be placed abreast.

When the students have assembled, or the hour for the exercise has arrived, the order is, Class-FALL IN; on which

the students place themselves in front of the instructor according to their height, beside each other in one rank, so near as to slightly touch each other with their elbows, and yet leaving room enough for their arms to swing. The tallest student stands at the left of the instructor, and the shortest at his right. In most exercises each student must have sufficient space to move his limbs in all directions without being hindered; for this purpose the open formation is chosen, which is made from the close formation at the order, Take your Distance-MARCH!

At the announcing order, each student, except the last, lays his left hand on his left neighbor's right shoulder; and at the command, MARCH! the student at the instructor's right remains in his place, while every other one moves away from his neighbor at his left, until his own left arm and hand are freely stretched out, so that the points of his fingers only touch his neighbor's right shoulder, as in Fig. 7.

At the command, POSITION! the stretched arms are simultaneously placed down by the side, and the students take. the fundamental or military position.

If the room will not admit of one expanded line, two or three may be formed in like manner; however, at the least, from four to five feet apart from each other. The first student in the second line at the instructor's right will be the next taller than the last student of the front line at the instructor's left. When facing toward the instructor, the students of the back lines will cover square-that is, stand exactly behind the ones in front.

For some movements, the open formation just described does not give a sufficient distance. In such cases, at the order, Take a double distance-MARCH! wider distance is taken, by each student placing himself so far from his neighbors, that he can with his stretched arms and fingers touch the tips of the fingers of the stretched arms of his neighbors. This formation, however, requires a greater longitudinal space, and makes it more difficult, if there is a great number of students, to overlook them.

In such cases, when the students are in the position illustrated by Fig. 7, the instructor will first command: In line (or each line)--COUNT Twos; and the students count from right to left, commencing with the shortest one in the rank nearest the instructor, pronouncing distinctly, in the same tone, without hurry and without turning the head, one, two; one, two, &c., according to the place each one occupies.

FIG. 8.

Now follows the command, Twos, one pace forwardMARCH! on which the ones retain their places, and the twos take a step forward of about thirty inches, and join heels, as seen in Fig. 8. In this formation, longitudinal space is saved, and supervision made easy. The distances that now result must be strictly retained, as they are the most convenient to enable each student to take all the positions of the body, without inconvenience to his neighbors.

As soon as the necessary formation is executed, each individual must assume the fundamental or military position. From this position all others proceed, and also many of the movements. If, at the order of the instructor, any other commencing position has been assumed, and we wish that the fundamental position shall be taken, it is done at the command, ATTENTION! or, POSITION!

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INSTRUCTION OF THE CLASS.

N class drill, or in a small school where but one teacher is employed, the object being the instruction and improvement of the students, the instructor never requires a position to be taken, or a movement to be executed, until he has given an exact explanation of it; and he executes, himself, the movement which he commands, so as to join example to precept. He accustoms the students to take, by themselves, the exact position which is explained; and sees that all the movements are performed without precipitation.

Each movement should be understood before passing to another. After the movements have been properly executed in the order laid down in a general division, the instructor no longer confines himself to that order; but, on the contrary, he should vary the exercises frequently, that he may elicit thought, judge of the intelligence of the students, and call into action, alternately, various sets of muscles.

The instructor allows the students to rest at the end of each part of the lessons, and oftener, if he thinks proper, especially at the commencement; for this purpose he commands-REST.

At this command, the student is no longer required to preserve immobility. He may change his position, but may not leave the ranks. If the instructor wishes merely to relieve the attention of the student, he commands, Right foot in place-REST; the student is then not required to preserve his immobility, but he always keeps the foot named in the preparatory command on the line, and carries the other foot six inches to the rear, slightly bending the advanced knee, and lets the weight of the body fall mainly on the foot in the rear.

When the instructor wishes to commence the instruction, he commands, Attention-CLASS; when the students take their position, remain motionless, and fix their attention.

During the initial exercises, and until the student has acquired the ability to execute readily the classes of move

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