Excerpt from The Paragon of Song: A Collection of New Music for Singing Classes, Musical Institutes and Musical Conventions

Using measures correctly is an important matter. To do this some teachers adopt Time names, as they are called, while others use motions of the hand called heating time. If the latter plan is adopted you should practice beating time in all the measures before the measures are introduced for singing. The reason for this is that if you have to think of the beating when a new measure is introduced, it will take your mind oil from what you have to sing. The motions of the hand should become so nearly automatic that they will almost go them selves. Then you can give your mind almost entirely to the new things you have to do. It is a good plan in this preliminary practice to describe the motions of the hand as you make them, saying down, up, etc, or sing la with each beat, or it will be better still if your teacher or some one else will play strains or pieces in the different measures while you beat and describe, the player making the work a little hard for you by using syncopations, double notes, rests, etc. Fortunately the motions for the first measures we use are so simple that they require but little practice.

I believe in doing the things of music as far as possible, and it is surprising and encouraging to notice how easy it is to understand about a thing when you can do it. Do these things and ye shall know of the doctrine is not confined to Theology. See what I say in Preface about practicing minor and chromatic scales and other exercises.

I want also to talk with you a little about a different naming of the staff spaces. If your teacher thinks the time has not come to make the change, or that it will create confusion, you must do as he says, but I ask the privilege of naming them my way because I think it is right, and I mention it now so that you will not misunderstand me when I give their names in the lessons you are to sing.

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