From the AUTHOR'S PREFACE. Music soothes the child in his cradle; attracts him to the window when the street piano passes; when the band goes by, holds him spellbound, or carries him along with its swing. Why is it then that this preeminent art of the child should lose for so many children its fascination? Its charm seems to fade in the drab light of the schoolroom. There is often little in common between a child's joy in music and its study; the one appeals to the heart or perhaps to the feet, the other to the head. And how little the head is worth to a healthy child' Yet the two approaches to music should lead to the same end - its enjoyment should lead to a better understanding, and its study to a better enjoyment. To aid in such a realization is the purpose of this book. To show the true relationship between real music and its study the plan has been adopted of describing the problems of music teaching by means of conversations carried on under the ordinary conditions of everyday life. The home is naturally a much more appropriate place for illustrating such a treatment than the artificial limitations of the schoolroom. Both the conversational method and the home surroundings are especially appropriate to an art, the study of which is rarely successful unless commenced in childhood, and one that needs for its happy stimulation a sympathetic social life. The home is thus not only the fitting cradle for the first expression of music, but the most natural place for showing the spirit in which it should be carried on. It will be seen from the above that both the conversational method and home surroundings were chosen not merely to make a dry subject attractive, but because such conditions made it possible to explain the subject in a setting that would make it more convincing. No attempt is made to write a musical story with an educational moral; the conversations are merely stagings for the thought. Often questions and answers are introduced that from a story point of view would seem very improbable, but they are justified on the ground that a nearer representation to life would have extended the narration without adding anything to the problem presented. When we consider the social and musical life of the average American home, a feeling of discouragement might arise for the future of an art nurtured in such a cradle. But, fortunately, the home itself is coming to school. In the many subjects of everyday living that crowd the school hours, the seeds of more efficient homes are being planted, and it is hoped that the treatment of music appreciation, the picture of what the home may become through the wise study of music as suggested in this book, may help the teacher in applying those ideas that eventually will be the most important influences for better living, as well as finer music.