Excerpt from Conscious Control in Piano Study WE live in an altruistic age. In the professional world it is not enough that we work to raise our own standards; it is incumbent on artists and teachers alike to influence all toward highest ideals and, if we are truly devoted to our work, we shall generously share our experiences with the young teacher and embryo artist. No talent is so great that it needs not the support of reason and knowledge; it is indispensable that man have, as supports to talent, knowledge and theories drawn from all possible sources. There never has been and never will be any question as to the essentials for the acquirement of musicianship; it is also true that the qualities necessary in the making of a student will be the same to the end of time. It is on the point of presentation of material, and the manner of acquaint ing a pupil with the conscious part he may take in his making, rather than the object to be attained and the qualities necessary, that different theories in this field have their origin. In acquiring knowledge of the subject and proficiency in technique, the importance of conscious and purposeful exercise of his faculties should be made known to the pupil clearly and definitely, through proper direction, and not left to be learned through a long course of experience. The necessity for concentration, too, is often overlooked, though this is the element yielding conscious control. It should be fully appreciated that the ability to concentrate varies greatly in individuals, and its development is worthy the best efforts of the teacher. Concentration is the product of attention, and requires that we have something vitally interesting on which to fix the attention. It would seem apparent that we should engage logical truths which will not only hold the interest but upon which we can base reasoning and growth. We should present these truths in such a manner that an appeal is made directly to the mind as a vital and controlling factor. Thus the mind is given a treasure house of knowledge as well as the guardianship of the fingers; a mind filled with the very material of which music is made will be quick to recognize its own when studying the great masterpieces. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.