III. PRELIMINARY BREATHING EXERCISES. Concert drill exercises in articulation and pronunciation should be preceded by short breathing exercises. These may be conducted in a great variety of ways, of which only a few are here indicated. The length of time in inhaling or exhaling may be regulated by the rise or fall of the teacher's hand.

1. Stand erect; feet firm; body braced; shoulders well back; arms akimbo.

2. Inhale slowly through the nostrils for five seconds; exhale slowly through the nostrils for five seconds. Repeat five times. Regulate the inhaling and exhaling by the rise and fall of the hand. In inhaling, fill the lower part of the lungs and do not elevate the shoulders.

3. Take a similar exercise, prolonging the time, first to ten seconds, next to fifteen seconds, and finally to twenty seconds.

4. Inhale; exhale slowly, giving, in a soft whisper, the sound of "Ah!" prolonged for five seconds; ten seconds; as long as possible.

5. Inhale; exhale slowly, giving the sound of long o, in pure tone, prolonged for five seconds; next for ten seconds; then for fifteen seconds; and finally, as long as possible.

6. Inhale; exhale slowly, giving for ten seconds the sound of long e; of Italian a; of long oo.

7. Inhale; repeat, in monotone, the long vowels, a, e, i, o, u, until the breath is exhausted.

8. Inhale; count, with one breath, to 10; next, to 20; then, to 30.

9. Repeat, in one breath, the letters of the alphabet. 10. Inhale slowly; exhale slowly, giving the sound of liquid prolonged for five seconds; ten seconds; fifteen seconds; twenty seconds; next, the sound of m; of n; of r.

II. ILLUSTRATIONS OF VOCALS.

I. The long sound of a..

Marked with a macron, thus-a. The equivalents of long a are also included. Avoid prolonging the vanishing e sound, thus-ma-eed for made.

ärt

Marked with two dots over it, thus-ä.

Avoid the

provincialism of hǎf for hälf, lăf for läugh, etc.

eälf pälm

äh! gäunt

läunch

Marked with two dots under it, thus-a.

Avoid the

two extremes: (1) That of giving a the sound of short o, as ŏll for awl, etc. (2) That of making a equal to two syllables, as aw'ul for all, caw'ul for call, etc.

Marked with a breve, thus-ă. Avoid giving short a, as in ǎt, the sound of intermediate a, as in ȧsk, or of Italian a, as in älms. Say ănd, not and; ăn'swer, not

V.

Sound of a as in câre.

Marked with a circumflex, thus-â.

Avoid the two

extremes: (1) That of giving it the sound of Italian a, as chär for châir, thär for thêre, etc. (2) That of long a, as ea'er for eâre, tha'er for thêre, a'er for âir, etc.

Marked with a dot over it, thus-a. This is a medium sound between Italian a and short a. Avoid the two extremes: (1) That of Italian a, as färst for fåst, därnce for dance, etc. (2) That of short a, as ask for åsk, dance for dance, after for åf'ter, etc.

I. WORDS OFTEN MISPRONOUNCED.

In all these words be careful to give a its intermediate sound as in åsk, not the short sound as in ănd.