and gold; indoors all is harmonious and home-like. In the large
music-room, facing the river, two grand pianos stand side by side; there
are many portraits and mementoes of the great in music; fresh flowers,
books--everything to uplift thought; while in the midst of it all is
Mrs. Tapper herself, the serious, high-minded, inspiring teacher; the
"mother confessor" to a large number of young artists and teachers.

"Music study means so much more than merely exercising the fingers," she
said; "the student should have a good all-round education. When young
people come to me for instruction, I ask what they are doing in school.
If they say they have left school in order to devote their whole time to
the piano, I say, 'Go back to your school, and come to me later, when
you have finished your school course.' It is true that in rare cases it
may be advisable for the student to leave school, but he should then
pursue general or special studies at home. I often wish the music
student's education in this country could be arranged as it is in at
least one of the great music schools in Russia. There the mornings are
given to music, while general studies are taken up later in the day. It
is really a serious problem, here in America, this fitting in music with
other studies. Both public and private schools try to cover so much
ground that there is very little time left for music or anything else.
The music pupil also needs to know musical literature, history and
biography, to be familiar with the lives and writings of the great
composers. Take the letters and literary articles of Robert Schumann,
for instance. How interesting and inspiring they are!

"In regard to methods in piano study my principles are based wholly upon
my observations of Leschetizky's work with me personally, or with
others. What I know he has taught me; what I have achieved I owe to
him. My first eight weeks in Vienna were spent in learning, first, to