ABSTRACT
Some of the characteristics of dull children are low mental ability, limited powers of learning, inability to form highly organized concepts and lack of the power of insight. Their low mental ability is often accompanied by poor perceptual power: they may thus be innately and organically incapable of hearing in music what a more intelligent child hears. Their limited powers of learning necessitate realistic goals, slow progress and finely graded steps. Their lack of insight inhibits their powers of sympathy, makes for a less sensitive response and strikes at the very roots of musicality. In a group activity like music these difficulties are likely to be more disruptive than in a subject where the work is on individual lines. One of the first essentials is the creation of a musical environment so that the child hears much good music, sees pictures of musicians and instruments and comes to regard musical sights and sounds as part of his daily life.
