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The author states that two common obstacles encountered in the instruction of music students are concerned with rhythm and memory, and he gives a case study of each. Miss X., who could not master the intricacies of rhythm, was found to have an unfortunate home situation in which the domination and interference of a younger sister played a large part. Relationships were discovered between her menstrual irregularities and her defective sense of rhythm and between her indecisiveness in the face of home problems and her frequent breakdowns in musical performance. The ultimate outcome after discussion of her problem is not known.
Mr. Y. developed memory difficulties before and during public performances. He took his study of music seriously and deplored a previous frivolous attitude toward it. His breakdowns were due to a desire to impress the audience with the extreme difficulty of the task he had set himself. Once convinced that it was more important 'to convey the mood and meaning of the work than to demonstrate hard and unremitting toil by its performance', he had no further memory difficulty.