Frankly, I only listened to John Mays because I was painting a cabinet and had at least another coat ahead of me. The last day of access to the Greater Homeschool Convention recordings compelled me to listen as long as I held a paintbrush. Mays is the author of Novare Science textbooks and gives a […]
I said yesterday that today I would address the matter of discordance. And now I have. But like anybody anywhere, I can’t always do what I intend on a given day. I used to think that leaders had more control of their time than non-leaders. What an uninformed thought. I want everybody to attend every
Leadership in a time of Crisis: Introduction (II) – Time is not a commodity Read More »
When each of us were young, our mothers and/or caretakers instinctively amplified the musical qualities inherent within our native languages. Infants are surrounded by an entirely foreign, complex system of communication. They exist in a state of wonder and we draw on and interact with that state by engaging them with musically creative speech. We
Tune My Heart: Part 3, “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen” (“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”) Read More »
“Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived . . . I would uncover my head and kneel down on his tomb.” —Beethoven quoted by Edward Schulz, “A Day with Beethoven,” The Harmonicum (1824). This Advent season, our family chose to guide our own musical consumption with three beloved Advent classics that merit and reward
Tune My Heart: Part 2, Handel’s “Messiah” Read More »
All great orchestral concerts begin with a small but important musical moment. The concert master stands and the principal oboist continuously sounds A-440, until each player has tuned all the notes of their instrument to the frequency of that tone. Then the conductor takes the podium, lifts his or her arms, the concert begins, and
Tune My Heart: Part 1, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Read More »
A lot can change depending on whether you focus on sight or hearing. When I teach Plato’s Republic, we spend weeks discussing whether beauty is real or not. Our students generally regard themselves as counter-cultural. They will tell you they utterly reject the moral relativism and atheism that they see in the broader society beyond
The Ear of the Beholder: Hearing the Soul Read More »
Every pianist has been told at some point that the secret to beautiful performance is staying relaxed. This does not mean working less hard. It means working only the muscles that are supposed to be working while eliminating tension everywhere else. Relaxation is an important piano technique because it makes an incredible difference in the
Repetition is the Mother of (Restful) Learning Read More »
A great deal is made of “critical thinking” in the general background noise of our culture, especially when people talk about education and what kids aren’t getting. I got thinking about that while I was listening closely to a John Denver song on my way in to work this morning. Being a John Denver song
Stupid Songs and How to Love Them Rightly: A Reflection on Critical Thinking Read More »
For classical educators striving to “integrate the disciplines,” music provides an invaluable instrument of integration. Music studies harmonize with every core discipline of the curriculum: the music of various periods vocalizes the movements of history, the formal structures of music correspond to the formal structures of poetry, the theory of music applies principles of mathematics,
Imitation, Memory, Love: What Classical Teachers Can Learn from Music Lessons Read More »
In an earlier post, I talked about how melody is one of the primary elements of music that enables a listener to better grasp and appreciate a piece of music. Rhythm is the other element that helps to structure music and is half of what defines music. Music is taking dominion over sound in time.
Appreciating Music: Rhythm Read More »
