No matter what the circumstances, the idea of a “new year” brings hope. Hope at this point means different things to each of us. But one hope that never fails involves that sense of excitement every time we start down the path of learning.
True, we usually face an internal struggle when approaching a hard subject, topic, or project. But struggle is a necessary part of learning. Generally speaking, we adults have learned this lesson. In fact, isn’t that struggle part of the joy of “adult learning”? A child may well frump, hrrump, throw a crayon on the floor, or stomp from the room when frustrated; an adult (theoretically at least) realizes that a quick break, a cup of tea, or a fresh start later in the day will facilitate the next step.
This term, I’ll be leading a group of adults through a course called Imaginative Literature offered by Memoria College, a new institution that, among other things, trains and certifies teachers in Classical Education. Across a 17-week semester we will cover a basketful of highly imaginative and substantial literature: Goethe’s Faust, Part I, Gogol’s short story The Nose, the novels Anna Karenina by Tolstoi and Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky, and Chekhov’s final play The Cherry Orchard.
What was I thinking when I made up this reading list? Well, I guess I thought: “Whee, this will be crazy fun!”
And it will be . . . although I did tell Martin Cothran, Memoria College’s director, that we may need to hire a therapist to get us through the semester. That is a joke, by the way. We will hold each other’s hands if the going gets tough.
Admittedly, participants in this course are poised before a list of not-overly cheery titles. But each of these masterworks explores the forces of good and evil with more humor, cleverness, insight, or provocation that you might expect. As we step into the worlds of these works, we will find them more inviting than they seem, stacked on a tabletop.
This month offers a number of other things that are without struggle. A jolly session on Mozart’s The Magic Flute awaits on Tuesday, January 12th—the 9th work in our open series called A Night at the Opera. Many of the previous operas we covered together are still available for anyone to watch and share with others, and all will remain available within the Circle of Scholars.
Following The Magic Flute we will be running the second in our series called “A Sprint Through. . . .” In this case, we will sprint through “The Baroque Era.” Often as adults, we need to take a sprint through certain topics, be it to acquire sufficient knowledge for our own doings or to aid someone else’s study. That is the pedagogical impulse behind this “Sprint” series, so let’s sprint together on January 19 through the ins and outs of the marvelous philosophical ideas, architecture, music, art, dance and literature flourishing across Europe in the years from 1600 to the early 1700s—a period we call “the Baroque.”
Other January ventures include a 4th Hymn Workshop, this one dedicated to the great tradition of “The English Hymn”—from its origins to the marvelous hymns of the 20th century. This session will be help on Thursday, January 28.
Two final ventures. Hank has been largely responsible for compiling the beautiful visual and musical content of our new project called Composer of the Month. January’s superstar is the Russian genius Sergei Rakhmaninov, a composer who well understood winter and snow! As you might guess, the musical offerings are gorgeous. You’ll be able to enjoy film footage of the composer, as well experience what it is like to be the player in a “master class,” working to polish Rachmaninov’s gorgeous Sonata for Cello. I share a couple of short videos with stories from my own experiences concerning Rakhmaninov.
And finally we have created a new, beautiful version of a feature we call Music for Boys. It draws heavily from Hank’s experiences as a boy who came up studying piano and playing in band and orchestra, as well as from our “musicological” observations. The pieces featured are robust and exciting. Each is accompanied by brief information and a wonderful video example. This project was inspired in large part by those of you in our Circle of Scholars who expressed interest in this kind of resource.
Well, that’s enough to do for January, yes? May your January be filled with new ventures, whether they involve the struggles that make the best learning, or the simple delights that charm us. Spring will come, although we’ve a while to go, right? I confess that, spending so much of my life in Texas, I think spring starts about February 10. But having moved to North Carolina, this still-southern-but more-northern region reminds me that spring is a while away (snow is predicted for tomorrow). Realistically, a good many of you are facing months of severe winter ahead. Could it be that music and the arts will be just the thing needed to thaw an icy day or enliven a dark evening? If so, do join us when and where you can. Should you need more, or different suggestions, please write and I’ll see what I can come up with!
I am so excited about the Music for Boys! Thanks so much for compiling it!