Professor Carol
I offer this timeless poem to celebrate mothers who read to their children. May I dedicate it especially to those who make reading aloud a domestic priority! When Mother reads aloud, the past Seems real as every day; I hear the tramp of armies vast, … Read more
Zeal is a useful word. First of all, there aren’t that many commonly used “z” words, once you get past “zip,” zero,” “zoo,” “zone,” and “zebra.” Not in English, at least. But zeal describes a particularly marvelous human feeling. The word traces back from Latin … Read more
We love to receive questions from our students. Here’s one that we just received: I am an eighth grader and pianist. I am studying your “300 Years” course. Why is Telemann not in the Lutheran hymnal, despite his family’s ties with the Lutheran church? What … Read more
As we expand our material at Professor Carol, we have more links. Hundreds, thousands—the links grow like sticker burrs in a pasture. These are not substitutes for our own learning materials, but they provide valuable resources that allow you to dig deeper into specific topics and … Read more
That’s right. Onions! Onion bread, onion necklaces, onion toys, and onion songs. It’s that time of year again: the Zwiebelfest (Onion Festival) in Weimar. There seems to be nothing that doesn’t benefit from an onion or two, or twenty. These little figures on the left … Read more
It was hard to photograph using the camera on my out-of-date Blackberry. But look closely: stretched across the rooftops of stone houses inside Dubrovnik’s Medieval walls is a basketball court. Oddly shaped, but there it sits, perched three stories up. Isn’t it clever? Well, where … Read more
I’m currently traveling in Croatia with a Smithsonian group. Fortunately, the high season is beginning to wind down. You can almost hear these historic buildings and cobblestone streets breathe a sigh of relief. It will be a while before I sort everything out and present … Read more
What season is it? It’s a Season of Welcome. Welcome to everyone joining us this fall: new and returning students, parents, tutors, and administrators. Some of you are taking my class using the original version of our signature course Discovering Music. Others are traveling across … Read more
Yes, today is the first day of the New Year on the Orthodox (Eastern) Liturgical Calendar. Across much of the world, it is also the first official day of school. In many cultures, there are charming traditions to celebrate the beginning of studies. A favorite … Read more
Planning for the new academic year? It’s happening everywhere, from the teacher’s lounge to the homeschool kitchen. To us here at Professor Carol, this is a season of hope and challenge. How many people will recognize the intrinsic value of setting the Fine Arts into … Read more