Professor Carol
“Now there’s new information, Carol!” I can see your raised eyebrow. Seriously, though, learning takes effort. That fact is not stated enough. Effort is something that we human beings are not wont to expend—unless we got the hang of it during the various stages of … Read more
Well that got your attention, yes? To get it off the table, let me state that the most damaging sentence in studying music is “You can’t sing!”—particularly when slung at a child. Elsewhere I have written about this incorrect assertion (all people can sing: if … Read more
With joy I have been preparing a new course on Russian literature offered as part of Memoria College. And yes, I have shamelessly picked my most beloved novel-in-verse Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin as our principal focus. By considering also Turgenev’s masterwork Fathers and Sons, … Read more
We all can imagine the situation: Jordon or Kayla resists practicing, will not prepare for lessons, and certainly does not appreciate the time, money, and effort expended to make lessons possible. So, is it worth it to continue? First, a disclaimer. I had to be … Read more
“What classical music do you recommend that I play in the background for my kids?” This question came up during last week’s conference with the Classical Consortium entitled The Art of Soulcraft. Answering it is a bit of a delicate dance because I first need to … Read more
Our major conference “The Art of Soulcraft” is tomorrow, August 7, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT. Registration is free. Christopher Perrin came up with the title for this one-day conference—at least I think he did. Such words vibrate with Perrin’s marvelous predilection for quiet, … Read more
Announcing the First in a New Series of “Sprints” Through History A Sprint Through Russian History August 18, 8:00 p.m. EDT A sprint through Russian history? Isn’t Russian history hard? Not actually. Across more than a thousand years, just two dynasties ruled the vast Slavic … Read more
The Classical Consortium’s Free Online Conference: The Art of Soulcraft August 7, 2020. This 1-day conference will feature 2 panel discussions and 5 breakout seminars on the topic of classical education as soulcraft! Together with my colleagues Martin Cothran, Christopher Perrin, Andrew Kern, and Andrew … Read more
Today’s essay is not about politics, although a skein of the “apology” culture is rooted in the same phenomenon. Instead, I want to consider a phrase that drives me batty. For the last ten years or so, an increasing number of my routine business inquiries … Read more
While searching for an excerpt on music from Plato’s Republic, I found myself reading these words from the foreword of Oliver Strunk’s Source Readings in Music History, a landmark anthology published in 1950 that, for decades, was de rigueur for music majors to study. [A]t … Read more