My intention today was to write about my favorite academic resource, The Chicago Manual of Style, the most comprehensive guide for research, writing, and publishing in all of Western culture (as far as I’m concerned). But instead, something came up in the cow pasture that … Read more
“They’re so orange.” A selection of paints? A pile of fabric swatches? No. This was Daughter #1’s comment about, of all things, a list of consonants in her poetics text. We read aloud “b, c, d, f, g, h,. . . v, x, y, z,” … Read more
Let’s get to know Jeff Hellmer, pianist and director of the Dallas Wind Symphony’s annual Big Band Boogie concert. http://traffic.libsyn.com/professorcarol/Hellmer_interview.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For decades I taught a course a graduate music course called “Intro to Grad Studies.” The name always bothered me. It sounds so bland and unsubstantial. The proper name for this traditional course is “Music Bibliography and Research Methodology.” That has more “umph,” doesn’t it? … Read more
How do you teach classical music to boys? I was fortunate enough to spend New Year’s Eve at a concert – complete with cascading balloons in the grand finale. Listening that night, I thought about all the things awaiting discovery by my children, details of … Read more
Here’s something that worries me: students who rely on keyword searching as their sole research method. Do we ever run out of things to worry about when it comes to teaching our children? No. That’s the nature of teaching and parenting. I’m serious, I do … Read more
The Wind Symphony of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra is once again joining forces with The Dallas Wind Symphony. The music of Norman Dello Joio will be part of this traditional event, and has its own story to tell. http://traffic.libsyn.com/professorcarol/Dello_Joio.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | … Read more
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Ready or not, here comes the second semester. And maybe you’ve been thinking about some curriculum adjustments, maybe working more arts, music and Western cultural history into your homeschool curriculum. Or maybe you’ve avoided thinking about curriculum by . . . watching sports! There are … Read more
Curriculum. Is there a word that grabs our attention more quickly? Especially when the choices are so rich and, potentially, overwhelming? Well, what would you expect from a word that means “race course”! Yes, curriculum comes directly from the Latin verb currere—to run. Common words … Read more
. . . in Life In my last post about incorporating music into your homeschool curriculum, we looked at how music needs some consonance and some dissonance in order to move forward. Too much consonance, and the music will not move – or will need … Read more