“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
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
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
Yesterday I promised a video, and here it is. May this short video bring you a moment of wonder. Perhaps it also will bring a bit of amusement too: after all, kids are kids. They may wear modern microphones, but they still aren’t sure of … Read more
These last days before Christmas can be frantic for families. Or they may bring much-needed peace, as the string of holiday concerts and parties winds down. The focus finally can shift to the family and to activities under one’s own roof. The first Christmas I … Read more
Thursday, December 16 marks two birthdays. First, my brother’s, which doesn’t mean a whole lot to anyone but me. But I always thought it was unfair he got to share his birthday with another mega-personality born that day: Ludwig van Beethoven. Especially because my brother … Read more