I have no idea how I learned to read. It’s been a while ago, clearly. Yet, I imagine I learned through the tried-and-true method of phonics. In the raising of our now-grown daughter, I watched the chaos that ensued when she was not taught phonics. … Read more
Whenever those of us in education think of young children, we consider the multitude of possibilities for influence in every arena of their lives. So when asked to contribute a guest article for my friend Carol, I asked my daughter Michelle, “Where would you start?” … Read more
Frequently I converse with parents regarding the question of whether a child should be made to continue piano lessons (or start them in the first place). This question evokes a mosaic of responses from me, primarily because my own musical career would have fallen by … Read more
As often is the case, Hank had the initial idea: why not institute a series of concentrated presentations that may be helpful to our audience? The titles of these series (A Sprint Through and What’s So Great About?) were mine, though. Both wordings reflect pedagogical … Read more
“Every performance is a premiere.” These words of wisdom came from our SMU orchestra conductor David Milnes, now conductor at UC Berkeley. He was responding to an interviewer’s question as to whether it was tedious year after year to teach the core repertoire that music … Read more
I’m waiting out a storm. We’ve moved everything that could get damaged by hail into the barn. Since it’s Holy Week, the menacing clouds and thunder seem right in tune. In my lap is a 1956 edition of The Baptist Hymnal. I now have 35 of … Read more
