Music Family

We have weighed in on the music side as a family, partly owing to Carolyn's upbringing - mother sang weekly in the Sweet Adeline's barbershop group, dad's master chorale work in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony forms a powerful memory (C almost weekly requested "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" at our Minneapolis pre-Wed night, Bible study hymn sing).

So, despite the boys' natural athletic interests, music plus church plus academics will probably make them less culturally American, ie a family culture revolving around sports.

M & J at their spring recital. Michael opened the recital. His love of performance really came through.

The breakthrough was Jack, however, who can really play now.

We're a little unsure how smoothly Suzuki will move to Switzerland, but we'll try. Lausanne has a music conservatory and opera - unthinkable for a town that size in the States - and Switzerland has a high place for the arts, so we're hopeful.

This year had a very entertaining group number: "boom-whackers"!

Next came Michael's choir concerts and Heritage Festival competition - both very satisfying experiences for child and parents. The choir direction and music selection is high quality, always aiming to enculturate the children with serious chorale traditions.

One venue was Ventura's Community Presbyterian - a beautiful space with murals and CA Spanish architecture.

Michael exhibited nervous embarrassment, which I can't quite figure out, given his natural ham approach to life.

The Heritage Festival awarded the choir a gold! Well done and

off to the Magic Kingdom for rides. Elle joined us on Sat for one of our last times together before the summer splits us apart for a year.

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The discipline and deferral of pleasure involved in learning a musical instrument is daunting for everyone, but the pay-off is tremendous; the child's joy and energy are bridled. With classical Christian education, there is a lot of bridling going on, so we are hopeful for its ultimate fruit, too, not only for informed custody of a tradition, but the shaping of a soul's pleasure.

In search of a well-rounded, educational project, desire is being rehabilitated these days, eg James Smith's look at liturgy and the emotional life, philosophically critiquing the lack of formation in evangelical higher education in its pursuit of institutional status in a competitive market:
or Alan Jacobs' strategy for returning to reading via enjoyment, countering the traditional Great Books approach on the ethical life and moral high ground of the classics (remember Allan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind?:
and, of all things, a rediscovery of puritan heavyweights, such as John Owen - typically known for classic treatment on sin - who writes on the subjective experience of the Trinity and the love of the Father among His children:

"Consider the company they keep: it is with the Father -
who so glorious?
The merchandise they trade in, it is love -
what so precious?"
J. Owen.

GRC's book study a year ago on this was a complete revelation.

In sum, the life of the mind - as well as the pleasures of the heart & body - now appear as different attempts at getting at the same reality.