Scott Mind

To All My Friends and Family:

Today, 13 July 2009, marks the inauguration of what I hope will be a blog that serves as a communication tool for us all. Nothing will gladden me more than to know that some of the words penned here will have stimulated someone else's thoughts, ideas or opinions. I feel it is auspicious that this venture was begun the evening before July 14, when France celebrates its independence and commemorates the storming of the Bastille and the struggle for individual and societal liberty.

This blog will deal primarily with issues of education, music and the arts--topics which touch all our lives whether we realize it or not. Over time, I feel you will be surprised by some of what you read, and may find your thinking challenged. Over time, perhaps I, too, will experience a similar evolution as I delve into new topics, and new aspects of old ones, to share with you.

Yesterday I attended a performance of the Gateway Festival Orchestra, held on the Quadrangle at Washington University here in St. Louis. The soloist was Rebekah Heckler, a thirteen year old violin prodigy from Godfrey, Illinois, who performed "Zigeunerweisen" (Gypsy Airs) by Pablo de Sarasate, under the direction of James Richards, the resident conductor of the orchestra. Hearing young Rebekah perform such a difficult work, redolent of gypsy violinists zingingly and passionately moaning through their instruments around village campfires, made me realize what education should be about: training us to appreciate our world fully, experience it fully, and hone our skills to their sharpest. I was not surprised to learn that Rebekah is home-schooled, as are so many of our most talented young people. Why is home-schooling so successful? What can conventional schools learn from home-schooling techniques?

More to come.

All the best,
Gary