From the time my children were tiny, reading aloud has been a fixed pleasure in our lives. I remember sitting on the couch with a stack of books that my little ones had gleefully selected, hauled over, and handed to me. In my mind’s eye I can still see them climbing up beside me and […]

Last week we started a series on the art of reading aloud. Those of us who use the Charlotte Mason Method of homeschooling read aloud regularly. And Charlotte gave us some tips to help us read in a way that would bring pleasure to our listeners. The three common faults she addressed are • Indistinct […]

During my high school years, I spent summers working at a camp. One particular week, all the campers had various special needs, and my job was to help serve the meals to their tables. As I was going about my duties, one of the campers motioned me over and tried to tell me something. “Ah-ee,” […]

I once worked with an organist who had been taught the mechanics of playing the instrument. She had also been informed about the idea of “playing with feeling” and was careful to vary the speed and volume of the piece she was performing. The only trouble was that she threw in those variations at random. […]