Classical Et Cetera

How do you teach music from a classical perspective? In this episode of Classical Et Cetera, Carol Reynolds joins us to make the case that music and the arts were never meant to be a "Friday elective." Whether you're a new teacher, a homeschool parent, or someone who never learned to read a note, this conversation offers real footing: why the pedagogy already exists, why folk songs and hymns are the foundation, and how short, familiar works can do more than grand masterpieces. Practical, encouraging, and full of reassurance for teaching music at any level.
 
*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 
"The Odyssey" Homer (Martin)
"Against the Grain" Peter Lovesey (Tanya)
"The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis (Tanya)
"The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" David McCullough (Carol)
"The Romance of Orthodoxy" Fr. Homer F. Rogers (Carol)
"Land" Maggie O'Farrell (Jessica)
 

Margin Notes is back! This week, the gang tackles J.R.R. Tolkien's short story, _Farmer Giles of Ham_ . A humble farmer accidentally scares off a giant, earns a legendary sword, and ends up face to face with a dragon—all while the king and his knights argue about their hats. The conversation covers greed, good and bad pride, government incompetence, and what Tolkien is really saying about the common man as hero. Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaefer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great book per episode. Get your copy of _Farmer Giles of Ham_ right here: https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/read-alouds/farmer-giles-of-ham/

What if standardized testing isn't the problem—but the tests themselves are? Jeremy Tate, founder of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), joins Classical Et Cetera to explain why the SAT and ACT keep getting easier, and how a test built on the Western tradition could change what students read, learn, and become.
 
Learn more about the CLT right here: Classic Learning Test (CLT) - Assessments for Grades 3-12
 
*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 
"A Natural History of Dragons" Marie Brennan (Tanya)
"Villete" Charlotte Bronte (Paul)
"The Things We Never Say" Elizabeth Strout (Jessica)
"The Brothers Karamazov" Fyodor Dostoevsky (Jeremy)
"The Body Teaches the Soul" Justin Whitmel Earley (Jeremy)

Margin Notes is back, and on this episode the group tackles Mary Shelley's Frankenstein! The conversation covers the danger of playing God, the necessity of community, and the question at the heart of the book—is the creature truly a villain, or a victim of the man who created him and the world that rejected him?

Margin Notes is back! This time, the gang tackles William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The conversation covers ambition and its consequences, the danger of consequentialism, and the age-old question of fate versus free will. Is Macbeth the villain of his own story, or a victim of forces beyond his control? Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaefer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great story per episode. Purchase Macbeth right here! Macbeth - Memoria Press: Classical Education

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has finally arrived—and the Classical Et Cetera team went to see it together! In this episode, we discuss our reactions to Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem and ask the big questions: Can a modern film capture the spirit of an ancient hero? Was it a faithful adaptation, or a great film that tells a very different story? What do we gain and lose when a classical work is reimagined for a modern audience?
 
Purchase our _Odyssey_ Complete Set right here! https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/classical-studies/odyssey-set/231
 
*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 
"The Great Divorce" C.S. Lewis (Paul)
"The End of the Affair" Graham Greene (Paul)
"The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis (Tanya)
"A Natural History of Dragons" Marie Brennan (Tanya)
"Absent in the Spring" Mary Westmacott (Tanya)
"The Hadacol Boogie" James Lee Burke (Tanya)
"Will Robie Series" David Baldacci (Martin)
"Land" Maggie O'Farrell (Jessica)

Poet and priest Malcolm Guite joins Classical Et Cetera to talk about his award-winning Arthurian epic, Galahad and the Grail! We explore why the great stories still matter, how he writes poetry meant to be read aloud, and what it means to recover wonder in a modern age. This is a conversation about poetry, legend, and the enduring power of the imagination. We hope you enjoy it!
 
*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 
"The Sign of the Four" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Malcom)
"The Boundless Deep" Richard Holmes (Maclcom)
"Farewell, My Lovely" Raymond Chandler (Martin)
"Dominion" Tom Holland (Martin)
"Absent in the Spring" Mary Westmacott (Tanya)
"Death of a Pig" E.B. White (Tanya)

Everything You Need to Know Before Nolan's Odyssey
Read These Translations
 
Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of _The Odyssey_ is almost here, so the team is sitting down to revisit Homer's epic! They walk through the poem's structure and themes—the long journey home, Penelope and the suitors, Telemachus coming of age, and what a pagan world teaches us. Then they compare the major translations (Butler, Wilson, Fagles, and more) and offer recommendations for young readers and adults alike. Finally: what they hope Nolan gets right, and what to know before seeing the film.
 
Purchase our _Odyssey_ Complete Set right here! https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/classical-studies/odyssey-set/229