Merle Travis
For American Songcatcher episode #7: She’s Gone With The Gypsy Davy Merle Robert Travis was born in Rosewood, Kentucky, on November 17, 1917, a year his father invariably referred to as “the year of the bad winter.” The house Travis grew up in was owned by the Beech Creek coal mining company, which employed hisContinue reading “Merle Travis”
Rube and Rake
“The year didn’t happen how we thought it would,” says Andrew Laite. While that’s the case for all of us, it’s particularly true for him and Josh Sandu, who perform as Rube & Rake. They began the year with a new album, “Leaving with Nothing,” intending to tour it for five weeks in the west,Continue reading “Rube and Rake”
What will camp look like in 2021?
It’s a good question. The answer? Different. And in some ways, more important than ever before. Camp is known for the personal challenges it can offer, the activities that build grit, resilience, and character. That said, I’ve been speaking with camp directors about what they expect for the year ahead, and one commented that thisContinue reading “What will camp look like in 2021?”
Tyler Childers
For American Songcatcher episode #6: I’ll Die With That Hammer In My Hand Tyler Childers was born in 1991 in Lawrence County Kentucky, an area of the state that in many ways typifies rural Appalachia in the national imagination. He’s lived all of his life just down the road from Butcher Hollow, the home ofContinue reading “Tyler Childers”
Why do parents go private?
The answer can be expressed in a single word: choice. “While education in public schools is still the dominant form of education in Canada,” says Deani Van Pelt, “the data indicates parents are increasingly looking to independent schools for more choice in how their children are educated.” Van Pelt is director of the Fraser Institute’sContinue reading “Why do parents go private?”
How do you build a school?
For architect Elie Newman, it begins with a community, a sense of possibility, and a master plan “As they’ve grown they’ve filled out the spaces and changed their uses,” says Elie Newman about Northmount School. “And now they’re busting at the seams.” That’s true in more ways than one. Northmount is an independent Catholic schoolContinue reading “How do you build a school?”
The power of mentorship
Who we learn from can, sometimes, make all the difference We spend a lot of time talking about curricula, though when we ask people, later in life, about their education, we typically don’t ask “what curriculum did you learn through.” Rather we ask, who was the teacher that had the biggest impact on who you were,Continue reading “The power of mentorship”
Dressing the future
For a quarter century, Kirstin Broatch has been dressing students for learning and for life We know intuitively that companies are made up of people, not buildings and banks, though we may be prone to forget that sometimes. Should you ever need one, Kirstin Broatch is a particularly good reminder. Owner and CEO of InSchoolwear,Continue reading “Dressing the future”
Corn Nut Creek, “Feels Like Travelling Home”
This isn’t a perfect album, and one of the problems with it is that it’s too short. We’re used to albums being a certain length, and while shorter collections are fine, they’re not optimal. There’s not enough time or breadth to really settle in, assuming that you still listen to recordings as albums rather thanContinue reading “Corn Nut Creek, “Feels Like Travelling Home””
Erynn Marhshall and Carl Jones, “Old Tin”
Will Carter, the founder of Clifftop, perhaps the premiere old-time festival in the world, has said that old-time music is about “that tradition of participating in the art. It’s not about a stage.” Of course, there is a stage at Clifftop, though, true to the concept, it’s the participation that people go for—dozens of circlesContinue reading “Erynn Marhshall and Carl Jones, “Old Tin””
You are here
For Laurie Edward, newly appointed the executive director of the Banff Canmore Community Foundation, the strength of community can be expressed in a single word: belonging. “It’s my second day on the job,” says Laurie Edward when I reach her by phone at her home in Canmore. She’s in the midst of what’s been aContinue reading “You are here”
Not Our First Goat Rodeo
“Not Our First Goat Rodeo” is a follow up to 2011’s “Goat Rodeo Sessions,” which won a Grammy Award for best folk album in 2013. Which seems a bit unfair to all those folk musicians out there, because I’m not sure it’s really folk music, exceptional as it is, but also because all the playersContinue reading “Not Our First Goat Rodeo”
Living in the moment with Adolphous Greely
Twenty-five men, 350 pounds of supplies, and a chance to change the world. “This was not simply some new Arctic expedition,” says historian Michael Robinson, “this was really an attempt at a new science of the world.” It was the international polar year, and fourteen expeditions set off to collect data about the world. Together,Continue reading “Living in the moment with Adolphous Greely”
If you haven’t heard Twisted Pine’s “Right Now,” here’s why you need to
There has always been a streak of rebellion running through the musical world, with artists seeking to be new and different. Bill Monroe was one of those, and frankly, so was Mozart, though it’s perhaps hard to see from our vantage point. Some are angry different, like Jimi Hendrix shredding the US national anthem atContinue reading “If you haven’t heard Twisted Pine’s “Right Now,” here’s why you need to”
A multi-faceted approach to learning at a distance
Parents want clear plans, strong leadership, and options. And that’s exactly what Blyth Academy is delivering. “We’ve learned a lot,” says Kathy Young of the experience of educating through a pandemic. “I think some of it is what good educators have always known,” such as the value of personalised instruction, the need to be responsiveContinue reading “A multi-faceted approach to learning at a distance”
Bringing character forward
While it’s easy to recognize character—we know it when we see it—it’s famously more difficult to define. Harder still is to describe how character arises. In his recent book, The Second Mountain, David Brooks struggles with the concept, something that he’s been doing since he wrote, The Road to Character in 2015. There he describedContinue reading “Bringing character forward”
A summer without camp
“This is obviously a difficult day for all of us who love camps,” wrote the Ontario Camps Association in a note to its members on May 19. The government of Ontario announced in a press conference that overnight camps will not be allowed to operate for the duration of the 2020 season, with further decisionsContinue reading “A summer without camp”
Willard Gayheart and Friends, “At Home in the Blue Ridge”
A few years ago, when Dori Freeman released her debut, self-titled album, it seemed that she had sprung, fully formed, from the head of Zeus. Well, this album, on which she participates, fills in the blanks. Willard Gayheart is her grandfather. As the titled of the album suggests, they’re at home, just hanging and picking.Continue reading “Willard Gayheart and Friends, “At Home in the Blue Ridge””
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“The book is amazing. Glen did great work – he is gold.”
—David McBride, Vice Principal of Enrolment Management, Upper Canada College
“Absolutely love it!!! It’s always so refreshing to read an article by a journalist who really cares to get it right!!!”
—Sarah Jarosz’s mom
“Just received your review of my album from Sing Out … it is very gratifying to read a review where the author totally gets the point of the whole thing!”
—Nick Hornbuckle
“ … it’s an exceptional article. It’s exceptionally well done.”
—Allan Spaan, CFO, Robert Land Academy
“Visually and linguistically, this book owes much to his exemplary skills as a developmental editor.”
–Robert J. Brym, from the preface New Society: Sociology for the 21st Century,
4th ed. (Toronto: Nelson)
“I just wanted to say thank you so much for the wonderful story. It was one of the best I’ve ever had done about me and my music.”
—James Alan Shelton
