Music and Philosophy

In one of my classes at my high school, we're reading Astra Taylor' "Examined Life," which is a transcript of the film version by the same name. In "Examined Life," Taylor attempts to bring philosophy closer to the people of the streets (or rather, the everyday people and their every day lives) by having walking (or driving, or boating, etc.) conversations with some of the world's leading philosophers including Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek, Michael Hardt, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Judith Butler (with Sunaura Taylor), Martha Nussbaum, Avital Ronell, and Cornel West. So far, we have only studied in class Singer, Zizek, Hardt, Appiah, and, most recently, West.

The reason why I have decided to mention this aspect of my class is because of the interview with West, which has striking references to music. Cornel West is not only a philosopher, but a musician as well. I highly recommend that you read West's conversation with Taylor from "Examined Life." Who knows? Maybe you will also decide to read all the other fantastic conversations as well -- philosophy and music are both extremely interesting, after all.

Cello Choir Repertoire for Today's Performance

Our school's cello choir played in the school assembly today. It was loads of fun! We performed Couperin's Air, Romberg's Sonata no. 1 in E minor (arr. for four cellos), and the second movement of Vivaldi's Concerto in G minor for two cellos.

They are all beautiful pieces, especially the Vivaldi concerto. The Romberg sonata was also well received at our school -- it's a very lush arrangement. Go check it out and have a listen! Enjoy!