A quick thought about teaching history in a field that I don't recall Terry mentioning—music. Music history, and music theory, which is nearly inseparable from music history, have been important parts of music education for a very long time. I doubt that will change soon. They can be wonderfully enlightening to the performer, composer, and listener, and they can be taught in ways that excite and intrigue, and lead to great insight. Or they can be seen as irrelevant, and as tedious requirements for the student. The difference, I suspect, is precisely what Don describes regarding how we teach them.
Gordon Rowland
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