Good Morning, Coffee Cup

This year, with a new teacher in second form, and one who cherishes his coffee, some of us other teachers began the practice of bringing him his morning cup, since he can't leave a room full of 8-year-olds alone and seek it himself.
One of the cups at school is about 20 ounces big, white, and has huge black letters saying "GOOD MORNING." Because the students are supposed to stand and greet adults who enter the room, I would try not to walk all the way in, not to disturb Father Baker's class too much. One morning I handed this particular cup through the slightly opened door, and was about to leave again unobtrusively. Imagine my amusement when the whole 2nd form arose reverently and said, "Good MORNING, coffee cup." It must be Father Baker's attitude rubbing off on them.

Music and the Soul

The ancients used to put a lot of emphasis on music as healthful or harmful to the soul. Having sung nearly four years in the St. Andrew's Academy choir, three years in my college choir, and all my life in church, I'm beginning to understand why. The following categories become familiar in the soul by learning to perform good music, and they become familiar in a way different from reading, thinking, or being told about.

The Beauty of Harmony
Sing your own note without letting the other parts throw you off. All the parts are necessary.

The Beauty of Unity
Sing the same note as others in your group. Discord is ugly.

The Beauty of Blending
If your voice is the one you hear above all others, change volume or tone.

And furthermore,
Wait for the right time, and Follow the conductor.

This also convinces me more and more of the harm in a lot of rock music (no, don't leave; really!), at the very least when people are still in the developmental stage. (Maybe even beyond that; one of the best things I did was give up rock music for a while. I brought it back, but it doesn't have the hold it used to.) Who needs to have his soul subject to more influences toward discord, toward selfishness, toward undisciplined sensibility? Not me.