This is the subject of a Radio 3’s Lebrecht Live to be broadcast on Sunday 28th March 17:45 – 18:30. Although this is not how most of us see our own posts, public service eductional blogs are not the only kind out there. Part of the programme concerns itself with bloggers’ threat to traditional art criticism and news. Listeners can contribute to the programme (even before it is on air) by emaiing: lebrecht.live@bbc.co.uk I’ve listened to many previous editions of the programme, where a very wide range of topics has been covered intelligently with many erudite contributors from around the world taking part.
Category Archives: Blogging
Parents’ Evening
A day at NBHS was followed by a twilight parents’ evening at Knox. I had prepared a handout on Exc-el, highlighting the materials posted there for pupils – this was partly to avoid taking up some of their five minutes describing it. As luck would have it, I was receiving parents in the staff base and, therefore could also have the blog page up on screen to give them a better idea of what to look for. Upon seeing it, the vast majority of parents said, Continue reading Parents’ Evening
The Blog Tag Game – Five Things You Maybe Didn’t Know About Me
Having been tagged by David Gilmour, below are my five things:
- I spent a year in prison. Every Wednesday evening 7.00 – 9.00 teaching guitar in Saughton. What struck me about the prisoners was how calm they all seemed and how kind they were to one another. When my time was up, I never returned. I hope the same is true of those I met there.
- I have punched more people in class than I can remember. Fortunately, for my continuing employment in East Lothian, all punches take place in the Five Winds School of Tai Chi Chuan, in Meadowbank Stadium, where I have trained for 15 years and taught for 10.
- Aside from teaching, the job I have most experience of is green-keeping (6 x 9-week summers at Winterfield Golf Course, Dunbar when I was a student). Despite such exposure to the game, I have never struck a golf ball – although one has hit me. That explains everything.
- My favourite game is chess and I always have 20 – 30 correspondence games going online at any one time. I seem to get no better at it, but the beauty of the geometry and variations keeps me hooked. Ironically, in my first ever live tournament at the age of 43, I was beaten by a wizard called Jamie Hook (who was in P7 at the time) in around 18 minutes. I’m relieved to say that he seems to be a rising star. Watch Kasparov having a similar experience here.
- According to his obituary in the Western Reader (in 1937) my maternal great-grandfather, Frank Mooney, worked for Celtic Football Club – on the charity side and with the boys club. If you want to test whether talent can miss out a generation, just pass me the ball.
In turn, I tag Ollie Bray, Ewan McIntosh, Rob Woodhead, Richard Wilson & Anne Johnstone