World History and other subjects

Last week was finals week, which meant after a whirlwind weekend seeing my beautiful "daughter" married off it was helping my oldest boys prepare for their exams and papers. One of the subjects we reviewed together was for world history, particularly more recent (1800s and on) history.

The study of history is really the study of change, and change is often the result of conflict. Sometimes it is conflict among peoples, but often it is conflict among ideas. (Maybe even ideas values and tradition!)

As we quizzed and drilled for a final exam, the following musicals came to mind ...

The King and I
The Sound of Music
Pacific Overtures
Evita
Caberet
Fiddler on the Roof
Nixon in China
Miss Saigon
Big River (this for English 10!)

Not all of these I was introduced to by band, or even in my high school years. But as we quizzed I found myself singing a few lyrics, and I wondered how much easier the topics would have been for me if I had associated the story with a musical during my high school years! (And High School itself is now a musical!!)

Speaking of musicals, my oldest son's 2008 field show was officially announced - yet another story surrounding events of world history - "Les Miserables." And if that isn't enough, that means during my son's time he will have performed three shows from the vintage year 1989 ... Phantom Regiment's "New World Symphony", Santa Clara Vanguard's "Phantom of the Opera," and now the Cadets! (Hmm. What of the remaining 9 from 1989 finalists would I choose for 2009?!)

Is the fact that shows come from one year ironic (English term!) in and of itself, or is it also made ironic that the field trip made that year by a small group of people from Charlotte to Kansas City was not to celebrate the end of a vintage season (another "finals week!"), but to kick off of the next step in the evolution of the then Charlotte Drum Corps Association - Carolina Crown!