About the Episode

In this episode of Common Knowledge, hosts Brett Harkey and Chris Reynolds sit down with Liberty Common School music instructors Amy Clemens and Jill Dollar to consider why human beings have, for centuries, insisted on making music together.

The conversation traces the historical role of ensembles and follows how ensemble performance has moved from the town square into the classroom without losing its public purpose. Amy and Jill discuss the broader goods of ensemble life: collaboration, community-building, and civic engagement. They also describe the habits formed in rehearsal that travel well beyond music—listening, leadership, responsibility, and teamwork—and argue that ensembles help shape culture and strengthen the communities that sustain them.

Amy Clemens and Jill Dollar are both music instructors and elementary band directors for Liberty Common School. Amy teaches music and band at the Plato Campus. Jill teaches band at the Aristotle Campus. Together they introduce hundreds of young scholars each year to the demanding, joyful work of making music with other people.

Connect with Liberty Common School

• Liberty Common School Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.libertycommon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/LibertyCommonSchool/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/libertycommonschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/libertycommonschool⁠

About the Episode:

Drawing on Connie Lapallo’s Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky, this episode explores the largely overlooked stories of the women and children who arrived in Jamestown, particularly during the perilous 1609 voyage and the brutal “Starving Time” winter that followed. Through the experiences of real historical figures like Joan Phippen Peirce and her daughter—Lapallo’s own ancestors—we uncover tales of extraordinary courage, heartbreaking loss, resourcefulness, and quiet resilience. These families transformed a struggling military outpost into America’s first permanent English colony, laying the human foundations for what would become the United States.

About Kathryn James

After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from Colorado State University, she earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Northern Colorado. Kathryn brings her expertise as an LCS instructor to help us connect historical lessons to today’s learners.

Connect with Liberty Common School

• Liberty Common School Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.libertycommon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/LibertyCommonSchool/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/libertycommonschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/libertycommonschool

About the Episode:

In this episode of Common Knowledge, hosts Brett Harkey and Chris Reynolds sit down with computer science instructor Jim McCormick to explore an unexpected but compelling question: Can programming be part of a classical education? Drawing on Jim’s background in engineering, industry, and classical schooling, the conversation examines programming through the lens of the Seven Liberal Arts, intellectual rigor, and the formation of the mind.

Together, they discuss whether programming languages function as a kind of modern Latin, how coding cultivates habits of logic and precision, and why the rigor of programming can be both demanding and deeply joyful. The episode challenges the assumption that classical education and modern technology are at odds—and instead suggests that programming may be one of the most classically formative disciplines available to students today.

Jim graduated with a Masters Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. After 24 years of computer chip design at HP and Intel in Fort Collins, he became a computer science instructor at LCHS in the fall of 2022.

Connect with Liberty Common School:

• Liberty Common School Website:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.libertycommon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Facebook:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/LibertyCommonSchool/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/libertycommonschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• YouTube:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/libertycommonschool⁠