New Quadrivium Playlist Available
As the CCLE expands our free resources, we are adding new content to our YouTube channel. Our most recent playlist, The Quadrivium: 2025 Wyoming District Teachers' Conference features 6 presentations by CCLE President, Rev. Steve Kieser.
Session 1 gives background information on classical Lutheran education while noting that the trivium (grammar, dialectic/logic, rhetoric) has received extensive attention while the quadrivium (arithmetic/number, geometry, music, astronomy) has been comparatively neglected. Rev. Kieser hopes to begin a more sustained conversation about the mathematical arts. The presentation suggests ways to theologically ground quadrivium instruction while exploring the practical challenges facing teachers. Each subsequent presentation will discuss an art of the quadrivium and then synthesize them in the final presentation.
Session 2 explores the place of arithmetic within the classical quadrivium, emphasizing that mathematics is more than a practical skill for solving everyday problems. Arithmetic is a way of understanding number, recognizing relationships in creation, cultivating wonder and curiosity, and ultimately deepening one's knowledge of God.
Session 3 presents geometry as not merely as a collection of formulas or a subject introduced only in the upper grades. Instead, it can be taught from an early age through careful practice, imitation, observation, and the gradual development of mathematical understanding. The session includes practical exercises and a summary of the contributions of Euclid, Eratosthenes, Melanchthon, and Descartes.
Session 4 presents music as a mathematical art of the classical quadrivium. Music is much more than singing or playing an instrument: it is the study of harmony, proportion, and the relationships that bring different parts into a meaningful whole. From the classical perspective, mathematical relationships help explain not only musical sounds but also patterns in nature, human relationships, architecture, and the created universe. For Christian educators, studying these relationships can deepen students’ appreciation of the order, beauty, and wisdom of God’s creation.
Session 5 focuses on astronomy, which brings together geometry, mathematics, and music. Astronomy is more than memorizing the names of stars or learning facts about planets. It is a discipline that uses mathematics to organize and understand extensive observations of the heavens. By connecting mathematics to music, astronomy to observation, and scientific inquiry to Christian faith, teachers can help students see knowledge as an interconnected whole
Session 6 brings together the main themes of the conference: the seven liberal arts—the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric and the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—and how they can work together to deepen students’ understanding of the world. Rev. Kieser encourages teachers to move beyond teaching isolated subjects and correct answers. Instead, they should help students understand where knowledge comes from, how different disciplines relate, and what these connections reveal about creation and its Creator. Throughout the discussion, he emphasizes wonder, historical understanding, primary sources, and the need for reason to be informed by Christian faith.
We hope the availability of these conference videos will help spark conversations among classical Lutheran educators and lead to more attention to the quadrivium.
