Rebecca Burnham

Meet Samuel Carter, 25, the newly hired history professor at Hallelujah College. It’s 1950, and Hallelujah is expanding to meet the demands of educating young WWII veterans. Samuel, a Quaker, served as a medic. His heroic record, impressive academic credentials, clean-cut appearance, and quiet charisma all make him a no-brainer choice for filling out the faculty. But that’s because nobody bothered to read his master's thesis.

According to music historian Ted Gioia, society leans toward its own self-destruction by dividing into enemy factions. But music is a mighty tool that can help us reconnect. It's not just theory. I saw it in practice this week in my tiny town's elementary school gymnasium.

Kurt Bestor is an accomplished musician and composer who has scored films, written for the Olympics, and popularized instrumental Christmas music. But "Prayer of the Children" is his most famous piece of music, and he didn't write it to share. It was an outpouring from his heart that he threw into a concert last minute. And it has been touching hearts ever since.