In all his writing, lectures, and academic inquiries, Leonard Bernstein was a scholar. He explored linguistics, poetry, physics, and anthropology, and was an avid student of religion, following in the footsteps of his father who had made a lifelong study of the Talmud. A master of acrostics and word play, words were as much his artistic medium as music. He loved to engage in broad philosophical discussions and detailed etymological puzzles and games.

Music and education occupied most of Bernstein's scholarly attention. His 1973 Norton Lectures at Harvard express a lifelong interest in cross-disciplinary investigations. Bernstein's published reflections on learning and the arts include The Joy of Music, The Infinite Variety of Music, The Unanswered Question, and Findings.

Bernstein epitomized the lifelong learner and creator. As he commented, "The greatest gift my father bestowed on us children was to teach us to love learning." With a relentless pursuit of knowledge, he exemplified the courage to live with questions. He demonstrated the importance of communicating across conventional educational boundaries, making active use of advanced technologies, and listening attentively to the multiple cultural voices that shape this world.

Inspired by the suggestions and commission of Rev. Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester Cathedral, Leonard Bernstein composed the Chichester Psalms in 1965. Gleaning abandoned music from West Side Story and The Skin of Our Teeth, the Chichester Psalms became Bernstein's most enduring choral work.

The Leonard Bernstein Center for Artful Learning at Gettysburg College believes schools must foster these same qualities if they are to preserve a healthy democracy in the vastly changed world of the twenty-first century. This educational website is a continuation of the remarkable Bernstein Legacy; utilizing the technology of today, as Leonard Bernstein did during his lifetime, to enrich learners of all ages.