Mathematics and the Greeks

Graeme Bird studied classics and mathematics in New Zealand, earning his BA and MA (along the way also obtaining a bachelor's in divinity degree from London University), before coming to the US in 1981 to pursue his interest in jazz piano. He earned his BM in film scoring and jazz piano from the Berklee College of Music, then taught high school Latin and mathematics before getting his AM in linguistics and PhD in classical philology from Harvard. He has been teaching for the Harvard Extension School since 1986. He also teaches linguistics and classics at Gordon College, north of Boston, and assists with the jazz band. Bird's interests include finding connections between the ancient Greeks and music, particularly the poetry of Homer and jazz improvisation; he also explores in his course the ways in which the Greeks saw mathematics and music as a way of understanding the cosmos. Bird also teaches at the Harvard Summer School, where he thoroughly enjoys helping his students, both local and distance, gain confidence in their ability to use and appreciate the practicality and also the beauty of mathematics.