[HANASHIR:4790] Re: Part-time cantorial study

[Emily Blank <eblank...>]

Rachelle and anyone else who is interested,

I'm not exactly sure where to start about the Maalot program. David 
Shneyer, the president, as well as running Maalot, runs the Am Kolel Judaic 
resources center in Rockville, MD which is an umbrella group involving 
everything from social justice to meditation and mysticism.  He is also the 
leader of the Washington Jewish Folk Arts Society.

Maalot is unaffiliated with any movement within Judaism.  I'd say it equips 
one to perform as a cantor in a Conservative synagogue, although the 
program is certainly not as intense as JTS.

I started out listening to tapes of a Friday night service, and when I 
could show David that I could do that, he checked me off.  There is a list 
of services that has to be checked off, including Shabbat morning, Shabbat 
Minchah, Havdalah, all the daily services (shacarit, minchah, and maariv), 
Pilgrim festival services, and High Holy Days, plus all the tropes.

One is also expected to take voice lessons and work on Biblical and Siddur 
Hebrew.  One's level of competence is checked off (as sufficient) by a 
cantor on the Maalot board and a Hebrew professor on the board, 
respectively.  One must also lead services a minimum of 70 hours to receive 
certification.

A number of classes are required.  (Fortunately, there are no tests, 
although we did have to conduct a mock life cycle event for the life cycles 
class.)  Classes include those in trope and nusach, history and development 
of Jewish music  and of Jewish liturgy, Pastoral Counseling, Etiquette in 
getting along with Rabbis, and Congregants, etc.. For the life cycle class, 
we had to learn el malay Rachamim, Sheva Berachot, and other music 
appropriate for life cycle events. We also were asked to read a number of 
books and our competence in a number of areas (knowledge of Bible, 
knowledge of Jewish tradition, knowledge of Jewish History, choral 
resources, spiritual practices, etc.) had to be approved.

The program usually takes people 4 or 5 years part time, maybe less if you 
start out with a better background.  I know I learned a WHOLE LOT.

Unfortunately, unless things have changed, this particular program is only 
available to those who live in the Washington D.C. area.  If anyone is 
interested, please call David or Gene at 301-309-2310.  Please leave your 
name and the reason for your call in order to ensure a response.  Good 
Luck!  Emily



-----Original Message-----
From:   Rachelle and Howard Shubert [SMTP:notfranz (at) total(dot)net]
Sent:   Thursday, January 06, 2000 3:12 AM
To:     hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Subject:        [HANASHIR:4782] Re: Part-time cantorial study

Emily,

As a cantorial soloist poised on the brink of studies toward cantorial
certification, I am intrigued by the lay cantorial program you mentioned. 
 I
know many of us on the list are "lay cantors" and would like to hear more
about it.

Rachelle





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