[HANASHIR:4859] Re: Cantorial qualifications

[Freedabet <Freedabet...>]

What you said was well-said, and said succinctly.

You picked interesting examples.  I have never asked and in most cases have 
no idea what college, university or medical school my surgeon, doctor, lawyer 
or accountant graduated from.  Do you?  I engaged them through personal 
recommendations from family and friends whom I felt would recommend great 
people (both professionally and personally).

Prior to entering this calling, I was not particularly aware which 
institutions (if any) the Rabbis and Cantors I had met over the years were 
ordained at .  Some of my closest friends and family were Cantors a decade or 
more before the existence of the ACC or CA.

And, I am serving my Congregation because of a personal recommendation, 
despite the fact that my education is informal and ongoing.


-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

> Date: Saturday, 08-Jan-00 11:13 PM
> 
> From: Esd7657 (at) aol(dot)com          \ America Online: (ESD7657)
> To:   Hanashir Mail Server     \ Internet:    (hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org)
> 
> Subject:  [HANASHIR:4849] Cantorial qualifications
> 
> Sender: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Reply-to:       hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> To:     hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Dear Friends - 
> It's hard to be brief on an issue such as this, but I'll try. 
>  First off, we ought to clarify that HUC/ACC certification is certainly not 
the
> only way to be recognized as a Cantor - these organizations are only the
> ordaining arms of the Reform movement.  Those who have stated that each
> movement tends to recognize those trained within the organizations of their
> movement are correct.  
> They have these standards because many people can get three signatures on a
> certificate - but certification/ordination from a known institution 
guarantees
> that the candidate has met certain requirements which are known and 
accepted by
> the congregations involved.
> Would you hire a surgeon because he/she has a piece of paper signed by three
> surgeons you never heard of?  How about a lawyer? or an accountant?  Each
> vocation requires skills in which this person must be proficient, and a 
clergy
> person is no different.
> 
> HUC accepts as many qualified candidates as apply each year - we are able to
> handle many more than we do - it is true that our standards are very high, 
and
> many people are unable to take five years out of their lives to devote to 
this
> full-time, and so our pool of candidates is severely limited.  Our training 
is
> as rigorous as it is because we are committed to ordaining clergy who will 
be
> able to fill the demands of our Reform congregations.
> 
> This lead me to what I feel is the most important point. 
> I feel that we have to define terms here.  No-one is denying that there are
> many knowledgeable Jews with lovely voices, excellent musical taste, good
> memorization skills and incredible kavana who are perfectly capable of being
> choir directors, soloists, Torah readers, and outstanding shlichei tzibur. 
> What HUC teaches, and what we need to understand, is that the role of the
> cantor in the Reform movement has evolved into something much broader than
> that.  Reform cantors spend only a small fraction of their time on the 
bima. 
> We are called upon to be scholars not only in the religious school musical
> classroom, but in teaching Torah and a variety of other subjects to both
> children and adults.  We are expected to be counselors in matters both 
Jewish
> and personal, to officiate at a variety of life cycle events (in the case of
> marriages, as officials of the state), represent our congregations and
> organizations at a variety of community levels, be a full clergy partner and
> member of !
> a synagogue staff on levels of administration, programming, education and
> ritual matters, and be the "guardians" of the rich musical tradition which 
has
> been handed down to us.
> It's a full plate, and not exclusively musical, as you can see. 
> 
> HUC has no desire to tell people that they should not be learning on their 
own,
> devouring nusach and musical skills, sharing melodies and inspiring
> congregations with their voices and their kavana - but being a shaliach 
tzibur
> is no longer the equivalent of being a cantor in the Reform movement, in 
spite
> of what the term may have meant in the past.  We are struggling to supply 
our
> congregations with the kind of clergy person for whom they are looking.
> 
> I mean to clarify, not to pontificate.  I also do so with the utmost respect
> for all individuals and organizations which honestly strive to enrich us
> Jewishly as individuals and as a community.  Please let us not be quick to
> suspect the motivation or the agendas of our colleagues.  We're all doing 
the
> best we can.
> I hope that this has been helpful to the discussion.
> 
> With all sincerity,
> Cantor Ellen Dreskin
> HUC - '86
> 
> 
> 
> 

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