[HANASHIR:5656] RE: any advice on getting a music class started?

[Adrian Durlester <durleste...>]

Laine:

Your enthusiasm is great-and I encourage you to keep it. My first piece of
advice however, is-never ask anyone else to tell you "how to do it" or "what
works." You need to discover most of that by yourself. All the people on
this list will be happy to offer you suggestions, tips, etc. But you must
always recognize they speak from their own contexts,their own situations.
And no two are totally alike. Youneed to adapt, study learn, and see through
your own experiences what will work in your setting. This list can keep you
from having to reivent the wheel, but it alone is not enough.

I know that when I was 17 I hated it when people older than me kept telling
me to not be in such a hurry and to not expect to learn everything
overnight, and to try and learn things for myself. Turns out they were
right.

Another big caution: you said you wanted all the kids to learn and love all
the songs YOU learned and loved. That might not be what your students want.
They may have different loves and likes, and might need to learn different
songs than you did. Don't just teach them what you learned-you need to learn
what it was you didn't learn, or what hadn't been done yet when you learned
it, and provide your students with a mixture. Tried and true is great, and
it usually works. But there's an awful lot of music being written out there
(much of it by the folks on this very list) and part of your job is to keep
up with what's going on-to know not just what you learned, but what else
there is.

You are right that music needs to be part of a religious school curriculum.
But is it music for the sake of music and singing and having fun, or is
there a deeper purpose. The dean of contemporary Jewish music, Debbie
Friedman, is always quick to point out that what we really dow ith our music
is "teaching text" (i.e. Torah.) So, in choosing the music you teach, you
need to consaider not just what sounds good or is fun, but what it teaches,
how it teaches, and what it is that your school wants the students to learn.
The music needs to reinforce the overall mission of the religious school.
Otherwise, it will be seen simply as a feel good adjunct.

I hope I haven't been too discouraging. It's great that you are doing this
and all of us on this list wish you every success and offer whatever help
and advice we can. You've come to the right place. Just remember that often
forgotten part of Hillel's famous saying one one foot. After wise Hillel
condenses all of Torah down to that one statement of (do not do unto
others...) he goes on to say" That is the whole Torah-now go and study
(learn) it.

B'hatzlacha

Adrian A. Durlester
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian A. Durlester  -  durleste (at) home(dot)com
http://members.home.net/durleste/
Student, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/vds/vds-home.htm
Music Director, Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN http://www.micahnash.org/
Home phone (615) 646-9788 Nextel cel-phone (615) 207-2661
You can page me from http://www.nextel.com
List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
shamash(dot)org
http://uahc.org/hanashir
Editor, Bim Bam (for Torah Aura Productions) http://www.torahaura.com/
Alternate Email: aad (at) iname(dot)com  adriand (at) aol(dot)com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at) 
> shamash(dot)org]On
> Behalf Of Laine Forman
> Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2000 9:52 PM
> To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Subject: [HANASHIR:5655] any advice on getting a music class started?
>
>
> I live in a very small Jewish Community in Florida.
> My temple holds almos 100 families.  It is small, but
> has a very warm atmosphere.  I have attended sunday
> school since I was little (I am now 17).  When I was
> in kindergarden through 3rd grade there was always
> music class and song session during Sunday school.
> Unfortunately, the song leader left and since then
> there has not been music in the curriculum.  Ever
> summer I have gone to UAHC camps and jewish music has
> become part of my life.  I love it.  I went to the my
> religion school coordinator and suggested that music
> be brought back into the curriculum.  I felt it was a
> major criteria and suggested to be in charge of
> getting the class started. She agreed, and now I am
> head of all the music for Sunday school.  I play
> guitar, piano and sing, and am extremly excited about
> this new job.  I want the kids to learn to love all
> the songs that I love so much.  If you have any advice
> on how I could start my first classes... songs to
> sing, music books that I need to have, suggestions on
> anything... I would love advice and tips of any kind.
> I will be teaching pre-school through 8th (about 30
> kids total). Please tell me what works and what
> doesn't ....I am open to everything!    Thanks, Laine
>  My e-mail is starburst827 (at) yahoo(dot)com
>
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