[HANASHIR:7788] Re: Day School curriculum

[QuelliPG <QuelliPG...>]

at the Solomon Schechter where I teach, the 7th and 8th grades do not have a 
formal music curriculum.  they have music as an elective (I think) (I don't 
teach them) and towards the end of the year they have a number of rehearsals 
for the zimriyah so that they can participate.  For a few years I directed a 
musical with that age group, but this year it was vetoed because of some 
vocal parents - don't even ask.  hopefully we'll re-institute it next year.  
The problem is finding rehearsal time - lunch and after school are not 
options here, and no one wants to use class time.  and a once a week elective 
period isn't enough to rehearse a production.  What do YOU do?
FYI - grades K - 4 have a regular music curriculum once a week.  grades 5-6 
have music once a week - either choir (once a week), which includes 
sightsinging and solfege  or band, which means private lessons in addition to 
practice once a week.
the K - 4 curriculum is divided between general music ed. and preparing for 
various performances, both in hebrew and english.
and by the way, I'm not the music teacher!  (I teach Hebrew music to K-3 as 
part of their hebrew curriculum, and I teach tefillah and direct special 
musical programs that are tied to the hebrew curr. - chagigat hasiddur, 
chagigat hachumash, etc.  so the "regular" music teacher doesn't have to do 
any of that.  she does english productions and the zimriyah, which is all 
hebrew songs.  she is gentile and uses me as a consultant for the zimriyah, 
and other Jewish music questions.  Our music teacher is full time and I only 
wanted to work very part time, which is why I turned down the job before they 
offered it to her 2 years ago. 

sorry to bore list members who aren't in day schools... but ,
Raquel 

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