[HANASHIR:7952] Re: Help with 7th Graders...

[Eric Simon <erics...>]

>So, instead of beating my head against a wall week after week, I'm looking
>for alternative ways to engage them in Judaic music.

Just one suggestion . . . but it worked for me last week with a tough 7th &
8th grade class.

Part of my mission that week was to teach greater fluency with Adon Olam.
I used the recent modern tune (apologies to the composer(s) whose name(s) I
can't recall right now), which has a slow part in the beginning and then is
fast in the second half.

I sang it (most already knew the tune, thankfully), and then challenged the
kids to see if they could sing it faster than I had.  The only rule is that
they had to use the siddur (which was Hebrew) and no transliteration.  I
also permitted groups.  I got the ball rolling by asking, "OK, boys, do you
think you could sing it fast?"  This, of course, challenged their
"manhood", so they got up and sang.  Then I asked "any girls think they can
do better".  And they did.  Then one boy said that he could do it faster if
he did it himself.  And so he did.  And on and on.  (Had I had a stopwatch
(yes, I'm serious) this would have worked even better -- althought it
already worked great).

By the end of 20 minutes, those who did not know the song had heard it at
least 10 times, which was, in part, my goal.

====

Other ideas off the top of my head -- from a complete rookie (I've only
been doing this a few months).

-- doing songs which have "subversive" parts.  I.e., the NFTY "Heveinu
Shalom Aleichem" that has the "oohh ahhh" parts in the middle.  Or DF's
"Not by Might", they have a "iggy biggy peanut butter" that they say
between verses.

-- choice of music is essential.  The more "rockin'" it is, the more likely
they will like it.  ("Not By Might" is an example that falls into _this_
category, too.)

-- I don't know if this will work yet.  I asked them what they thought of
the L'Cha Dodi that is sung at their shul.  They said that they hated it.
I told them that at sometime in the near future I would bring in at least
two different L'Cha Dodi tunes the next time, and they could choose which
one to sing.

====

A side note and question:

Part of why they hate all this is because they hate Sunday school to begin
with and (imho) don't know enough about Judaism to appreciate it.  

One (of many) examples: In October I tought DF's "L'chi Lach" during the
parsha Lech L'cha, and I introduced the song by mentioning that, at which
point someone shouted out: "Who cares?  What does this have to do with me?"
 While, in part, he was being a wise ass, I could also tell that he really
wanted to know if Torah was relevant at all to his life.  I really feel,
sometimes, that I want to reach out to them on a personal level.

Like invite them for a shabbos dinner at my house.

Is this crazy?  Or what?

(This is made more complicated by the fact that I am observant, and I am
teaching in a Conservative Sunday school, and I don't want anyone to think
I am "recuiting").

-- Eric


------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+