[HANASHIR:8669] Re: A dilemma teaching Chad Gadya

[Bess L. Oland <Bess.Oland...>]

How interesting that in times of war, we look to the Jews as a source of
peace.  In times of peace...?

        Our songs are more than just historical curiosities - so much 
of our music is the spiritual connection we make with one another. 
We teach in stories and songs to make the most impact.  A person who 
learns a song as a child, learns from the song for the rest of their 
life.

        It's the story of the four sons - the ones who don't know to 
ask are the ones for whom the animal sounds are funny and cute.  As 
they grow, and they associate the songs and stories with Passover, 
they will begin to ask questions and fill in the gaps.  We can teach 
them to fear and reject their traditions, or to revere them.

        Your co-worker strikes me as the wicked son...

        B'shalom,
        -Bess


At 11:55 AM -0500 3/28/01, LSalvay (at) aol(dot)com wrote:
>Hevrei,
>I encountered an interesting situation earlier this week as I was teaching
>Chad Gadya (in English) to the children at the JCC preschool (I teach music
>there 2 mornings a week to toddlers through pre-K).
>
>While the song is rather long, this particular version is "kid-friendly"
>because it includes noises that the kids can chime in for each animal/object
>in the song (i.e., "then came the dog -- WOOF WOOF -- that bit the cat --
>MEEEEOW -- that ate up all the kid -- ME-E-E-EH.....)
>
>After I had finished singing the song with a group of 4- and 5-year-olds, one
>of the teachers (I don't think she's Jewish) said in front of the whole
>group, "I don't think we should sing that song again. It's too violent."
>
>My immediate response to her (in complete surprise, never having encountered
>any negative reaction to Chad Gadya in my12 years of teaching music) was,
>"The song is in the Passover Seder, and it had been sung by children for
>centuries." She rather adamantly insisted that it should not be sung again
>with "this age group."
>
>Has anyone else encountered a similar situation -- and how have you dealt
>with it? Sure, I can find plenty of other songs to teach instead of Chad
>Gadya, but I feel a bit of an obligation to instill some element of
>traditional Pesach music in these kids, and not stick merely with some of the
>more insipid pre-school Pesach music that's been written in recent decades.
>(Interesting how this teacher feels the need to "protect" children from any
>mention of "the Angel of Death" and the butcher who slew the ox -- the same
>children who witness the gratuitous violence that is so commonplace in the
>evening news, TV shows and video games, etc.)
>
>I'll be interested in your responses and suggestions. Thanks for providing
>such a wonderful forum to discuss such issues.
>
>Wishing a "non-violent" Pesach to all!
>
>Linda Salvay
>



-- 



    /\\\\     /\\\\     /\\\\     /\\\\     /\\\\     /\\\\     /\\\\
=====\\\\======\\\\======\\\\======\\\\======\\\\======\\\\======\\\\===
  //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\
  \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ //// \\\\ ////
=====////======////======////======////======////======////======////===
    \////     \////     \////     \////     \////     \////     \////

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