[HANASHIR:16526] Re: music for preschoolers

[deborah dolin <kibitz30...>]

ok,
since rahel has used one of my emails to quote...i must say something...
 
I think it would be greatly appreciated, I know by myself, if we wouldn't nick 
pick every word people say as pure gospel.  I am 36 yrs old and have been 
teaching since 1982.  I have a degree in music ed which is up to date and 
current and take update classes to keep the degree current.  That said...
 
I know how to teach kids.  Been there done that...in fact have written my own 
curriculum for my religious school.  I always, if time is available ask kids 
for movement or dance ideas etc...
 
I don't write my own music etc...because I am not good at it and rely on such 
talents as Fran Avni and Karnen Daniels, Rick Recht, Ken Chasen , Jeff Klepper, 
Rabbi Joe Black, Craig Taubman etc...to "give" me what I need to teach and give 
to "my kids".  I am sure there is a perfect world where everyone sings on 
pitch, plays perfect instruments AND writes their own music, but where I am 
sitting and in my life...that isn't happening.
 
So, if we are going to nick pick every word that someone writes as 
gospel...then I gotta tell you...I have a real problem...
 
I thought when i joined this listserve (how ever long ago, 2yrs? maybe)
that it was for exchanging ideas, music questions and pure and simple...help.  
and i have received this.  but the bickering, or what i am calling bickering I 
think is enough.  
 
if I am over reacting...then I am sorry and forget this message.
 
I am very good at what I do as a music educator, singer and alla round 
entertainer whether its secular or religious (obviously typing not one of them).
 
 


rahel <rahel (at) empire(dot)net> wrote:
At 10:51 AM 1/8/2004 -0800, you wrote:
I teach the little guys songs ranging from the classics to shticky songs.  They 
are usually sponges and will sing and do just about anything you ask them.  At 
that young age, they grasp language very easily, so I make sure to do a lot of 
hebrew songs (ie the classics) and add shticky songs when needed....

Shalom,

I do not mean to insult anyone with the following. What was said above is 
exactly the reason why we need to be careful about what we teach, and about 
what we ask little kids to do. Thank you Ilana, for clarifying the issues about 
dinosaurs. Little kids can totally understand that our Torah is only X years 
old, and that dinosaurs existed in a different time period - so let's choose a 
Torah related figure to lead us in song! And if I may be so bold as to suggest 
that, rather than telling them what to do, why do we ask them instead. Give 
them the tools they need: make a list of words, - preferably in Hebrew - then 
write the songs and make up the activities. I can safely say that kids will get 
a lot more out of a participatory lesson where they are making up the 
song/activity rather than being told what to do! If you want to help a person, 
don't just give him the fish - teach him HOW to fish. Teach the kids how to 
look into our own sources. In order to do this, they need to first find
 the sources. So give them a Tanakh - find the stories there first. At least 
this way they will know that we actually have a Tanakh and they will know HOW 
to use it. Go from there. 

Rahel




ilana axel <iaxel (at) yahoo(dot)com> wrote: 
   Perhaps I can help here, not with an opinion, but with 
   an understanding. My sister-in-law, who became very 
   observant in her adult life, asked my husband and I 
   not to send dinosaur items as gifts to her children. 
   The reason she gave was that since according to the 
   Torah, the world was created 5764 years ago, dinosaurs 
   could not have possibly existed. This is the only 
   conflict I know about with regards to Judaism and 
   dinosaurs, and I think it would concern some orthodox 
   and Chasidic Jews. But my understanding is that the 
   discussion here has more to do with which secular 
   symbols we liberal Jews feel comfortable with, or not, 
   and for what reasons. Hope this helps a tiny bit. 
   Ilana 
   --- Amy Fried wrote: 
   > Could you tell us the rest of the words to "if you 
   > see two neirot hide your 
   > eyes??" Sounds cute. 
   > 
   > Also, Rahel brings up an interesting question: 
   > what's un-Jewish about a 
   > dinosaur? Sure, they're not mentioned in the bible, 
   > but does that make them 
   > secular? 
   > -Amy 
   > ----- Original Message ----- 
   > From: "erik contzius" 
   > To: 
   > Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2004 10:12 AM 
   > Subject: [HANASHIR:16463] music for preschoolers 
   > 
   > 
   > > wow, that was a large digest to sift through! 
   > > 
   > > i would only advocate that for the sake of 
   > > preschoolers who make great affective connections 
   > to 
   > > their judaism at their age, that there be taught a 
   > > BALANCE of music--that which teaches them in 
   > English 
   > > certain values/rituals of judaism, irrespective of 
   > > musical form, AND that which teaches them 
   > something 
   > > about traditional Jewish music. I'll do silly 
   > stuff 
   > > like, "If you see two neirot, hide your eyes..." 
   > (if 
   > > you're happy and you know it) at the same time as 
   > I 
   > > have them all sing the traditional "Heiveinu 
   > shalom 
   > > aleikhem" or "zum gali gali." preschoolers will 
   > grow 
   > > up with positive connections to their judaism 
   > based on 
   > > their positive affective memories. i want to 
   > ensure 
   > > that those memories are both filled with 
   > informative 
   > > things as well as things which musically sound 
   > jewish. 
   > > if people want to do some dinosaur song, great. 
   > but 
   > > please, for the love of jewish culture, throw in 
   > some 
   > > simple niggunim or kick it "old school" as well. 
   > let's 
   > > not forget the oldies but goodies (whatever those 
   > may 
   > > be in your communities). 
   > > 
   > > 
   > > 
   > > ===== 
   > > Cantor Erik L. F. Contzius 
   > > New Rochelle, New York 
   > > 
   > > COME TO THE ROZHINKE RETREAT: http://rozhinke.org/ 
   > > http://community.webshots.com/user/eriklfc 
   > > http://soundswrite.com/swstore1.html#howexcellent 
   > > http://tinr.org/ 
   > > 
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