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Re: Ruach and singing



Dear Fellow Jewish Music Lovers, Singers and Leaders,
    I have been a "singing rabbi" now for 16 1/2 years, and I have been
singing in Jewish choirs or youth group since 1963 (has it been that long?).
 As the Shabbat soloist and conduit for new Jewish music in my congregation
(Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka, Kansas - 135 families), I have tried to
incorporate singable music from "American Nusach" into our worship and into
the music I teach to 3rd-8th graders.  I meet with the 35 students (combined)
in 3rd-8th grades combined for one music session - it makes it comfortable
for the 7th-8th graders to sing.  Another teacher does Pre-K through 2nd
grade.  I do find that I have to tell the student to sing loudly.  About the
only ones I can count on for volume are my son Adam and one of his good
friends who also sings well.  Still, the students are singing just about
anything I present that I think will work.  I introduced Julie Silver's "Shir
Chadash" a few weeks ago, and Debbie Friedman's new "We're Gonna Build This
World Together" - and I do hear some ruach (as appropriate for each song).
 Miriam's Song is still a favorite, and they sing "In the Beginning" and
"This is Very Good" (two Kol B'Seder interpretations of creation) with a fair
amount of volume without my having to prod them - I know that when I can hear
them say "and APES!" over my guitar.   I find that if I keep giving them a
push to sing louder, they will - I just hope they will do it more on their
own.
    I do try to remind our students that if they feel it's okay to sing out
in their school choir (a number of kids sing at school), then they should
feel all right about singing at Temple. 
     On November 8, we held our first healing and wholeness service in
conjunction with Havdalah.  The group that was there  (17 in all-30-75
years-old) sang the songs they new.  I decided to take the opportunity to
introduce Doug Cotler's "Listen" and Jeff Klepper's "In This Place" during
the service. What surprised me was that people started singing along with the
refrain lines of both of those songs, and not softly!  It was gratifying to
hear people trying to sing along with songs they had never heard, because it
showed that they want to sing.   
      Congregational singing at Friday night services is sometimes very
spirited.  At other times, I don't have the right people there who are
willing to sing so that they can be heard.   I always hear some singing.
      I think Jeff is partly right about the missing ruach, but if we persist
in dragging it out of our children and adults, it will come and they will
eventually like it.  
       I have enjoyed reading other people's comments on this issue.  Let's
not give up, because if we can get our students to hum even one song as they
leave a music session, maybe they'll hum it at home, too.  We will know then
that at least one aspect of Judaism has gotten under their skin and, perhaps,
into their soul!
L'shalom,
(Rabbi) Larry Karol
Topeka, Kansas  


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