[HANASHIR:3211] Hava Withdrawl

[RMann73214 <RMann73214...>]

Hi Everyone-

Well, it's almost a week since HN, and I'm still glowing.  (Maybe that's 
cause I live too close to a nuclear reactor).  It was an amazing experience.  
New faces and sounds.  I haven't been able to get to my e mail until today, 
and I'm starting to wade through hundreds of posts.

I've been to HN every year since it started.  (I know, get a life)  I saw it 
start as a small workshop, with 44 attendees, and a curriculum that was 
untested.  Everyone was evaluated as a song leader and everyone had to 
participate in leading a service.  Each year after evaluations from the 
attendees, suggestions were made and the following year changes were put into 
the schedule.   I've seen HN become more efficient, and the classes more 
specific.  (This years High Holiday class with Jose was extremely helpful for 
me.  HH duty was added to my job description a couple of years ago.  This was 
an excellent opportunity to gather resources.)    Donny and Craigs 
songwriting class, and others were extremely beneficial.

This year I'm happy to say that song sharing was put into the curriculum 
(Verrrrrrry important) twice and we had 3 well attended Beit Cafes.  The 
wealth of musical talent and songwriting was amazing.  We need to hear from 
the attendees.  This is crucial.

And those who have attended past HN's will agree that we've always been 
"guitar heavy" in the instrumental dept.   This year we had a lot of 
diversity.  We had keyboard players.   We even had a brass section!   (It was 
great.  And every time you turned around....there they were.)   I'm glad I 
brought my electric bass.  I thought that I would noodle around with it, 
until I found out that we had an actual bass player among our ranks.  
(Thanks, Andrew)   And of course, Billy Jonas, our one-man percussion 
section, and one of the most unique and original musicians I've ever heard.

A few years ago, the number of attendees at HN doubled and I worried that we 
had lost a sense of intimacy.  True, it did change things.  But, it also 
meant that the programming needed to change to reflect it.  It didn't work at 
first.   This is the first time that I felt it did work.  On so many levels.

I tried to explain to a friend some of the more cosmic moments of HN '99.  My 
favorite moment. (There were so many of them) was the impomtu jam that lasted 
for 25 minutes in the dining hall after dinner.   It started with one table, 
then two, then the whole room was singing.  Then Carol started playing keys, 
Andrew on bass, Billy on percussion, the yiddishe Tower of Power joined in, 
tables were moved dancing began.   Unreal.   It was a cross between a San 
Francisco "Be-In" and the lunch room scene from the movie Fame.

This was also a special Hava for me, because it was the first time that I was 
able to stay for Shabbat.   Absolutely incredible.  I so rarely get a chance 
to just attend a shabbat service.  And these services for Shabbat 
were...spritual and so musically lush, it still gives me shivers thinking 
about it.   What a weekend.

Well, it doesn't matter if you're a first timer, or  if you've been to many, 
HN is a wonderful thing.  Thanks Gerry, Debbie, Jeff, Craig, Donny, Ellen and 
Josee and all of you.  And now we can take this wealth of music back to our 
temples, synagogues, youth groups, choirs, summer camps and song sessions and 
try to infuse a little bit of HN ruach.

Same time next year?   See ya.


Don't let the light go out,



Rick Mann

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