[HANASHIR:4651] Hanashir-Into the Next Century

[Adrian Durlester <durleste...>]

Chaverim:

This is a perfect opportunity to take stock of the Hanashir list, where it
has been, where it is, and where it may be going.

We are now three years old (the list started in November 1996.) We began
with about 15 members and have grown to over 230. We have subscribers from
all over, with many different affiliations.

The list started as a way for attendees at OSRUI's annual Hava Nashira Song
Leading Workshop to stay in touch, and keep the spirit alive. It rapidly
grew into much more than that - a true online community and a resource. It
has become a place for Jewish song leaders, music educators, songwriters,
performers, cantors, musicians, teachers, etc. to share information,
experiences, ask questions, receive guidance. It is a friendly, loving,
caring respectful (though sometimes passionate) community.

We have subscribers from orthodox, conservative, reform, reconstructionist,
unaffiliated, post-movemental and other backgrounds and communities. We are
bonded by a common love of Judaism and the integral place of music in
Judaism and Jewish worship.

Other lists may focus primarily on cantorial arts or "ethnic" Jewish music
(i.e. klezmer), or are lists for fans, listeners, etc.  Here at Hanashir we
focus on the full range of music that is being used today in worship,
schools, camps, etc. I have been searching for adequate terminology to
describe this genre, but as of yet have been unsuccessful. I lean towards
"contemporary Jewish liturgical music" but even that can be a bit too
exclusive. I'm open to suggestions on this one. After all, we are lumping
into one giant pot traditional nusach, "mi-Sinai" tunes, turn-of-the century
(hmm-that's about to become an unspecific term...) classic synagogue music,
camp songs, chalutzim songs, Israeli pop music, classic and contemporary
cantorial music, classic contemporary folk-style liturgical music, new
contemporary liturgical music, pedagogical music, and dozens of other
categories.

I am always working to improve the affiliated web site. Soon, I will begin
working with the creator of the zemerl list at Princeton on getting the
contemporary liturgical music into this database. We will also be enabling
access to the Hanashir list archives via the web, and will create an index
of topics so that people can review old message threads that may be useful
to them.

What can you, as subscribers, do for Hanashir?

First of all-write in. Often. Keep your messages relevant, and avoid
one-line comments-but write. Ask questions. Offer advice. Share experiences,
tips, new ideas, announcements about your work (please limit commercial
announcements to one self-serving post per item or event), suggestions, song
parodies, useful web sites, useful books, etc.

Secondly-support and work with each other. Attend each others performances.
Buy each others music. Perform together. Work together. Back each other up.
Record albums together. Block book. Honor copyrights and insist that your
institution do the same. Co-write new songs together. Visit each other.
Attend workshops (like Hava Nashira, mini-CAJES, CAJE, etc.) Encourage the
newcomer. Thank those who are and have been writing and performing this
music. Be respectful.

Third-help the community grow. Anyone who is involved in teaching,
performing, writing, leading Jewish music at synagogues, schools, camps,
JCCs, or anyplace else should be a part of this online community. Tell your
friends and peers about Hanashir. Get them to join in and share.

Fourth-make this a place people want to be. That means following the rules
of netiquette. It also means accepting the responsibilities that go along
with being part of an online community. It's a two-way proposition. You must
limit and restrain and control what you do. You also need to be tolerant of
those who find it harder to do that sometimes - and learn to use that delete
key. As list-owner, I walk a fine line between encouraging active
participation, and dealing with the complaints of those who are overwhelmed
by the volume of list traffic at times, some of it, to their taste,
unnecessary or irrelevant. I do NOT moderate this list-i.e.., messages are
not held for my approval. Once the list grew large this became an impossible
task. Anything you send to the list goes directly to it. So think twice
before hitting send.

Fifth-visit the web site: http://uahc.org/hanashir/, utilize its resources,
and make suggestions for improvements, useful links, etc. Want to write an
article to be posted to the web site? Let me know.

Sixth-Make music. Share it. Pray it. Write it. Perform it. Listen to it. Buy
it. Support the people out there who support us, like Tara, Soundswrite,
ARE, Transcontinental, ACC/GTM, Cantor's Assembly, etc.

Seventh-rest. "Even Gd had to take a nap..."*

Now that I've asked what you can do for Hanashir, I must ask what Hanashir
can do for you. What's good about hanashir? What needs improving? What can
we add? How can it serve your needs better? Write me publicly or privately.


Thanks to all of you for making Hanashir what it is, for bringing your gifts
to it. Shiru L'Ad-nai.

Adrian

*-from "Shabbat Shalom", a lullaby, by Karen Daniel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian A. Durlester  -  durleste (at) home(dot)com
http://members.home.net/durleste/
Student, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/vds/vds-home.htm
Music Director, Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN http://www.micahnash.org/
Home phone (615) 646-9788 Nextel cel-phone (615) 207-2661
You can page me from http://www.nextel.com
List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
shamash(dot)org
http://uahc.org/hanashir
Editor, Bim Bam (for Torah Aura Productions) http://www.torahaura.com/
Alternate Email: aad (at) iname(dot)com  adriand (at) aol(dot)com

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