Re: Musicians and dancing (Feldman workshop)

[Susan Lerner <meydele...>]

At 12:29 PM 10/14/02 -0400, you wrote:
> Zev began teaching some dance steps to musicians so that they would better 
> understand how the music had to fit together and be played.
Dance for klezmer musicians, most definitely.

I had the privilege and extraordinary joy of watching Deborah Strauss and Jeff 
Warschauer conduct a workshop with a chamber orchestra at a Jewish high school 
here in LA last week.  The kids had been provided with Jeff & Deborah's 
arrangements of 2 songs in advance of Deborah and Jeff's stay in LA, which they 
had rehearsed with their teacher.  After hearing the kids run through the songs 
as rehearsed by their teacher (wholly unfamiliar with the klezmer genre), 
Deborah had the students put down their instruments, stand up, sing the nign 
and dance in a circle to what they were singing.  When they played the piece 
again, the difference was immediately apparent.

If list members are affiliated with any schools - Jewish day, high or Sunday 
schools or with music in public school - immediately start organizing bake 
sales and raising money to bring Jeff and Deborah out to work with your kids.  
It is an amazing, transformative experience for the kids.  We (Yiddishkayt LA) 
is now working with a large public high school's orchestra director to put 
together a klezmer concert with the school's mariachi and string orchestras for 
next school year. (I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it was to hear 
the mariachi band (some 30 strong) play klezmer!)

I am tremendously envious of those who got to attend Zev's workshop this past 
week-end.  But for the fact that Food for the Soul: A Celebration of Yiddish 
concluded this past week-end, I would have been there.  Please, if there are to 
be future such week-ends, don't just build on the foundation laid, but have a 
week-end for those who couldn't make it to catch up!

Shira Lerner
Yiddishkayt LA



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