Coming to America

Hello everyone,

           I hope you all had a warm, wonderful Thanksgiving!  We only have a couple of weeks until Hanukkah, but I wanted to touch base with you about upcoming Shira events and news:

•   Cantor Korn and I look forward to seeing you and your child at this Friday’s Junior Choir performance at Shabbatarama.  Please have your child arrive at the sanctuary by 6:00pm to warm up for the services, which begin at 6:30pm. 
• This weekend, the 5th and 6^th graders will be attending a special b’nai mitzvah prep class.  The 6^th grade will meet on Saturday from 9:00-12:00, and the 5^th grade will meet on Sunday during first session only (9:00-11:00).  
•  If you have not had a chance to fill out the “Family Roots” questionnaire with your child, please do so by next week. 

The Next Stop on the Jewish Musical History Tour is...

The students have left Europe, and are about to land in America with many of their ancestors.  I have sent home a questionnaire about your own family's roots.  If you have not had a chance to fill it out with your child yet, please do so as soon as possible.  We will be comparing our own origins with those of many of the Jews coming to America during what became known as the Great Migration.

In the meantime, here is what we've been up to over the last couple of weeks:

We rehearsed and recorded our Ashkenazi Rap song, which is now being edited.  When it is finished, we will upload it to YouTube!

The students were treated to a "Prayer in Motion" tefillah with special guest artist Liz Lerman.  As she led us in prayer, the students came up with movements for various words and phrases, which were incorporated into the prayer as we sang.  It was, to say the least, a very moving experience for all!
 

In cooking class, the students prepared Vegetable and Fruit Kugel Cupcakes.  A fun recipe for Shabbat!

Music with Joel continues, as we begin to learn some of the songs by our Spring Fling guest artist Peri Smilow."Rabbi Ben Bag Bag" is one of their new favorites!

In addition to teaching Junior Choir, Cantor Korn has been visiting us to teach the students cantillation.  Here, they learn the second group of symbols that will help them chant the Torah at their bnai mitzvot!

Sure, Shira is a music class, however we do like to explore a variety of artistic outlets.  For example, to learn about the lives and music of Jews in far-flung places, the students read about and created illustrations of synagogues throughout the Diaspora, from places like India, Ethiopia and Sweden.  As they were doing the artwork, they listened to secular and liturgical tunes from various Jewish communities around the world, comparing the musical styles, instrumentation and lyrics.

That's what we've been up to in Shira!