Our class has been busy preparing for Hanukkah while we learn about the different ways in which we can parody songs. As a "warmup" for our upcoming parody video in the spring, we created our own parody of Hava Nagila after learning of the origins and evolution of the iconic song. (Remember Alan Sherman's "Harvey and Sheila?" We did one better - a Hava parody about Hava!)
And that's not all we've been up to! A few of the members of Junior Choir showed up to Friday night services on December 4 to help Cantor Korn lead the services. They were a small but mighty group!
And, oy! Such fun we had during Hanukkah!
Erin made latkes.
We played dreidle. (Mmmm...Skittles!)
We sang lots of Hanukkah songs!
We lit the candles!
We did Hanukkah art activities!
We learned how to say dreidle (sevivon) and latkes (sufganiyot) in Hebrew!
And we watched lots of Hanukkah song parodies! This year's favorites:
Watch Me (Spin/Dray Dray) Whip and Nae Nae parody by Six 13.
"Latke Recipe" (Shut up and Dance With Me parody) by the Maccabeats.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Hava Nagila!!
This week, we have been focusing on the origins and evolution of what is arguably the most "Jewish" of all songs: Hava Nagila. The students have been watching "Hava Nagila (The Movie)" and creating timelines reflecting the song's ever changing life. It's pretty fascinating! Parents, ask your children what they know about Hava - they are becoming quite the experts!
Here are a few notable versions of the song:
Here is a wonderful version by Harry Belafonte (not Jewish) who made the song popular in 1959, and Danny Kaye (Jewish) on the Danny Kaye Show.
Connie Francis, an Italian American singer, grew up in an Italian/Jewish neighborhood. In 1960, she recorded an album of Jewish favorites, with Hava Nagila the first song on the album. She would combine the songs Exodus (from the movie) and Hava Nagila in her live performances. She would dedicate the song to "The great state and people of Israel, who are truly and inspiration to the whole free world."
Certainly the shortest, and one of the most controversial versions, Bob Dylan "butchered" Hava Nagila back in the early 60's. But I would argue that rather than a "terrible" version, it's a pretty great version.
Bob Dylan certainly knew the lyrics to Hava Nagila - he grew up in a Jewish home, where he would have danced the hora to Hava Nagila as a child and teenager in the 1940's and 50's. This "terrible" rendition of Hava Nagila is actually a very deliberate protest song. The Jewish community, like the rest of America, was undergoing an identity crisis in the 1960's, and Dylan was expressing the very Jewish ideal of questioning and "wrestling with" one's roots and identity. By this time, Hava Nagila had become an American "pop" song, performed by scores of musicians, and recorded by everyone from Connie Francis (Italian American) to Harry Belafonte (African America). It was no longer a "Jewish" song. Dylan seized the opportunity to both accept and reject what Hava Nagila was (originally a Hasidic niggun, then a Zionist anthem), and what it had become (an American "pop" song). Brilliant.
Friday, October 30, 2015
What Is Jewish Music, Anyway?
How is Jewish music different from other music? Why is music important to us as Jews? How can we evaluate Jewish music? What is Jewish music, anyway? These are some of the questions that we have been wrestling with in Shira this week.
To begin to approach the subject, each class broke into small groups after listening to many examples of Jewish music. In their groups, they wrote descriptions of what they believe Jewish music is. After coming together, the groups pooled their information, and by the end of 2nd Session on Sunday, we had come up with the following definition of Jewish music:
"Jewish music is a form of self expression that connects us to God, each other, and our Jewish heritage."
Now that they can identify Jewish music, the students will be using the following criteria throughout the year to evaluate a variety of musical compositions. Basically, they are becoming music critics!
What are the Elements of a Musical Composition?
What makes music ‘musical?’ There are several elements which work together to create a musical composition. When you listen to, and evaluate a piece of music, try to spend a moment listening to each of these elements:
Melody
The succession of single tones in musical compositions, as distinguished from
harmony and rhythm. What is the “main line,” or “shape” of the music? How does it rise and fall in order to sound “melodious,” or pleasing to the ear?
Rhythm
The pattern of regular or irregular pulses (beats) caused in music by the occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic beats. Are there groups of beats in a recurring pattern (meter)? Does this pattern, or meter change within the composition, creating mixed meters?
Harmony
The simultaneous combination of tones, especially when blended into chords pleasing to the ear; chordal structure,as distinguished from
melody and rhythm. Can you hear three or more pitches at the same time (chords)? Are the harmonies comfortable (consonant) to the ear? Or are they uncomfortable to listen to (dissonant)?
Tonality
Refers to a particular scale or system of tones; a key. Often, a “diatonic,” or 7-note scale is used, with a regular pattern of 5 whole and 2 half “steps” between notes in the scale. “Major,” “minor” and “chromatic” (half-step) scales are all commonly used. (More on this later...)
Texture
The distinctive “quality” of the composition. How many melody or harmony lines do you hear? Are two or more parts sung or played simultaneously? Is the rhythm the same throughout? Is the overall “feel” of the music easy on the ear, or not?
Tempo
Relative rapidity or rate of movement within a composition, usually indicated by such terms as adagio, allegro,(usually Italian terms) etc., or by reference to the metronome (i.e. 140 beats per minute). How fast or slow is the music? Does the speed change at one or more points in the composition?
Dynamics
The variation and gradation in the volume of musical sound. Does the music get louder or softer at certain points? Do the dynamics contribute to the overall “feeling” or “story” of the composition? If so, how?
Genre
Refers to compositional types or categories of works. Examples include opera, chorale, symphony, jazz, rock and roll, hip hop, rhythm and blues, reggae, klezmer, blues, folk, country, electronic, Asian, Latin, African, Brazilian, comedy, avant-garde. There are many styles (sub-genres) within each genre of music.
The students have evaluated some pretty cool musical selections so far!
Matisyahu's "One Day" is reggae, with a strong rhythm, and repeating melody line.
The Maccabeats' acapella harmonies are what makes their songs unique.
Shlomo Gronich and the Sheba choir incorporate African rhythms, tempo changes and key changes into their music.
Shalom Shiraniks!
Today, you guys completed your first unit, AND your first parody video! You did an amazing job of showing what you know by writing lyrics to "The Praying Bunch," and I'm proud to present the first Shira music video of 2015!
Actually, this project didn't happen overnight. First, we learned about the history of the Temple, and the use of sacrifice in ancient days. Then, we learned about how when the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians (and the Jews were exiled to Babylon), they had nowhere to sacrifice to God. Eventually, the rabbis began to lead prayer services in synagogues, and we've been praying without the aid of the Temple priests ever since.
Before we could write the song, we needed to learn about rhyming patterns (this song has an ABCB pattern - parents ask your kids about why!). Then we had to count how many syllables go into each line of the original song, and where the accents and pauses are in the lyrics. Finally, we could write our lyrics, which we did collaboratively. Session 1 and Session 2 split the lyrics, each writing half of the song. Finally, we recorded the song to a karaoke version of the Brady Bunch theme song. Whew! Great work!
Oh, yeah, we also did some other stuff, like learning to write alef and bet in Hebrew (Aba is Dad)
And we learned some drum beats with Erin, and harmonies and hand motions for our new songs with Maya!
Don't forget, next Sunday we have Junior Choir, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, the entire grade will be playing our "Jewpardy" game! See you then!
This week, we began our week by learning about the music that was made wayyyyy back in the day. We're talking pre-synagogue, pre-Temple, "Wandering in the Wilderness" days. (Yep, that's even before my time!). The ancient Israelites had left Egypt, were no longer slaves, and had begun their wanderings. And what do you think they brought with them? Music!
It was likely that the earliest style of "Jewish" music resembled that of the Egyptians, since that's what the Israelites had been exposed to for several generations. With instruments like the kinnor (lyre, or harp), the shofar and the timbrel (tamborine), they honored God in the holy Tabernacle, which was a portable "Temple," and they likely used music at lifecycle events such as weddings and funerals. What would this music have sounded like? We can only guess, since we don't have any actual music from that time period. However, it may have sounded much like this video of a Babylonian wedding song played on a kinnor:
We also learned a bit about the history of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The students will be sharing their knowledge of music in the Temple with the rest of the 5th and 6th graders on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27th and 28th, when they lead the classes in a "Jewpardy" game during community building time.
JUNIOR CHOIR kicked off the season with a couple of new tunes, and some vocal coaching by Cantor Korn. They began by learning a new tune for the Barchu...
Cantor Korn shows the Junior Choir how to project their voices to make a bigger sound.
First Junior Choir rehearsal!
This is the new tune the kids are learning - "In This House" by Beth Schafer. (It says Nachamu, but it's actually the right song, just mislabeled!
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Chag Sameach!
Happy Holiday, its Simcha Torah!
Today, our class met in the afternoon, in order to celebrate Simcha Torah with the rest of the congregation this evening. It was a joyous gathering, with much singing, dancing and laughter.
We unrolled the Torahs, holding them up as we sang "Romemu."
Shiraniks holding the Torah!
ca
Cantor Korn leading the congregation in reciting the blessing over the Torah.
Rabbi Graetz showing us the first and last portions in the Torah.
Everyone got in on the act!
The Israelites cross the Reed Sea! See how it looks like water?
A Kleztones-eye-view of the congregation!
It was a packed synagogue as we all came to celebrate the giving of the Torah!
Leah helps pass out Simcha Torah flags.
Look at all those future Shiraniks getting a blessing from Cantor Korn and the rabbis!
Ethan and the Kleztones rocked the house!
Torah holding teachers!
And now we dance! Doing hakafot as we danced the hora with the Torah!
Simcha!
Maimone: You wanna dance with the Torah? You talkin to me?
Welcome to Shira 2015-16!
This year is already turning into an awesome year in Shira, and I am very much enjoying working with the Shira class of 2015-16! Since the year got off to a bang with the High Holy Days, Sukkot, and Simcha Torah, I'm putting all of our wonderful experiences from our first two weeks into this, the first blog of the year.
We began by getting to know each other, and creating a class "symphony quilt." What is a "symphony quilt," you ask? Well, each of us has a unique "note" that we can play that is part of a larger symphony. We all bring something different to the table, and as the year goes on in Shira, we will work together in harmony. I asked the students to think about, and write their own "note." This includes: Nature - what is your nature, or personality? Ovation - what accomplishments are you proud of? What would get you a standing ovation? Talent - what are you talented at? Expression - how do you express your Jewishness?
The Shiraniks created some very nice quilt pieces, and shared their own Notes with the rest of the class. After sharing, we were inspired to schedule a class talent show (we have some awesome talents in Shira!) - date TBA!
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we welcomed our new songleader, Maya, to class, and had a wonderful kumsitz with her during our first weekday session. The Shiraniks shared their favorite musical artists or groups, and we sang, we shmoozed and we kibbutzed!
We also began a new tradition for 5th and 6th grade - a community building gathering at the beginning of each weekday session, in which we spend the first ten minutes of class together with Y'itzirah and Edot. As a large group, we settle in, play a game related to some Jewish concept or value, and get into the JQuest spirit before breaking into our individual classes. This week, we played Jewish Rituals Charades.
I told the students that Sukkot is my favorite holiday of all, and when they asked why (after giving me a funny look when I said it's even better than Hanukkah), I told them it's because during Sukkot we are commanded to BE HAPPY!!! Yep, it's a mitzvah. We are supposed to be happy, celebrate and have lots of fun for seven whole days! What a great holiday, right?
We joined Charna's class in the Sukkah
Erin asks, "What is a sukkah?"
On Wednesday, it was too wet to go into the sukkah, so we had our Sukkot lesson in the BK!
Tammy and Yardena taught the Shiraniks some new sukkot words, like "simcha" (happiness) and "sukkah" (booth)
We acted out ways in which we can fulfill the commandments of Sukkot.
Celebrate!
(Not quite sure what the Avodahniks were going for here...but it must have been a mitzvah!)
How Do We Celebrate Sukkot?
During our second Sunday, and first weekday classes, we learned ways in which we celebrate Sukkot. Some of the main points about the holiday of Sukkot include:
What does “sukkot” mean?It means “booths” (plural of "sukkah")
What is a “booth”? A temporary shelter.
When did the Israelites have to live in temporary shelters? During the 40 years of wandering after the Exodus from Egypt
What do we do during Sukkot? During Sukkot, we build a sukkah. We eat, play and even sleep in the sukkah. We decorate the sukkah with natural and man-made decorations.
What else do we call Sukkot?
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Ingathering…
Why is it called the “Feast of Ingathering?” Here's a hint: If you lived on a farm, what would you be doing now? Picking your fruits and veggies, of course! You would be "gathering in" the harvest to get ready for the winter.
How is Sukkot similar to Thanksgiving? It is a time to give thanks for what we have, family gathering, celebration, food.
How is it different?
We build a sukkah, eat and sleep outside, say Hebrew blessings, shake the lulav, and invite the Ushpizin to join us in the sukkah.
What are “Ushpizin?” Ushpizin are guests. During Sukkot we invite the seven patriarchs of Israel -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and King David to join us in the Sukkah, as well as the Imahot - the "mothers" - Sarah, Rebeccah, Rachel and Leah, . We also invite others to join us, including friends, family, and even strangers. It is a tradition to include a special place at our table for family and friends who have passed away, but that we want to “invite” to the party, remembering them during this holiday. (We had a very interesting discussion about how Sukkot was similar to the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead, in which family members are remembered at a festive family picnic each year.)
Why do we shake the lulav? And what the heck is a lulav, anyway?! It is a special mitzvah to have and use the Four Species (Arba'a Minim) during Sukkot. These are Myrtle (Hadar), Palm (lulav), Willow (Hadasseh) and Citron (Etrog).
It is a positive commandment from the Torah [Leviticus 23:40] to gather together the Four Species during Sukkot:
“On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before Adonai your God seven days.”
We learned the blessing over the shaking of the lulav, which begins like other familiar blessings, and ends with "al netilat lulav."
Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu melech a olam asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav vitzivanu al netilat lulav.
Then, the students learned the process of shaking the lulav (which we do daily, in the sukkah, preferably in the morning) by singing a silly song that I wrote called The Lulav Shake.
We played dreidle. (Mmmm...Skittles!)
