From Tabernacle to Temple to New Tunes

Shalom Shiraniks!

JEWISH MUSICAL HISTORY 

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!