a place to learn about the world of the as yet unnamed genre of contemporary Jewish music that I call contemporary Jewish liturgical folk/pop/rock that has been with us for the last 4 decades or so-from Debbie Friedman (z"l)Craig Taubman and Doug Cotler to Julie Silver, Dan Nichols to Josh Nelson to Joshua Nelson to... - and beyond.
I am way behind on my emails but did see your comment and Scott's reply on Hanashir. I do agree with your blog. I am not a guitar player nor ever been much into camping, but as a more classical singer, I just have not been able to get much into the folksy songs. I do some, but my voice is just not suited to it. I sing as a cantorial soloist at a very small reform synagogue, and although I do now and then try to teach the congregation some of the newer melodies, we still end up with the old tunes and prayers of yore. It is especially true now that we are getting used to the new Prayer book. Anything new takes time to adjust to, so we are using pretty much the same tunes at every service. At one of our summer BBQ services last year, I did one of the "campy" Sh'mah that is quite old in fact, and one member got mad at me for doing something different, although he is one that only came two or three times a year! So I feel rather burned out of incentive, actually.
At the High Holidays, I do sing the High Holiday motif, but I now I couple some of the Friday night tunes with the HH tunes so they get a little of both.
I would like to suggest a new songbook that goes along with the New Prayer Book. Since some words have been changed in English and Hebrew is now printed in transliteration, it would be nice to have a book the The Gates of Song that reflects the changes of words.
Yes times are different. There are fewer younger people coming to synagogue. It's a struggle to get my own adult children to come. They are still young and without children themselves, but they just don't get it about community, history, etc. Even when I go to other synagogues on a Friday night, I don't see younger adults or children attending like it used to be (and I'm a few years your senior, Adrian. Anyway, that is my rant!
I am way behind on my emails but did see your comment and Scott's reply on Hanashir. I do agree with your blog. I am not a guitar player nor ever been much into camping, but as a more classical singer, I just have not been able to get much into the folksy songs. I do some, but my voice is just not suited to it. I sing as a cantorial soloist at a very small reform synagogue, and although I do now and then try to teach the congregation some of the newer melodies, we still end up with the old tunes and prayers of yore. It is especially true now that we are getting used to the new Prayer book. Anything new takes time to adjust to, so we are using pretty much the same tunes at every service. At one of our summer BBQ services last year, I did one of the "campy" Sh'mah that is quite old in fact, and one member got mad at me for doing something different, although he is one that only came two or three times a year! So I feel rather burned out of incentive, actually.
ReplyDeleteAt the High Holidays, I do sing the High Holiday motif, but I now I couple some of the Friday night tunes with the HH tunes so they get a little of both.
I would like to suggest a new songbook that goes along with the New Prayer Book. Since some words have been changed in English and Hebrew is now printed in transliteration, it would be nice to have a book the The Gates of Song that reflects the changes of words.
Yes times are different. There are fewer younger people coming to synagogue. It's a struggle to get my own adult children to come. They are still young and without children themselves, but they just don't get it about community, history, etc. Even when I go to other synagogues on a Friday night, I don't see younger adults or children attending like it used to be (and I'm a few years your senior, Adrian. Anyway, that is my rant!