Educational Development Classes offered
by Bryan Zive and Kol Echad
1. "Follow in My Footsteps": A Songleading Development Course
Songleading, believe it or not, is more then playing a guitar and singing! In fact, it makes only about ten percent of the actual job! This seminar (either 1/2 day*, full day** or weekend***) will help musicians and songleaders (current or future) develop to the next level. They will learn how to connect emotionally and physically with a group while singing and songleading, as well as repertoire, new and traditional, and other techniques to make their songleading experience incredible not just for their audience, but for themselves as well. Song writing will also be available during this event. (This seminar is designed for songleaders and/or musicians with a strong musical background). Both Bryan and Sam can teach this course.
2. "It's No Dream: A Journey of Israeli Music"
This class offers a tremendous and emotional journey of music from famous Israeli composers, songs written in honor of the Zionist dream, words of Torah and even contemporary Israeli pop rock . Composers and bands we discuss are Naomi Shemer, Bonia Shur, Ehud Manor, David Broza, Tzvikah Pik and the winners of the Israeli Music Festivals of the past. Listen to Bryan sing, as well as hear recordings of your favorite Israeli music.
3. "From Camp to Shul: The History of Camp music and its effect on Synagogue Life"
Did you go to Jewish Summer camp? Have your children? Did your parents? Explore the history of music in the camping movement and the rise of contemporary Jewish folk and rock music. Go in-depth to the 1940s and 1950s and the development of Zionist music, to the 1970s with the popularity and birth of music written by Debbie Friedman and Jeff Klepper, as well as the 1990s with Jewish Rock playing a pivotal role in the development of Jewish identites with Rick Recht and Dan Nichols. This class is fully interactive with a combination of lecture and sing-along.
4. "Who wants to be a Dugma Isheet?: Group building activities"
A Dugma Isheet is a role model; a person that everyone follows and desires to be a leader and teacher. This class stresses the importance of being a leader and uses many of the popular (and quite fun!) group and relationship building activities. Remember the human knot? What about the spider web? This option is perfect for youth groups and any other group of people you want to gel together and become role models for your community.
5. "To Pray or Not to Pray? That is the question!: A Learning Service"
This class will dissect the prayer service, piece by piece. We'll go start to finish through the service and explore (and hopefully answer!) many of the questions people have about it. Why are there 19 prayers in the Amidah on weekdays, but NOT on Shabbat? When do we bow, and why? Come learn and pray with us so you can feel like a natural at services!
6. "1 vs 300 million": Dealing with Anti-Semetism in our Society
One of our everyday struggles as Jews is the battle of Anti-Semetism in the United States and abroad. Why is it there? How can we change it? Why is it justified? We'll focus on the deeper issues involving print and broadcast media and bias, as well as the world's view on Israel and the Zionist movement. How can you deal with Anti-Semetism on college campuses? This is a very emotional, informative fourm like discussion about the challenges of being Jewish in North America and the rest of the world.
7. "Kol Echad (One Voice): Studying the Sh'ma and its Importance"
Why is the Sh'ma so important to our religion and liturgy? Where can you find it, other than in a prayer book? Why do people close their eyes when they recite it? Its God really ONE? What is God to all of us? In this program, we come together to dicuss our relationships with God and go farther into discussions created by Jewish philosophers about God's placement in the world, especially tying in the story of Creation to modern day society.
8. "What's with all this blessing?: Breaking down the Daily Blessings"
In one of our more popular programs, we take the blessings that we as Jews recite every morning in our prayer, study them and create our own interpretations based around their foundation. What does it mean to be created in God's image? What are our duties and obligations as Jewish people? As a group, we rewrite the miracles for daily life in a way that we can relate to them. We adapt a melody that Bryan wrote with the Hagigah Songwriting worshop at URJ Camp Newman in 2004 and write our own song... our own blessings.
