Songleader Boot Camp post #6: My final sessions

Saturday night, Feb. 20, 2021

I'm kinda "written out" after my long-winded posts about #slbc21

Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC Group)

, so I'm just post my Feedback as my final(?) shout-out to SLBC--what a wonderful experience!

 

Wednesday, February 17

The Spaces We Lead: Holding Holy Space (with

Eliana Light

and Rabbi

Josh Warshawsky

)

Planning prayers with intention is new for me. My husband and I are co-leading Shabbat morning Zoom services with our cantor (from our respective apartments). I'd like to have a Zoom meeting with our cantor to discuss "new things that we'd like to try," as it was phrased in this session. I don't think our synagogue has ever had a service that was planned and/or rehearsed in advance--we just open the siddur and go. Our cantor is from a yeshivah background, & tends to run every service at "weekday-morning commuter-minyan" speed. I've been trying for years to figure out a way to get him to "slow down and smell the roses." Granted that we have to watch the time because of "Zoom fatigue," but it would be nice to have enough time to say Amen after the b'rachah and before Shema, and enough time to say "v'kara shel el zeh v'amar" before he jumps right into "Kadosh." P.S. Eliana and Josh are wonderful teachers!

 

Thursday, February 18

Taking Care of YOU! Voice Preservation (with

Todd Herzog

)

Todd gave some enlightening explanations of how the voice works and what might make it not work so well, and showed some exercises. And the folks in the chat gave helpful suggestions and book recommendations. Marcia Weinstein recommended ""Change Your Voice, Change Your Life" by Dr. Morton Cooper "--it's my BIBLE for vocal health, finding your natural pitch, and learning how to TALK and SING safely." Cantor Sandy Bernstein said, "The Fast Tract Diet is wonderful for acid reflux" & "Vocalizing with a LaxVox tube in water is the best way to vocalize!" So I now have 2 books to buy, and I have to google LaxVox.

I decided to attend SLBC this year because I don't know whether I'll be able to attend it in future years--my husband and I are both retired, and the cost of two plane tickets and several nights in a hotel may be beyond our reach. Wishing all the best to everyone involved in this incredible learning opportunity, especially

Rick Recht

and

Elisa Heiligman-Recht

!

I'm sorry to say that this video somehow vanished from my phone, and doesn't seem to have made it onto my computer, but it's preserved on Facebook, so enjoy a short look at Rabbi

Josh Warshawsky

at the

Hadar's Rising Song Institute

's Intensive of 2019--he led this song at one of the SLBC sessions. https://www.facebook.com/100010023669755/videos/1053336371677142/

 

Sunday, February 21, 2021 correction:

Shira, you idiot, no wonder you can't find that video of Josh on your phone--you're not the one who recorded it! Many thanks to Rabbi

Marcelo Bronstein

for this video!