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FINALS ARE DONE!!!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
How great it feels to be finished with the year. Wow... Let me just take a moment here people... Okay... Good.
Now is a great time to explain the end of the year comprehensives, or "comps" as they are referred to. This is the HUC-SSM equivalent of what some in other music schools refer to as "voice juries," also known as "death by hanging" (kidding).
Okay, here's how it all works...
During your first year on the New York campus (your second year of cantorial school), you will spend the fall and spring semesters studying Shabbat traditional nusach. What is nusach, you ask? Ah yes, I recommend reading my previous blog entries for the answer (they are really a rare treat, I guarantee it.) Anyway, mastering this yearlong class gives you the ability to lead a traditional Shabbat service. This work is done virtually entirely from the siddur (prayer book), with occasional allowances for sheet music when the patterns get a bit more complicated. For our "comps," we are required, at the end of the academic year, to go before the faculty with a siddur and the allowed sheet music, and be prepared to sing whatever is asked of us from the traditional service that we had spent the year studying (in our first year in NYC: Shabbat. In our 2nd year: Rosh Hashanah, 3rd year: Three Festivals, 4th year: Yom Kippur). The amount of materiel to learn is nothing short of totally overwhelming, but when you break it down one section at a time, it really isn't so bad. Additionally much of the music in any given service is in the same one or two musical modes, allowing for easier learning.
Traditional nusach class is by far my favorite subject in school, and it is an incredible feeling to complete the course at the end of year and present to the faculty the fruits of your labor. Is it a totally stressful process? Well, yes it is. But it is also very gratifying. I'm just happy that it's over.
Additionally, as part of the "comps" presentation, we are required to present two pieces from our Reform workshop class. This is much less stressful, of course, because it is a miniscule amount of material compared to the nusach, and we can also use our music the whole time.
In the end, we get one half hour in front of the faculty to present their spontaneously chosen selections from about 3 and a half or 4 hours worth of music. This is simply because they don't have the time to test us on everything. They would have to sit there all night.
Well that sums up the process of "comps" at HUC. Now I'm looking forward to a relaxing summer. That's right folks, no "continuing Jewish education" or "summer camps" or "federation jobs" of any kind. I am going to relax for a little bit, now that I'm done with my 3rd year as a full time grad student with two part time jobs. (Phew!!)
I hope that you all have a terrific summer. Enjoy it! Love it! The sun is shinning. I think I'm going to go outside now.
Peace,
Arik
Posted by Arik at 3:40 PM
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Eighth Blog
Sunday, April 15, 2007
"Ride4Reform"
Hello folks in Cantor Land:
This month's entry will not focus specifically on my life as a cantorial student. Instead, I want to tell you about my recent experience on the "Ride4Reform." The "Ride4Reform" is an annual five day bike ride throughout various locations in Israel. The purpose of the ride is to raise money for the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (The Reform Movement in Israel). This year, we had 55 riders (including three cantorial students!), more then twice our attendance last year. If you like biking, or even if you like anything athletic at all, I highly recommend this ride. Our first day, we rode from our HUC campus in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. It started out extremely fast on the highway, and then we went off-road for the second half. This was extremely challenging, but also quite beautiful. On day two, we worked our way to Tiberius. On day three, we worked our way up the mountain overlooking the Kinerret (or hill if that's what you want to call it), and eventually to Tziporiah. The last two days were spent working our way to our final destination, the top of Mount Carmel in Haifa. The ascent of the mountain on the last day was extremely slow and painful, but it was certainly a glorious finish at the top. Our ride ended at Congregation "Or Chadash," one of two Reform synagogues in Haifa. We were greeted there with cheers and smiles by members of the congregation and the pre-school.
The easiest time to do the ride, by the way, is when you are already in Israel doing your year of study at HUC. I HIGHLY recommend that you do it. I bought a cheep bike while I was there, and trained as often as I could. Of course, once you are stateside, raising the money and getting over there in the middle of school, pulpits, and other jobs, is much more complicated, so make sure to do the ride while you're already there so that you get yourself hooked. You won't regret it.
"Ride4Reform"
In addition to the fun of the ride, the money that is being raised is very important. As some of you may already be aware, the Reform Movement in Israel has had to work aggressively for many years to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the Israeli government. There are old laws in Israel that protect Orthodox rabbis and keep them in exclusive control of many official duties. For instance, in Israel, Orthodox rabbis are officially employees of the government and Orthodox synagogues are government buildings. Reform rabbis, by contrast, are not employees of the government, and Reform synagogues do not receive government assistance. This has created a situation in Israel where Orthodox institutions of worship don't need to relay strictly on private donations to survive, while Reform institutions must relay on them exclusively. This is just one reason why the ride, which raises both money and awareness for our movement in Israel, is important. Here is another reason (and it may really sound silly): It is actually illegal in the Sate of Israel, believe it or not, for a non-Orthodox Rabbi to officiate a wedding. Don't get me wrong... No one is going to officially stop them from conducting a ceremony, but the marriage itself won't be regarded as officially legal by the State of Israel. The Reform movement has been grappling with this issue in the Israeli court system for some time. Despite this and other issues, we are continually growing as a movement in Israel, as we raise awareness throughout the state of the importance of Liberal Judaism, both spiritually and socially. I was proud to take part in the Ride4Reform for a second year, and I hope that you will consider it as an option as well.
Posted by Arik at 3:19 PM
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Seventh Blog
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Students have lunch during a "faculty/student practicum review
Hello friends,
I'm going to devote this blog session to tell you about a discovery that I have made in this cantorial training process. My story takes us to my "student pulpit," a wonderful congregation in Maryland. It is a small congregation in a community that historically has had only a small Jewish population. In the last twenty years or so, however, the numbers have grown, but it is still quite an intimate group. Anyway, our rabbi had scheduled in some adult education classes for me to teach. He entitled one of these classes for me, "The Music of Friday Night" and another, "The Music of Saturday Morning." (You can see where this is going.) I must admit that I went into these sessions thinking:
- No one will show up.
- No one really cares about the things that I care about, so they aren't going to want to hear about it.
I was surprised in my first session to find an eager group of about fifteen people waiting for me in our library. As I began to delve into the subject of the day, "Shabbat evening," I moved methodically from one chunk of liturgy to the next, explaining different melodic techniques that have been applied, from traditional chazzanut (Jewish modes), to classical reform works, into Chassidic and folk tunes. My particular passion is the traditional chazzanut, and I truly didn't think that there would be much interest, that the sound would simply seem "foreign" and unappealing. I found the reality to be the complete opposite. I was teaching my class to "hum along" with me in the traditional "M'shor'rim" style, and they just ate it up. They loved it. Feeling their energy, their enthusiasm, reminded me of how much I also love this materiel. The class was so grateful, trying to absorb as much as they possibly could in our short period of time. One of the class participants mentioned that he would love to have the chance to further explore some of this materiel in practice, so we agreed to set up an additional morning minion before Sunday school sessions.
The energy that we created in the library was a wonderful affirmation to why I am doing what I am doing. Cantors have a very unique form of Jewish knowledge, and it is easy to forget at school (where you are surrounded by cantors) that out in the "real" world, there is no one else. You are it! You are the authority figure. People look to us as authority figures not merely in a musical sense, but also in a very interesting place (that I have yet to figure out) where the spiritual, the musical, and even the mystical, all combine. I am perfectly aware how ridiculous this sounds, never the less, it's true. The power that the music conveys, be it chazzanut, classical reform, Chassidic, Sephardic, "folk," art song, (you name it) is our history in song, manifested in reality. People need it in their lives. They can't be without it. I certainly can't be without it. So here we are, the carriers of this materiel, trying to spread it out to as many people in our community as we can. I think that I may have thought for two seconds that they (the people) didn't really care so much about our music, or were perhaps just sort of ambivalent about it. I don't know what I was thinking.
Posted by Arik at 11:57 AM
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Shalom Future Cantors and Cantor Curious Readers:
Thursday, February 15, 2007
This is what a serious cantorial student looks like in our choir rehearsal.
I am SO happy! Why you ask? I am totally finished with both my practicum (last week), and a series of HUC fundraising concerts in Florida (two weeks ago). The stress factor has officially dropped several notches. Hurray!! So I'm quite certain that you're all just dying to hear about the practicum so here goes....
I was very privileged to be assigned a joint presentation with my fellow classmate Jennifer, a wonderful soprano. Our assignment was "The Liturgical and Art Music of Lazar Weiner and Jacob Weinberg." You may right now be thinking, "Who on earth are those people?" If you are, don't fret. I certainly had no clue who they were before I started at HUC. If you are indeed familiar with either composer, then you already know that they are two powerhouses of Jewish music. Jen and I learned very quickly that our assignment was far too broad-based for a forty-minute presentation. There was way too much amazing materiel to include, but we tried to make do. (We ran way over time. Oh well...) There are so many things I could write about regarding this experience, I could go on forever, so I'll just choose one: Singing in Yiddish. This (along with my fundraiser concerts) was really my first experience in singing in Yiddish. At HUC, we are fortunate to have on faculty some terrific resident experts in the field. I had many enlightening preparatory sessions with my spectacular vocal coach, cantor Bob Abelson, and our brilliant accompanist, Joyce Rosenzweig. They are literally a goldmine of information on this and many other subjects. Every moment training and studying with these two artists is an absolute pleasure. They have literally opened my eyes to an art form that I know little to nothing about. It is moments such as these that remind me that I love being here, doing what I'm doing. I'm very lucky in that respect.
OKAY...New subject. I'd like to tell you about nusach. Do you know what that is? (If you do, you may skip this paragraph.) (Or you could just keep reading to humor me.) Nusach refers to the musical structure that is applied to traditional davening within the context of the traditional Jewish musical modes. (Not the greatest definition in the world... my apologies.) Nusach is by far my favorite subject at school. Currently, as a third year student we have thus far covered the nusach for weekday services, Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Maariv (evening), Shabbat Shachrit (morning), and we are now working our way through Rosh Hashanah. Our faculty instructors of traditional nusach are also "jewels" in their own right. We 3rd year students are currently fortunate enough to be studying under the tutelage of Chazzan Jack Mendelson, an HUC alumnus and truly one of the greats. He is an expert in both the teaching of AND the practice of traditional chazzanut.
(If you haven't seen the documentary "A Cantor's Tale," please run out and find it. It my not yet be on DVD, but has been playing a lot of local Jewish film festivals, so watch for it. Cantor Mendelson is the subject of this both moving and hilarious film. If you watch the movie, you'll get a little taste of what we are exposed to every week in class.)
When Cantor Mendelson sings, it's no joke. Through his intonations, one can hear the history of the Jewish people. His mission is to preserve the legacy of the great Cantors of old. To say that it is my favorite class doesn't do it justice. It is already clear to me that years down the road, I will be continually longing for my days in this invaluable class. Currently, I don't know what I'd do without it.
After much speculation, my hyper-sensitive, mega-expensive and extraordinarily sophisticated super camera has revealed that Lisa and Rebecca are NOT cantorial students, but are actually ghosts! This clearly explains why two weeks ago, after our "Shabbat Reform Workshop" class, I personally witnessed Lisa float straight through the wall and into our next class, "Empowering the Congregational Voice.
On a parting note, I was fortunate enough to meet some HUC prospective students while they were auditioning several days go. Apparently, several of them are claiming that they do indeed read this blog. I thank you for humoring me. Good luck to all of you!! I hope to see you in two years (after your Israel year).
Have a glorious Purim,
Arik
Posted by Arik at 12:52 PM |
Future Cantors of America:
Monday, January 15, 2007
How are you? I trust your Chanukah was as joyous as mine? Mine was truly glorious. You see, I went to a Chanukah party the other day, and who would you guess was there? Why it was none other that my old friend from summer camp Benjy, who is now not only a Rabbinic student at HUC Cincinnati, but also has his blog photo right next to mine on the HUC website. Wow... Will wonders never cease? Okay, it wasn't that much of a coincidence, in that his older brother was hosting the party, but it was still pretty cool nevertheless. So Benjy and I celebrated Chanukah the only way we know how...
Now that you've seen our picture together, and are perhaps a bit genuinely uncomfortable, or content for that matter, allow me to once again change the subject. I have great news... I'm still here!! Yes, clearly, I must have survived last semester's examination process, and that's terrific news. Well, since I'm still around, I thought I would take a little time out of my glorious winter vacation (where is the snow people?) to write another blog entry, to further explain the life of an HUC cantorial student. Actually, come to think of it, there's really nothing left to say. I've pretty much summed up everything there is to know about HUC and cantorial school. Okay, I jest... There are about a million things that I haven't explained okay? But fear not, we'll get through this together my brothers and sisters (if you're actually still reading this).
Alright, today's first topic... "Music Education"... more specifically... "Jewish Music Education." That's right... Let this be a warning to the future cantor's of America who fancy themselves "divas,"... you will learn right away that being a cantor isn't just about hitting your high C, showing off your 13 octive range to the delight of... In fact, a huge aspect of the job is that of "Jewish Music Educator." Not a teacher? Fear not young (or perhaps older) cantor to be, for in your second year of training, you will take a class in both general education, and Jewish music education. There are about a gazillion Jewish songs for kids out there, and in your music class, you will attempt to organize them into some sort of cohesive structure. Slowly, you will formulate this loose structure into your own working curriculum, which you can then apply immediately to your student pulpit jobs. This will be a HUGE help to you. (See my earlier entry for a description of student pulpits).
And now, I am once again going to abruptly switch topics. (Do forgive my lack of a creative transition.) At the end of the month I will be traveling to Florida along with a delegation of Students and faculty from the SSM to perform several fund raising concerts. It should be a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to it, and will most certainly fill everyone in on the aftermath. The theme of our event is "Jewish Heroes through History." We have had a lot of fun over the past few months brainstorming different musical selections and styles that represent this sweeping musical subject. Our styles pretty much cover everything: We have pieces of traditional chazzanut, Yiddish folk songs, Oratorio, and Classic American Musical Theatre (to name just a few of the genres we're covering).
Things are of course a little hectic, as is always the case at HUC, seeing as when I return from this series of concerts, I will almost immediately have to perform my regular practicum at HUC. This sort of stress kind of comes with the turf I must unfortunately confess. Yes, there are indeed always a million things going here at once. In all seriousness, you need to be ready for them, prepared to properly budget your time. As long as you do this, one is usually able to remain afloat.
Finally, let me just say that Tuesday the 16th of January is the start of second semester, and as of right NOW.... I AM OFFICIALLY HALFWAY DONE WITH SCHOOL!!! Wow...five years is a long time. But it's not so bad. Honestly, I'd rather be here learning then out in the real world, having to face the fact that I'm a grown up, and have been for quite some time. Some people have said to me, "Arik, how on earth could you go back to school for five years? Are you totally insane?"
The answer is quite simply, "Yes, I'm a raging lunatic." But for me, it was seriously a no brainier. I honestly don't mind a prolonged academic environment. (Don't get me wrong, I hate the tests). I consider it a privilege to study this materiel. I truly love what I am doing, and most people I know can't say that. Well, let's see what the second half of cantorial school has in store... Don't worry, I'll let you know.
Posted by Arik at 12:48 PM |
Fourth Blog
Friday, December 15, 2006
Despite the reliability of our highly excessively compulsive study time line,
my fellow classmates, Reccecca (on the left) and Leah seem a bit frightened. Will they pass?
Hello Jewish internet surfers,
Things here are insanely busy, but moving along. Finals are coming up, so everyone is stressing over them (myself included, of course). Additionally, I have been leading services, or "T'filah," all week. I thought I would use my space this entry to talk about the process of leading T'filah at HUC. Firstly, there is a separate T'filah system in Israel for your first year, and I will defer the explanation of that system to the Jerusalem blog (don't let us down Carla). I will focus only on T'filah at HUC here in New York City. Cantorial students are required to lead the morning, or "Shachrit" services, for two, week-long periods (Monday-Thursday) throughout your four years in the New York campus. Did that make any sense at all? Okay... You will be leading services TWICE while at HUC NYC. Each time you lead, you are leading ALL WEEK. (I think that explains it a little better.) The service leading schedule is drawn up by the faculty every summer for the incoming fall and spring semesters. As cantorial students, we are paired with a rabbinical student counterpart. The cantorial and rabbinic student must arrange meetings and collaborate together on what kind of service they would like to lead. Everyone receives a packet in the beginning of the year stating the specific requirements/guidelines that must be met when leading T'filah. That being said, there is still much work for experimentation and exploration if you are willing to take the time. Several weeks ago, for example, a rabbinic and cantorial pair decided to lead a "drum circle" style service, with multiple percussion instruments distributed to service participants.
Oh yes... It's exam time. Sure, I'm smiling now. But will I still be smiling after
my Rabbinic lit. final? Will my flashcards help me? Only time will tell. Tune in next month to find out if I've
failed out of school...
Additionally, they decided to incorporate several older, "traditional" Reform melodies into this very modern percussion experiment. The experience was quite fascinating. This is, of course, just one example. In many respects, the service serves as a "workshop" for rabbis and cantors to try new ideas, or introduce new materials. Of course, one may also choose the safer route, and stick to the typical pattern that has emerged over the years with our T'filah at HUC, our "minhag." On the Thursday service, a rabbinical student (not the service leader) will give a "senior sermon." This is always an exciting service, because we cantors actually get an accompanist, and are required to sing a "sermon anthem" at the conclusion of the sermon. "What," you ask, "is a sermon anthem?" (I certainly had no idea before I decided to do this with my life.) A sermon anthem is a song selected by the Cantor which compliments or reflects the sermon which it follows. This pretty much sums up the service leading experience here at HUC. It's always a matter of luck and timing. Of course, you want to be lucky, and be paired with a strong rabbinical student (I have been very lucky), and you want the timing to be such that you aren't (like me) leading services at an inconvenient time, such as right before exams. Of course, like anything else, whatever the circumstance, one has to just go with it. I'm REALLY excited about tomorrow's service, because I am ending with an Israeli song that I have always loved, "Eitzleinu B'Kvar Toodra," by Shlomo Bar and the Natural Gatherings. If you don't know him, and you are interested in Sephardic music, they are worth listening to. Growing up, we used to always have their record playing on Friday nights. I had probably heard the song a hundred times, but I'd never bothered to actually learn it. It's exciting to have a venue where I can try this materiel out, and see if it works within the context of a service.
Posted by Arik at 3:40 PM |
Third Blog
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Well, it's been another month, and I'm still surviving cantorial school. A lot has happened. First, as promised, I'm going to dedicate a portion of this fine blog space to explain the "practicum" process here in the SSM (School of Sacred Music). Every summer, the SSM faculty sits down and plots the fate of each and every incoming 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year student. We are all given a practicum assignment for the upcoming fall and or spring semesters. The practicum consists of two twenty minute recitals, open to the public, which occur every Wednesday morning in our HUC chapel. The assignments vary, based, partially, on one's assigned vocal coach for the semester. Vocal coaches fall into two categories: Traditional and Reform. If you are assigned to a traditional vocal coach for the fall, for example, you will most likely be assigned a traditional practicum, requiring you to daven a specific section of traditional liturgy. An example of a traditional practicum would be Kabbalat Shabbat Traditional, or Slichot Traditional. If you have a Reform coach, you may be asked to recreate a section of a Reform service in a similar manner. The SSM will also assign practicum in honor of various composers or to recognize certain events. This practicum category follows more of a recital-style format, as opposed to the recreation of an actual service. An example of this style of practicum could be: Pirke Avot settings of Max Wohlberg, or Yiddish Art Songs of Lazar Weiner, or Music for the Commemoration of Kristallnacht. Second and fourth year students are only required to present one practicum in either the fall or spring semester (as assigned). Third year students must present two practicum, one per semester.
My practicum was last month, October 18th to be precise. I was assigned to recreate a traditional malchuyot service. It was a ton of work, but my vocal coach, the legendary Cantor Noah Schall, helped me through the process every step of the way. If you want to hear my practicum, or any HUC practicum from this year for that matter, they are available in podcast format. Go into itunes, then into the podcast search engine, and then type kol simkha. The recordings should give you a great idea of what to expect from the practicum process.
Okay, new subject.... If you're actually reading this column, if you're seriously considering a career as a cantor, you will find yourself entering a great musical "debate" on the direction of the cantorate. There are many camps in this debate, and I am still trying to figure out where to place myself exactly, but it is very important to know what the debate is, and where it is potentially headed. To explain this debate, allow me to share my own personal story...
As you know if you already read my first entry (and wow, it is one stellar read, let me tell you, it'll change your life), I decided to become a cantor only recently, about four and a half years ago to be precise. What did I really know about cantorial music at that point? Not so much. I did have an old record of the great Chazzan Yossele Rosenblatt though, which I thought was pretty sweet (see picture). So I figured, "Okay, I'll become a Reform cantor. I'll learn to sing in this old style, you know, like Yossele here, but I just won't have to have the beard and the outfit because, hey... Reform right? Sounds great to me. Done."
I kind of figured that this was what being a cantor would be all about. So I was kind of surprised when I showed up on the first day of school in Jerusalem, and some of my other classmates expressed how they envisioned themselves as a cantor. Some of them seemed to be genuinely excited about doing little else then leading congregations in summer camp songs with their guitar, and frowned upon the prospect of studying anything too old. Yossele was completely irrelevant, as far as they were concerned. I even recall actually hearing the phrase "dead Jews" being used as some kind of reference to the impracticality of this irrelevant art form.
I was totally insulted. After all, Yossele, in all sincerity, was one of the main reasons why I had decided to do what I was doing. I immediately went into crisis mode... "What am I doing here in Israel?" I asked myself. "Am I going to attend graduate school for five years simply to learn how to lead summer camp songs on the guitar?" What I found eventually, however, was that we all had some accepting to do... I had to accept that the summer camp songs had moved into the services, and I was at least going to have to be aware of them, and able to incorporate them when absolutely necessary. They (the proud summer camp guitar enthusiasts) had to accept that cantorial music has a history, and at HUC-JIR, SSM, we have to learn it all (or a lot of it anyway).
This was the beginning of "the debate" for me. Technically, I would define "the debate" as the simple fact that Classical Reform synagogue music has been severely streamlined by catchy congregational folk tunes, placing the cantor in the almost exclusive role of "song leader" rather than "soloist," and the subsequent struggle about what on earth to do about this.
(Just for the record, Yossele would obviously NOT fit into the category of "Classical Reform synagogue music." He's really a "traditional concert Chazzanut" kind of guy, as you can imagine, which I totally dig. But yes, if you're wondering, we do study that stuff too (which makes me happy), even though it has limited application in the Classical Reform movement (which makes me sad).
"The debate" came straight into the forefront earlier this week. We attended a three day forum, "Reclaiming American Judaism's Lost Legacy: The Art of Synagogue Music." Here, we had the opportunity to hear from the leading classical composers in the field of Jewish music, as they explained how they are "adapting" to the age of the guitar and pop music, looking for new ways to inspire congregants who may at first seem uninterested in more complex melodic formats. It was an eye-opening and extremely worthwhile experience.
Check out the web site:
www.jmwc.org/ASJM/2006ReclaimingAmericanJudaism'sLostLegacy.html
A wonderful aspect of the conference was that amongst its sponsors and hosts, were both Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), as well as others. JTS is the Conservative movement's seminary, which also operates a cantorial school. I am a big proponent of the Reform and Conservative movements working together, and am very proud that we are all collaborating to preserve the great heritage of Jewish synagogue music. In the meantime, "the debate" continues.
That's all for this entry. See you all soon. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Peace,
Arik
Posted by Arik at 12:22 PM |
Second Blog
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Hello Jewish people of the Internet. If you're actually reading this, I can only assume it's not because of me. Rather, it's because you are still, even after my first entry, thinking of becoming a cantor. Well friends, a lot has happened since we last spoke. For one thing, we had the High Holy Days. Yeah, that was just a tad of work for the Arik man this year. I must say, I'm still a little plotzed-out all these weeks later. I led services at my student pulpit in Annapolis. If you have never before led High Holy Day services, let me just say this... It is going to show you, real quickly I might add, one of the major aspects of life as a cantor.
But let me back up here a little bit. I have just used the term "student pulpit," and it occurs to me that perhaps some of you have never heard that term before. (I know I hadn't, and when I did hear it for the first time, yes it did sound a bit goyisha to me too, but let me assure you right here and now that it is not.) I'd say that now's as good a time as any to explain the concept of the "student pulpit" to all of you eager possible future cantors on the Internet. (Yes, no doubt there are legions of you.) Along with our full time studies as graduate students at HUC, we are encouraged to take on various cantorial positions at actual Reform congregations throughout our great country. This is what we are referring to when we say "student pulpit." A cantorial "student pulpit" can fit into two different categories. The first category is one in which the HUC student is the only cantorial presence in the congregation. This is typically at a smaller congregation that does not posses the resources to hire a full time cantor. The student serves the congregation for varying amounts of time based on specific congregational needs. The congregation's options are as follows: Ten weekends for the academic year, twenty weekends for the academic year, ten hours every week, or fifteen hours every week. (Weekly positions are always within an easy commutable distance from NYC.) Obviously, the pay scale (controlled by HUC) varies according to which of these jobs one takes on, and the number of years of experience that the student has within the cantorial program at HUC. Of course, all travel and meal expenses are covered by the congregations themselves. The student pays for nothing. While the student does receive compensation, unfortunately you will not be getting rich off of your student pulpit. The other category that a student pulpit position may fit into is that of "Chazzan Sheni," which, when translated from the Hebrew, means "Cantor's Little Helper." I'm sorry, did I say "Cantor's Little Helper?" What I actually meant was "Second Cantor." This is actually a really cool position for congregations that already have a full time cantor, but are looking for a student to assist him or her with the musical needs of the congregation. Many of the large congregations in NYC and in the greater NYC area take advantage of this unique student pulpit category. While I personally have not yet served as a Chazzan Sheni, and am therefore unqualified to offer feedback on the experience, I have heard many positive remarks from my classmates who are currently serving in this capacity. (On a side note, the pay scale is the same regardless of whether you are assigned to serve as a Student Cantor, or a Chazzan Sheni.)
Wait... did I just write that the student pulpit is assigned? Yes, it is indeed true. Unfortunately, the only way for HUC to handle these many student pulpits is to assign them. The process is somewhat complicated, but don't worry, you'll get through it. You'll have a chance to make your "top three" requests for your assignment, and the school will do their best (yes, I did say their best) to give you at least your third choice, if not higher. If you're wondering, and no doubt you are wondering, yes, sometimes there are people who get an assignment that they did not request. Also, sometimes there are not enough positions available for everyone to have an assignment, although this is an unusual circumstance. Also, sometimes students choose to not take on a student pulpit for a year (Only one year is officially required by HUC, in a non-Chazzan Sheni capacity.) Don't worry, if you don't take on a student pulpit in one of you four years at HUC New York, you will be okay. You can make good money tutoring Bar-Mitzvah students, song leading Jewish-style, or just betting on the horse races. I'm sorry, did I say "betting on the horse races?" I meant betting strictly on the Maccabia games. (I don't know about you, but all my money is on Israeli athlete Arik Shoham. Oh that's right people, only the same Shoham who managed to whack his way into the semis in the "Masters Squash, Over 45 years male singles" category back in July of '05 in Jerusalem. "Hey Arik Shoham... That's right Shoham, I'm talking to you. Don't let me and all the other guys named Arik down. We are counting on you and your superior squash skills to represent us all on the court. Don't fail us.")
Excuse me for that. What can I say, I started writing a blog, and this is what happens. Okay, the High Holy Days. I'm going to tell you about last year's experience, because this was, for me, more intense than this year's HHD marathon. Why? Quite simply, it was my first time. I had a mountain of music to climb, I was granted only two rehearsals with my accompanist, and I was running solo with no choir. It was totally nerve racking. It was also quite exhilarating. I remember that towards the end of Yom Kippur, I almost started laughing a couple times, because my voice was so completely exhausted, you know, to that totally silly point where no rational singer would continue to pump out any additional "diddy" whatsoever, and yet, my whacky voice just had to just keep on going. And somehow it did. All I could really do was laugh. (Not out loud of course, I mean it was Yom Kippur, people.) Anyway, that first year really was a huge accomplishment for me and every single one of my classmates. It was rather beautiful to know that as challenging as it was, I wasn't alone. All over the country, my classmates and I were taking that ridiculously overwhelming first step, simultaneously diving into that deep High Holy Day pool, hoping that we'd have precise form, perhaps even scoring a perfect ten from the Hungarians, an eight point five from the Russians. You know, I'm really getting out of line with the sporting references this evening. Do forgive me.
Well I think that about wraps it up for this entry. As always, my apologies go out to anyone I may have offended throughout the duration of this blog. On a closing note, I have a major recital this coming Wednesday morning. I'll be sure to report not only on how it goes (let us all pray together shall we?), but I'll fill you in on how the whole recital (or "Practicum," as it is called) process works here at HUC for us cantorial students. Until then, peace and love. I hope you all had a terrific Simchas Torah. I'm sure that you were all happily rejoicing with the Torah. I know I was. It was marvelous. And if you're still reading this... major props to you.
Shalom,
Arik
Posted by Arik at 10:04 AM
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First Blog
Friday, September 15, 2006
Hi, Arik here (third year cantorial student, School of Sacred Music). If you're reading this (and you know who you are) you might be thinking to yourself, "I think maybe I want to become a cantor." Or maybe you're saying, "What on earth is a cantor?" Enter me... I'm going to be writing occasionally, letting you know what goes on here at the SSM (School of Sacred Music), how I got here, and all that stuff.
Okay, here goes...
My college education started at Carnegie Mellon University, where I majored in musical theatre and acting, graduating with a BFA in 2000. From there, it was on to New York City, where I lived "the life" of the struggling artist. I enjoyed those years of my life, but it was clear to me as time went on that something was missing. Of course, I still loved the stage (for the glorious three months of the year that I was on it) but the rest of the stuff... the restaurants, the catering, etc... were unappealing. I can't imagine why. Anyway, I wanted change.
"So what do I do with my life?" I wondered. I made a list of the things I enjoyed the most. Three subjects found themselves at the top of the ladder: singing, teaching, and Judaism. Becoming a cantor seemed the logical conjoining of these three things. But could I really do it? What did I know about Jewish music anyway, aside from summer camp tunes and the Hora? One thing was for sure, I was unsatisfied with where I was in life, and I knew that I wanted a new focus. I decided to give it a shot, and began studying Hebrew (of which I had no formal training in outside of learning how to pronounce it) with a private tutor, and taking sight singing lessons in the Julliard School's "Evening Division." (You don't have to be a maestro for their night classes, you just have to pay them up with hard cash.) My studies continued for a year as the date of my audition/interview approached. When I finally got through it all (a LOT of work by the way) and received my acceptance letter to HUC, I was pretty psyched. There wasn't much time to celebrate. I had to pack for Israel.
(As I am going to focus my entries on what is happening NOW, not several years ago, I'm not going to spend a lot of time writing about my Israel experience. All I can write briefly is that it was amazing. I appreciate that our program starts in Israel, because it forces one to live, breath, eat, and sleep Judaism. I had never lived in Israel before. It had a monumental impact on my life, both personally and professionally. I highly recommend it to everyone.)
Now here I am in New York, the first month of my third year as a cantorial student. I don't even know where to begin, except to say that without a doubt, I have made the right decision with my life. Now, I love what I do. I love what I am learning. And it's not JUST music, by the way. It's Torah, Bible, Jewish History, Rabbinic Literature, Liturgy, pastoral care, music education, music theory, and the list goes on.
There is a LOT happening here all the time. Today, for example I sat through a beautiful recital of highlights from various rites of Sephardic Yom Kippur services. I then sang in a quartet recital of the music of Schlesinger, honoring the 100th anniversary of his death. Later in the day, I had a private vocal coaching with one of the foremost world experts in Ashkenazic nusakh. (What is "nusakh" you ask? Perhaps you already know. I most certainly did not. Nusakh is the term used to describe the traditional musical modes that are adhered to when davening any traditional service. It has become the favorite aspect of my training.)
In addition to working full time at school, I also have a job as "student cantor" at Temple Beth Shalom in Arnold, MD. I work there on alternating weekends, co-officiating services with the rabbi, tutoring bar-mitzvah students, and teaching music in Sunday school. Additionally, I am starting a job here in Manhattan as a song leader at Temple Emanu-El on the Upper East Side. It is bound to be a busy year.
Posted by Arik at 8:38 AM
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