What’s in a modern worship melody?  So many prayers, so many melodies! Why are there multiple melodies for each prayer? Judaism thrives in every pocket of the globe. Thus, our music reflects the wealth of cultures and eras in which we have lived and composed. There is no way to know the melodies our people composed before the common practice of notating music, but much of our synagogal music comes from ancient musical modes. That is why we feel something “sounds” Jewish. By contrast, modern worship melodies reflect modern musical traditions: classical, American, European, and Israeli folk, pop, and rock. So the “sound” of Jewish music has changed dramatically in the last half-century. Join Joy in singing and learning contemporary settings of prayers from our Shabbat and festival worship services.  (2 sessions, audio-visual-concert class)

Thursdays, October 27 and November 3, 2016, 7-9 PM with 15-minute refreshment break