Shira: Our Religious School Music Track
Who can participate in Shira?
- Any 5th or 6th grader at Temple Isaiah may opt to participate in Shira as an alternative to our grade-level Religious School program.
- The maximum number of students in Shira is 40. Students enrolled in Shira in the previous year will have priority for the program for the following year for the first week that registration is open. After that, registration will transition to a first-come, first-serve basis for all students.
Who will teach / lead Shira?
- Rachel Mylan will coordinate Shira & teach all weekday sessions.
- Cantor Korn and Erin Bloom will teach the Sunday morning sessions.
- Additional teachers/speakers/musicians may come in to “guest teach” on occasion.
What is the curriculum for Shira?
- Mitkadem (Hebrew curriculum for all Temple Isaiah RS students)
- Tefillah (along with all Temple Isaiah RS students)
- Classroom time: Judaica, music education, and singing / performance preparation
- Junior Choir participation
What is the relationship between Junior Choir & Shira?
- All students in Shira will automatically be in the Junior Choir, which meets twice a month during tefillah on Sunday mornings
- Students may participate in Junior Choir without signing up for Shira.
Will my child learn exactly the same things as in his/her grade of Religious School?
- Yes and no.
- Your child will be exposed to many of the same key topics as the grade-level Religious School students (Torah, Hebrew, prayer, Jewish history, Israel, etc). However, the modality of learning will be very different, as will the details of the curriculum. Shira students will gain specialized knowledge that is not part of the grade-level Religious School program.
- Students in the grade-level Religious School program & in Shira will come away with different knowledge, but we strive for all our students to be excited and inspired by Judaism and Jewish living.
Will my child learn as much Hebrew as students in the grade-level Religious School program? Will my child be prepared for his or her bar/bat mitzvah if s/he participates in Shira?
- Yes! All Shira students participate in Mitkadem, our comprehensive Hebrew & prayer curriculum for all 3rd-6th graders at Temple Isaiah.
- Moreover, students in Shira may actually become a little bit better at Hebrew than their grade-level counterparts because it is sometimes easier to learn language through the modality of music. Shira students may develop stronger skills when it comes to reading/singing the prayers and reading/chanting Torah – two things that will be very helpful for b’nai mitzvah preparation