Dr Emily Celebrates

Still feeling the sparkles of , and so grateful I was invited to share a song during evening program- this one is streaminng on Pray & Play - plus the music and everythng you ned to lead Shir Chadash means a new song- I was inpsired by Psalm 96 to create this musical attunement activity.
The song is an improv echo game. I sing a phrase, you echo it back, and then it is your turn to invent one for the rest of us. Practice, not performance. Everyone leads for a minute, and the new song is whatever we build between us.

Some of these people I have known for twenty years. Some I met the night before. Every one of them took a turn.

Thank you Andrea Shupack, Rick Lawrence, Lisa Baydush, Shanna Fruchter, and Rebecca Gundersheim for your playful and enthusiastic participation, this was a true honor and delight.

This is my favorite way to make music, and it is the thing about NewCAJE I keep coming back to. You ask people to jump in and they just do.

Shir Chadash is one of the twenty five songs in Pray and Play. Workshop slides and resources are at the link in my bio.

A toddler melts down at Tot Shabbat. A kiddo calls out at full volume during silent prayer. A parent scrolls in the back row instead of singing. Every one of those moments is information (my therapist reminds me that all the time LOL).
Behavior is communication. The kiddo who will not sit, the parent who checks out, each is telling you something: stress, hunger, sensory overload, an unmet need. When we read behavior as information and meet it with curiosity, we see with clarity/
I wrote a field guide for exactly this, for the cantors, rabbis, and educators leading young children in worship. Read Behavior Is Communication on the blog, link in bio.

I've been writing songs since I was a teenager, and I've gotten better as i've aged. Find Dr. Emily wherever you stream and stay tuned for another album coming next month! And if one of these has ever lived in your car speakers or your classroom, do me a favor: save it on your streaming app. Every save helps these songs find one more songleader.

Shabbat shalom, and may you bless and be blessed.

As an instructional designer, I'm always looking for evidence of understanding...and this feedback validated the sweat and tears I've put into this project, "Support Squad helps you not just to lead wonderful songs, but to use those songs to communicate big ideas about Judaism to children and families in a fun and engaging way." Andrea is a founding member of Songleading for Kiddos.
We'd love to have you.

The teachable, Singable, and Jewish series by Karen Daniel Karen Daniel were on repeat when I started my career. I so appreciate the opportunity. I had this past week to not only meet her, but to get to know her, and it was delightful to see the kids react and respond to seeing a picture of me taking the day before with the artist, I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me to share my journey as a student with the kiddos in this way, but I’m gonna keep it up.