Musical plays on Tanach are helping students connect to their learning in a fun and creative way, while giving them a positive outlet to showcase their talents.
From Pittsburgh to Arizona and from Florida to Jerusalem, Jewish youth are enjoying the opportunity to perform the powerful stories from Chumash, Navi, and Jewish history.
Rabbi Hillel Mandel, educational consultant for Torah Umesorah and Jewish day schools says, “This project is a teacher’s paradise; ready-made plays with beautiful songs on Torah topics that add a new dimension to both child’s and teacher’s education. This is truly an educational tool that enhances the world of Chinuch.”
“I listened to a number of selections from the musical CDs and was impressed with both the professionalism of the productions and the contents,” says Rabbi Nochem Kaplan, Director of the Merkos Chinuch Office.
Teachers, parents, and students have all given incredible feedback on the impact of these plays.
Raizy Matusof of Arizona, teacher at Cheder Lubavitch of Arizona, highlights some of the benefits of the musicals, “The tunes are catchy, the lyrics are easy to understand, and the music is really nice. Overall, this has been the best addition to my teaching this year!” A mother of one of Matusof’s students notes, “I usually don’t enjoy kids’ plays other than seeing kids enjoying themselves, but this was genuinely delightful to watch and listen to!”
Esty Shapiro, teacher at Yeshivah Schools in Pittsburgh, reflects, “As a 5th grade teacher, I have done the Rus Musical together with my students five times. Each year that we present it, it is the highlight of the year for my students. The songs are well-written and full of information that the girls quickly learned and did not forget. Many have graduated high school and are still singing the songs! Presenting this musical also gave so many girls a chance to shine in ways that were not available to them in a regular classroom setting. The script was easy to use and took minimal preparation from me. I highly recommend this to anyone teaching the story of Rus.”
Perel Chadakov, a middle-school teacher at Hebrew Academy of Coral Springs, Florida, shares, “My students performed the ‘Devorah’ musical for an end-of-year performance. We chose this because we learned Sefer shoftim this year and the girls really loved learning about Devorah Hanevia. From the first day that I gave out the scripts and the songs, the girls were all singing the catchy tunes and familiar lyrics from what they had learned in Navi. This was definitely a fabulous way to finish the year!”
Nechama Dina Hendel, whose 7th grade students at Hebrew Academy of Coral Springs performed the David Hamelech and Rashi musicals, marvels, “The girls came alive through these performances. Some used their artistic talents to prepare the beautiful scenery, others shone through acting and singing, and others were able to use their organizational and leadership abilities in helping to plan the show.”
This summer, the Chabad of Baka girls camp in Jerusalem is planning to perform the play on Rachel and Akiva as a way to engage the campers through drama, song, and dance. An added perk is that these Israeli girls, who are mostly from families who made aliyah from America, will be strengthening their English skills in a fun way.
Batyah Rosenblum, a 1st grade teacher at Yeshiva Schools in Pittsburgh, enthuses, “My first-graders performed the Rashi musical and learned how to work together. The play fosters a sense of camaraderie amongst students, and there was a building of confidence as they got up to do their individual parts. This is a wonderful resource that I would highly recommend to others. It is full of toichen, fun, and talent.” One first grader at Yeshiva Schools in Pittsburgh confided, “The day that we performed our Rashi musical was one of the best days in my whole life.”
Baruch Hashem, an educator’s dream come true!
For more information, please contact Hindy Kalmenson at hindygitel@gmail.com/ 203 645 1144
My students loved preparing and performing the Rashi musical and learned so much in the process.
Would’ve loved to learn with interactive musicals when I was a student. Looks like a lot of fun! Great idea!