Musical Memento
Grant funds music teachers and CD for Jewish
Parents Institute students.
DIANA LIEBERMAN
Copy Editor/Education Writer
T
rying to keep 40 children
from coughing, scratching or
breaking out in giggles is a
Herculean task.
But it was vitally important on Feb. 3,
as the fourth- through seventh-graders of
the Jewish Parents Institute (JPI) cut their
first CD.
"Don't rattle paper," warned teacher
Judy Hudspeth of Southfield. "That •
microphone can hear you changing your
mind, not to mention changing your
pages."
And the students complied —
through several takes of songs such as
Chazak V'nitchazeik (Be Strong and You
Will Be Strengthened), Heiveinu Shalom
Aleichem (Bring Peace To Us), Not By
Might and Blowin' In The Wind. The CD .
will contain nine songs in all.
Hudspeth and singer-guitarist Steve
Klaper of Oak Park have been working
with the young singers since November,
funded by a DeRoy Testamentary Grant
for arts education. Administered by the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Alliance for Jewish Education,
the grants bring professionals in fine and
performing arts to supplementary schools
throughout metropolitan Detroit.
Among the most enthusiastic singers
at the Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit's DeRoy Theatre in
West Bloomfield were Sonya Lovy of
Farmington Hills and Megan Wenzl of
Novi, both 10.
• "Nobody sang at the rehearsals. They
said, This is so lame,'" said Sonya.
"But they sang today," added Megan,
"being it was on CD."
The teachers concurred.
"One boy made a vow to himself he
was never going to sing," said Hudspeth,
who also works at the Agency for Jewish
Education and teaches religious school
and music at Temple Emanu-El. "Even
he sang for the recording."
Klaper said the kids started to buy
into the project three weeks ago, when
two of the older boys started to sing.
"They were the cool ones," said Klaper.
"Once they were doing it, it sort of gave
everyone else permission."
JPI parent Beth Borlack of Commerce
Township enjoyed the performance and is
looking forward to hearing the completed
CD. "I thought it was a very nice mix of
mind, body, spirit, soul and Judaism," she
said.
Each singer will be given a copy of the
CD, and others will be for sale in the JPI
office. To purchase the JPI CD, call the
office, (248) 432-5471.E1
Steve Klaper and Company present
a Havadalah concert, 7:30 p.m.,
Saturday, Feb. 9, at Congregation
Shir Tikvah in Troy.
Left top: Singing with gusto are 10-year-
olds Sonya Lovy of Farmington Hills and
Megan Wenzl of Novi.
Left middle: Judy Hudspeth and Steve
Klaper work with the children.
Left bottom: Randy Leipnik handled the
technical end of the recording.
Below: Judy Hudspeth and Steve Klaper
lead the chorus.
2/8
2002
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