for parents
What we learn
What do we learn in this program?
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Kita Vav (6th grade) – to chant a haftarah and lead various Shabbat tefilot. (Also review Torah Service and chanting Torah.)
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Kita Hay (5th grade) – to chant from the Torah and lead Shabbat morning Torah Service.
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What's the difference between Torah and Haftarah?
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Torah – a large scroll that contains the first five books of the Bible.
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Haftarah – reading from one of the books of the Prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joshua, Samuel, Kings, etc.).
The Haftarah is always related somehow to that day's Torah reading.
Example:
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The Torah reading Tetzaveh is about the construction of the tabernacle and Ark by the Israelites in the desert.
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Its related haftarah has a prophet, after the First Temple was destroyed, describing details of the future Temple's construction.
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What's Family Service
Sinai's monthly youth service, grades 4-7.
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What's Tefila?
Hebrew word for "prayer."
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Practice masked?
While Family Service and classes are masked, they can practice during the week unmasked. It'll probably be more comfortable for them, and it's usually a minor adjustment getting used to singing in masks for this.
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How we learn
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Parents' introductory sheets: Kita Hay (5), Kita Vav (6)
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I don't know trope! How can I help them?
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Recognize symbols – Have them point to the trope note on each word (usually there's one per word) and tell you the name.
If they can't, help them find it on the Trope Sheet, which has the trope names. -
Melody recordings – If they get stuck on a melody, have them listen to the Torah trope or Haftarah trope page.
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Stuck? – Ask Doug any questions that are stopping them from practicing.
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How should they practice Family Service readings?
For Torah or Haftarah readings, make sure they take:
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One step at a time
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One sentence at a time
The four steps:
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Read the Hebrew words well.
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Say the names of the trope notes on each word.
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Sing the names of the trope notes on each word.
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Put it together – Sing the trope notes, using the Hebrew words in the sentence.
Important tips
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Don't try starting at step 4.
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Do each step until it's really solid.
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Encourage them to practice every week; don't cram.
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If a sentence is too much, have them do a phrase at a time.
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How are Family Service readings assigned?
For Torah or Haftarah readings:
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Assigned one to two months in advance
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Specific chapter/verses, and links to the pages, are posted on the class webpage
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They must pass their reading in class the Sunday prior to the Family Service, to do the reading at Family Service
This means singing the reading. For Torah readings, from the Torah text without vowels/notes. -
Practice every week, so they can bring questions to class any Sunday.
If they cram the final week, they seldom pass.
Recordings
What recordings are available?
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All prayers that we learn.
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The melodies for every Torah and Haftarah trope note.
There are no recordings of individual assigned Torah/Haftarah readings. They're learning to apply trope to the specific readings.
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Can they just memorize a recording of their assignments?
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We teach reusable skills. Memorizing an assignment doesn't.
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The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is the first reuse of it. (After some practice in Youth Service.)
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When they stumble in a reading, if they know trope they can just fix it. If they memorized it, they'd panic, go back a sentence or two, and try to figure out where they are.
Can we use other trope recordings or software?
Every two rabbis have three opinions. Every two synagogues have three variations of melodies.
To minimize confusion, please don't use other recordings or software.
If they do it, we can tell the difference.
Trope
What's trope?
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Trope -- the melody used to chant a scripture reading.
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Trope note -- a symbol representing a series of musical notes. Every word in a scripture reading gets one trope symbol (occasionally two).
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Trope phrase -- a group of trope notes that go together.
Example: Each line in the trope sheet's Group One is a phrase.
The trope follows a grammar, which guides the flow of the verse.
Trope make it easier. For example (numbers can vary):
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Instead of eleven trope notes in a sentence, we remember them as just three trope phrases.
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Instead of three to eight musical notes, we remember them as just one trope note.
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What's the trope sheet?
A guide to learning trope as it's really used.
It has three groups:
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A basic sentence, in trope.
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The third line is how every sentence ends.
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The second line is in the middle of every sentence longer than a few words.
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The first line is the most common phrase, before or between the other two phrases.
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Four lines of other common notes.
The last of them is how the final sentence of the reading ends. (Same symbols as every sentence, but different melody.) -
Less common notes, appearing in only some sentences.
In phrases, like Group One's, some notes can be dropped if there aren't enough words. We learn the entire trope phrase, for completeness, then how to drop those notes for when they're missing.
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What's the difference between Torah and Haftarah trope?
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The trope symbols are the same.
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The symbol names are the same.
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The melodies are different.
Trivia: There are six different trope melody sets (Torah, Haftarah, Esther, Harvest Festival (Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs), Lamentations, High Holiday Torah). We learn just the first two.