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Shalom Friends!
Hope your Purim was joyful! I was Bob Marley and played a gig for chassidim where the audience was so drunk that they stormed the bandstand and took over our instruments, thankfully giving us players the chance to hit the bar. Over the course of the day I happily distributed my daughter's gourmet desserts, emptied my wallet to anyone who asked and heard a few of the fastest megilla readings on record.
I just completed perhaps the craziest two months of my career. In this brief period I have performed nearly continuously for audiences of all denominations in five countries, and the non-hardship posts have included Cabo San Lucas, Maui and Vail, CO. All I can say is that I had a blast, made the most of every minute and am so glad to be back in my routine. At least for a few weeks! The highlight of the various trips was a fortnight of celebration in Israel and Turkey where I concertized, shot a new music video and most importantly, got to attend my nephew Moishe's Bar Mitzvah festivities in Jerusalem. Mazeltov Moishe! I've been using this extensive time on airplanes to finish the fourth edit on my new book, The Joy of Judaism. It is about to go to editors and will soon be available worldwide in print and eBook. I started it seven years ago during Pesach and am finishing my final edit this Pesach! Four hundred pages of a comprehensive overview of Jewish life featuring practical techniques for enhancing spirituality, engaging in tikkun olam and of course, plenty of zany anecdotes from the road. If you have eagle-eye proofreading skills and would like to peruse a copy, please email me! On the studio front I have just finished mixing and mastering incredible albums from three artists: Ashira Hamilton, Bryce Emily Megdal and teen supergroup Aliyah. I can heartily recommend these albums to ALL of you and urge you to support these artists when they officially release them next month. I also just wrapped a double album of music and meditation to accompany my brother Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser's powerful Possible You Seminars. Completing these projects means that I'm ready for more! Who wants to realize their musical dreams with a custom-made, radio-ready masterpiece? I'm excited to travel next week for shows in Wallingford and Elkins Park, PA. Then
for Pesach I will be helping to lead a ten-day extravaganza at the Westin Lake Las Vegas. Nearly 1500 Jews from around the world will re-enact the tribulations of the Jews in the desert...the hardship somewhat alleviated by the endless buffets and posh five-star accomodations, of course. I heartily recommend this program to anyone who is looking for a meaningful holiday, a rockin' SG concert and doesn't want to clean their home. I'm available for concerts in the Chicago/Milwaukee area early June, Northern Cal end June, Camps/retreats in July and August, Selichot weekend end September and will be doing a Chanukah tour in Florida. Enjoy the article below on the importance of the arts in education and a recent candid video interview. Thanks again for your love and support and enjoy the rest of your month of Adar!
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The Rock Your Life Tour will be rolling into over fifty cities around the world over 2016. Sam is featuring the music from his new CDs plus all his classics in feel good, rockin' concerts for all ages. Please join us for guaranteed peak experiences for your community from one of the veteran performers of Jewish music. Event programmers: use our know-how to help you make a Sam Glaser program a win-win, profitable smash hit! Save by taking advantage of add-on shows when Sam is in your area: Los Angeles, CA, Wallingford and Elkins Park, PA, Las Vegas, NV, Milwaukee, WI Click here for a list of Sam's performance and workshop options and here for the full schedule. Contact Marcia to make your dream event a reality!
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| This Month at Glaser Musicworks Studio |
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Aliyah Wraps It's New Album!
Aliyah is an adorable group of fifteen-year-old budding Jewish superstars from Orange County, CA. Their debut album is sure to be a hit at camps and synagogues. I'm expecting big things from this quintet...be on the lookout for their first videos!
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Sam's Songs We Sing Series - Great Gifts!
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Enjoy Sam's contemporary versions of 28 classics of Jewish music featuring his full band and an array of guest vocalists. These are the common denominator songs that unite the Jewish people, beautifully recorded, great for all ages. Includes D'ror Yik'ra, Esa Eynai, Shalom Rav and many more.
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Smooth and soulful approach to sixteen classics of popular Jewish music, performed with passion and precision by Sam Glaser and his world-class seven piece band. A bestseller in the catalogue since 2000! Includes Adon Olam, Bashana Haba'a, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav and many more.
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| | SG interview by Ken Cohen |
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The Gift of Music
by Sam Glaser
When I started out in music my primary motivation was to get my songs heard. That primal urge to offer shelter to the melodic offspring of my subconscious led me to open a recording studio, assemble bands, learn theory, practice the piano and take voice lessons. A byproduct of the career that this passion invoked is a desire to offer a path to young musicians who are wrestling with their musical inclinations. Establishing mentorship programs, music retreats and choral and instrumental ensembles is all part of this effort. As a militant music advocate I maintain that basic music education is a crucial part of any modern school curriculum. Somehow that truth seems lost on American administrators, especially in Jewish day schools. When something has to be cut to accommodate shrinking budgets it's usually not math and English; presently music education in both public and private schools is missing in action or at best, piecemeal.
I grew up in a public Jr. and Sr. high school environment with three full time music teachers. One dedicated to orchestra and band, one to choirs and the third to musical theater and drama. I interfaced with all of them at varying points and always had a home base of dedicated fellow nerd musicians with whom I could hang out. We were offered the chance to perform, to broaden our musical horizons and to have wholesome fun pursuing a craft we enjoyed. We could rent any instrument we wanted to try and felt both camaraderie and competition with fellow players when seeking the best "chair" in the ensemble. I got to be a soloist with Madrigals, got to share my new songs I had written with Concert Choir, played the king in The King and I and Pharaoh in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Obviously none of this would have happened without a music program. I am who I am thanks to these great teachers, especially Carole Kasier, Linda Badran and Joel Lish at Paul Revere and Palisades High.
My own children, on the other hand enjoyed a sporadic half hour weekly singing experience in their Jewish elementary school led by yours truly. That minimal musical exposure tapered down to nothing at all at the middle school level. And this was at a large, popular Beverly Hills-based institution. For the annual fundraising banquet the school would schedule a few rehearsals and put the reluctant student body on risers to sing a selection of cacophonous numbers for their doting parents. I've observed that the emphasis on music for any given day school is inversely proportional to the degree of religiosity. All this from the people that brought the world the Song of Songs, King David's Psalms and the art of Betzalel. In our LA Jewish high school there would have been absolutely no music program had I not taken a personal stand and initiated jazz/rock bands for both the boys and girls campuses. You can imagine the sorry state of these bands since there is no pre-high school instrumental music program in any of the feeder schools. That said, I take my job seriously and by year's end am able to whip them into functioning bands with full concert-length sets that we perform for the community.
Even those students not destined to a career in music benefit immeasurably from music programs. According to the National Association for Music Education, music training enhances the development of language and reasoning, builds memorization capability, increases hand-eye coordination and perhaps most importantly, offers students a sense of achievement that can engender a lifetime of confidence and success. I find the students in my own ensembles have to transition from solo players to musicians in a band. This requires the crucial skill of teamwork, supporting peers that are differently abled and learning how to keep the "groove" even in the tough parts of the song. They acquire a sense of discipline in order to master their instrument on top of their demanding dual curriculum. Also, I've noticed that my students have learned to become risk takers. They have been compelled to reach beyond their perceived limits, trying things like taking solos or performing in unfamiliar genres. Clearly there is more taking place than learning a few notes on a page.
Last year I spent a few weeks performing in Australia and saw a fantastic model of music
education and its impact on the community. I managed to squeeze in concerts in four schools, three synagogues and participate in two major conferences. Everywhere I went music was the centerpiece of the experience rather than the afterthought. Each one of the schools offered a more awe inspiring, successful arts programs than I could ever imagine. Clearly the private institutions are in competition with the public schools to offer the best education not only in academics but also the arts. The net result is a musically intelligent society that values creativity and the full breadth of musical expression. Australians have made music a priority not necessarily to bolster the ranks of symphony-level performers but instead to raise the creative sparks of the populace. I witnessed a city of light and dreams...and that wasn't just because I was there during the Vivid Sydney light/music week!
We live in an interconnected world where we must equip our young people to appreciate more than cold academics. We must inspire them to combine art into their technology, creativity into their commerce, humanity into their relationships. Don't stand idly by while your local administration slashes the arts. Sponsor charities like Charity Music and Education Through Music. May America embrace arts education so that we can proud of our creatively literate population and the cultural renaissance that would ensue.
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Thank you for reading, for listening, for your support and friendship.
Glaser Musicworks 800-972-6694 Outside of the US 310-204-6111 1941 Livonia Av. Los Angeles, California 90034
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