Funding may be available. It is recommended to apply early to meet deadlines.
See LINKS for more information about:
NH Council on the Arts
1. Arts in Health Care Listing
2. Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing
Matchbook, N.E.S.T and N.E.F.A
Rahel's acoustic music folk concerts are suitable for all ages, from infants to seniors. Rahel's performance style is inclusive and interactive as she involves audiences in an array of beautiful multi-lingual repertoire that is joyous, upbeat, introspective, and uplifting.
Rahel's programming runs the gamut from foot stomping, finger snapping high energy children's programs, to warm and inspiring singer-songwriter folk, to bold and beautiful backdrops to enhance weddings, parties and occasions, to Klezmer fun fests and alternative cantorial song leading, to educational workshops and training programs... well, you name it, Rahel does it!
Rahel is a juried artist with the NH Council on the Arts, and the NEST and NEFA arts organizations through which funding may be available.
PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS:
RAHEL & ROOTES - Folk-Rock Innovations
"Rootes" plays a progressive guitar-driven groove that fuses jazz, folk, rock and world rhythms to produce songs that are filled with energy and emotion. RAHEL sings in a ’free verse" style with strong and expressive vocals supported by her middle-eastern influenced guitar work. JASON PAUL’s meandering bass groove safari takes you through traditional folk backwaters, to jazz, to blues and to strong currents of today’s rock riffs. Drummer-percussionist, ANDRE DUMONT, marks the beat with a creative rhythmic force that completes the dynamic sound.
WEDDINGS, BNEI MITZVAH, CELEBRATIONS...
Rahel creates a joyous musical atmosphere that will enhance your wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, event, party, celebration or occasion. Her musical versatility brings a wealth of songs, styles, and genres to meet the musical tastebuds of you and your guests. Just say the word and Rahel will add a violin, bass, flute, sax, clarinet, keyboard, drum, harp to produce a full band. Traditionalists will enjoy a few organized folk dances too!
THERAPEUTIC MUSIC - For Healing and Transition
Rahel is a compassionate and insightful musician who has been trained to play therapeutic music for healing and transition at bedside, in medical, clinical and hospice environments, and at memorials and funerals. Her music is perfect for enabling a stress-free environment for calm and relaxation. (Scroll down for more information about therapeutic music and sound healing).
TIKKUN - Songs of the Heart, Prayers of the Soul
A joyful musical contemplative concert experience where one can experience calm, revelation and transformation through traditional ancient Hebrew verse combined with contemporary musical accompaniment. Listeners benefit from vibrational, medicinal, healing sound energy divinely inspired by Rahel's musical meditation based on the ten psalms of Rebbe Nachman's z"l "Tikkun HaKlali" (The Complete Remedy). This is a unique one-of-a-kind experience. Recommended for youth and adults. (Scroll to the end of this section for more information about the TIKKUN HAKLALI).
ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP EXPERIENCE
Choose the TIKKUN experience as an alternative worship service and experience.
SINGING IN KING DAVID'S COURT - A Community Event
An exploration of Jewish tradition, culture, and spirituality through contemporary renditions of ancient and sacred song, chant, rounds and dance. Innovations by Rahel. Musicians are invited to bring their voice and instruments. Lyric and lead sheets provided.
MOTHER GOOSE ON THE LOOSE / IMMA AVAZA
- Recommended Family Entertainment! - Rollicking fun with traditional nursery rhymes and songs. This multi-lingual Raffi-style interactive concert features songs, rhymes, and fingerplays sung in English, French, Spanish, Hebrew and more, and includes dance, movement and games. This program is part of the Cass-Beggs "Listen Like Learn" music, and Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen's "Mother Goose on the Loose" programs. An ALL HEBREW performance is also available.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE - Musical Training for Educators of Very Young Children
Learning comes alive when you know the tools of the trade! We know today that children learn in a variety of ways. Therefore it’s important to be able to sing, dance, move, act, play simple musical instruments, and tell stories, laugh and PLAY in order to transform classroom learning into interactive fun. Songwriter and educator, Rahel, shares her creative approach to learning inspired by and based on the teachings of music, movement and music education pioneers including: Barbara Cass-Beggs z" (Listen Like Learn/ Your Child Needs Music), Anne Lief Barlin (Creative Movement), Curwen (Solfeges), Dalcroze (Eurythmics), Kodaly, Orff, Suzuki, Dr. Paul Dennison and Gail E. Dennison (Brain Gym/Educational Kinesiology or Edu-K), Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis and Don Campbell (Mozart Effect), Sound & Vibrational Energy, and more!
"The essential art of the musician is to build melodies from pleasing vibrations that will dispel any vibrations of negativity."
* Rav Avraham Greenbaum: The Wings of the Sun.
Laurie Riley, author of Body, Mind and Music, writes: "Music is the birthright of humanity. It is something we are all born able to do. We cannot help it; we are music...Our cells, our molecules, our atoms, our quantum particles all vibrate with the aliveness of rhythm; without we are, literally, dead."
Our bodies are affected by sound. More and more today, live music is being used as a complementary healing modality. Music transforms the experience of illness or death, it connects one person with another even when s/he may not be able to interact. It calms, relaxes,and creates a comforting environment. Live music can: reduce blood pressure, accelerate physical healing, stimulate memories, relieve anxiety, induce mental imaging, provide a way to release emotions, reduce stress, provide a way to express feelings, augment pain management, provide a segue for grieving, relieve mental tension, provide companionship, ease the delivery process of a birthing mother, provide time for contemplation, refresh, renew, and nurture mind, body and spirit.
It is believed that just a half hour of music can produce the same effect as ten milligrams of valium.
Music is safe, inexpensive and effective.
* The use of music for healing was once a highly developed sacred science. Music was originally utilized as a communal activity with magical and therapeutic intentions. The use of specific tones, frequencies, intervals and chants was extremely refined and specific. Sonic vibration was known to be the fundamental creative force of the universe.... Vibrational medicine music is bringing forth necessary changes in ourselves on both physical and mental levels to be able to live harmoniously in our times and in times to come. This is a journey of evolving conscoiusness which successfully unifies us with the essence of perfection who we ultimately are.
* Trans-Hyperborean Institute of Science
Stella Benson, author of The Healing Musician, reminds us that, "Music alone does not cure. Healing, within the context of therapautic music, is best understood as a process or a means to an end, not a product or an end in itself....Healing music is a holistic mechanism causing a chain reaction, which can affect the physical body, the emotions and the spirit."
Applying healing music is a healing art.
Please feel free to contact Rahel to play individually-tailored music, and to facilitate comfort, relaxation, and a healing environment for: patients at bedside, chronically and critically ill, dying, elderly, infants & children, birthing mothers, caregivers, in alternative health clinics and healing environments, and for corporations who provide rest & relaxation time for their employees!
"Tikkun HaKlali - The Complete Remedy" - Psalms for Healing
Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum teaches: The essential art of the musician is to build melodies from pleasing positive vibrations that will dispel any vibrations of negativity. The Psalms/Tehillim (songs and meditations), express an emotional outpouring of the heart from the depths of the soul. Kabbalistic sages have taught that the original Hebrew text of the Psalms contains profound hidden wisdom and includes a complete musical system referred to as the “Ten Types of Songs” (or ten types of pulses). Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) taught that there are ten Psalms that contain all the “Ten Types of Songs”. He called these ten the “Tikkun HaKlali” (The Complete Remedy).
The Ten Psalms are: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137 and 150.
When one abuses his/her G-d given powers s/he becomes spiritually flawed which, in turn can cause physical illness. At times, one may find that traditional methods and remedies may not help. "This," explains Rav Avraham Greenbaum, "is because they do not go to the essence of the problem. The Hebrew word, tikkun, means 'remedy'. Rebbe Nachman's Tikkun attacks the flaw at its very roots, drawing on the most powerful creative force in the universe: song."
The Sages taught that the Psalms have the power to bring out the hidden good that exists in the varied moments of our lives, providing inspiration and spiritual healing, and promoting health. Psalms to say at times of illness or crisis are: 6, 13, 20, 23, 30, 38, 39, 41, 88, 91, 92, 121.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, "Through ten expressions of praise, the book of Psalms was composed. They are: Nitzuach, Nigun, Maskil, Mizmor, Shir, Ashrei, Tehilah, Tefillah, Hoda'ah and Hallel." (Pesachim 117a, Zohar III, 101a) These ten types of song correspond to the ten sefirot as alluded to in the Zohar. Therefore, they have the power to nullilfy the strength of the klipah and blemish of a negative experience. Every negative experience has its own remedy but the Tikkun HaKlali is the Complete Remedy. It should be said as a whole, uninterrupted and in sequence, by those seeking a remedy for any problem they might be experiencing.
When the great Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Levites would sing/recite certain Psalms to the accompaniment of musical instruments in the Temple service. According to the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 31a) the daily Psalms were intended to recall the incidents of the six days of creation: Sunday - Psalm 24; Monday - Psalm 48; Tuesday - Psalm 82; Wednesday - Psalm 94; 95:1-3; Thursday - Psalm 81; Friday - Psalm 93; Shabbat - Psalm 92
An ancient source provides us with the answers we seek today about health and wellness. The study of Torah is said to profoundly effect our well-being; refu'at ha'nefesh (the healing of the soul) and refu'at ha'guf (healing of the body).
The Torah, and commentaries of the sages, include numerous mentions of illness, healing, and yes, medical practice. For example, music was often used to provide invaluable help to those in need in ancient times and it still proves effective today.
How did King David rise each night at midnight?
"Rabbi Shim'on Hasida said: 'David hung his harp above his bed and when midnight would arrive the north wind would blow upon the harp (vibrating the strings) and causing music to emanate. David would immediately rise and begin studying Torah. He would continue his studies even as the first light of dawn appeared in the sky.'" (Talmud Tractate Berachot 3:b)
We learn from the book of Samuel 16; 14-23 about King Saul's illness and David's musical gift that provided him solace:
"The spirit of G-d departed from Saul, and he was tormented by a spirit of sadness and melancholy from G-d. Saul's servants said to him, 'Behold now! A spirit of melancholy from G-d torments you. Let our lord tell your servants who are before you that they should seek a man who knows how to play the harp, so that when the spirit of melancholy from G-d is upon you, he will play the harp with his hand and all will be well with you."
So Saul said to his servants, "Seek now for me someone who plays well and bring him to me. One of the young servants spoke up and said, "Behold! I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who knows how to play the harp, is a mightly man of valor and a man of war, who understands a matter, is a handsome man, and G-d is with him."
Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said " Send me David your son who is with the sheep....
And it came to pass, that whenever the spirit of melancholy from G-d was upon Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand, and Saul would feel relieved and it would be well with him, and the evil spirit would depart from Saul.'
Micah Harrari of House of Harrai harps in Israel, www.harrariharps.com writes:
"3000 years ago the servants of King Saul knew that the sounds of the harp were able to have a healing affect on people. They didn't have the scientific knowledge of why and how, but they did know that something profound happened to people when the harp was played, and so they found the 'best harpist' in the land to bring to their ailing king to ease his suffering and bring him moments of peace and well being.
3000 years later, in our generation, recent medical research, studies and testing is showing the 'why and the how' of the healing affects of the sound of the harp."
LIVE music is the key. Torah provides the answers. There is a lot of information today about TORAH-BASED healing. To learn more, I recommend visiting: www.jewishealing.com
You are a being of Light, Love and Joy. Chaverim, we have much to learn from each other. The Torah is complete, yet, so often I find myself unable to see what is right there before my eyes as plain as day.
The purpose of this group is to learn about and explore ancient healing sources and traditions found in the Torah and other JEWISH sources.
Think "yeshiva", "chevruta"...
Think "hitbon'nut", "hitbod'dut"...
Think "alef-bet"...
Think David and his harp, Solomon and the wisdom of the ages, the "Baal Shem Tov" and "Reb Nachman"...
Think "refuat ha'guf", "refuat ha'nefesh"...
Think "dveikut" and "SHLEIMUT"!
Together we will explore and discuss verses, passages available to us in the Torah, and writings from the sages; ancient and contemporary. We will learn about the wisdom and healing energy of the Hebrew letters and vowels, and about the healing psalms, the "Tikkun HaKlali", and more. We will site Torah sources and learn how the Torah has guided us with its healing energy throughout the ages. We will study and discuss its influence on us today; for spiritual inspiration and direction, meditation, contemplation, prayer; we will sing and apply music and music medicine enery; and gain guidance about physical comfort and healing.
We will strive to learn about maintaining healthy Torah-based habits to maintain wellness, well-being, inner and outer "shalom" and "shleimut" - wholeness and peace.
Please note that this is not a religious-based group. We will be studying Jewish texts and sources and the focus is on Torah-based JEWISH healing practices, however this group is meant to be open to all those with an interest in this subject matter from all perspectives and faiths.
This group meets in Southern New Hampshire (Nashua, Amherst and Milford). All are invited to join: http://www.meetup.com/Jewish-Healing-Spirituality/