Walking In Memphis

Hey everyone!

It's not a complete surprise that I have the ability to blog and vlog, but just because I understand the general concept doesn't mean that I have ever in the past. I have a confession: This is new and uncharted territory for me. I'm not going to pretend that I am the expert when it comes to this. But I am really happy to try, and let you in on what goes on at these conventions that I attend each year.

I want to be very, very clear. This is NOT an excuse for crazy music people to get together, eat, drink and talk about our shared problems. No, all that is just a byproduct of a highly structured and wonderfully organized convention. We pray, study and share a whole bunch of important information that impacts upon a broad range of topics and that ultimately effect all of us and our congregations. We talk about social media, which you all clearly have stumbled upon. We talk about creating the best models for teaching Torah to students. We talk about our biggest hopes and fears as professionals, and we also talk about you- our communities we serve.

I have landed safely in Memphis, TN and I'm currently sitting in the lobby of the historic Peabody Hotel. I got here well in advance of any room being available. It is 9:40 AM local time and the lobby is crawling with friends stopping by to say 'hello,' and to inquire why I'm sitting here with the computer already open. I have already been told, "be sure you're here at 11:00... you don't want to miss the parade of the ducks." At least I have that going for me.

"Let's start at the very beginning...."

Every year, the American Conference of Cantors in tandem with the Guild of Temple Musicians, conducts a convention in some part of the world. For six years we are in a spot in the United States, and on the seventh year we travel to Israel. I have been to every convention since graduating from Hebrew Union College in 2000, including the tail-end of the 2000 convention which just happened to be in the city I was moving to, Los Angeles. In addition to seeing these great places, we have a chance to see a slice of the Jewish communities in these great places.

And yes, I see friends I don't have the chance to spend a lot of time with face-to-face during the year. It is a reunion and celebration of being around such talented and capable people, who work very hard every day to make our worship and lifestyles more reflective of the kind of people we would like to be.

It goes without saying that our music is not standardized. We use all kinds of mediums to express our love for our traditions. We use all kinds of mediums to help create and expand upon new traditions.

I am so very proud to be a part of even a little bit of this wonderful group.

The lobby is filling up with duck aficionados and onlookers, and it's still 35 minutes before they run from the open elevator in the lobby to the marble fountain in its center. Kids are sitting on the floor in front on my vantage point and I dare not move from this spot for fear of missing it. It's a true spectacle. They live on the roof in a $200,000 penthouse made out of Italian marble. It's good to be a duck.

At about 5:30 PM, we all joined together in prayer and welcome. You might imagine that the sound of a bunch of cantors in a room together, with other amazing soloists, musicians and lovers of this stuff, singing and harmonizing, might sound pretty amazing. Well, you'd be right! It is very special to feel a part of something great when it is happening, and every other person in the room is aware of it at the same time. Those are the moments we seek to create for this convention, and those are the moments we seek to bring home to you all.

The rest of the day consisted of a meal, a very inspirational effort by Rick Recht and the united clergies of the Memphis area, and socializing with great friends. Ultimately, I needed sleep after a long travel day. I'll fill you in tomorrow. Nighty night.