Festival Of Lights

by Teresa Jennings

The real beauty of this Hanukkah piece is in the recording, which we highly recommend that you use. Right off the top you will hear our superb violin soloist, Larry Shapiro. The other elements of the recording - the pulsing drum, the rich open strings, the ethereal synth - all contribute to a sound that evokes the feeling of an ancient time.

The tune is to be sung reverently. It is not difficult, but it does require some vocal discipline to sing the intervals and higher notes. You will want students to use their head voices so that they can sing with some delicacy. It is a round, though the first time through it is sung in unison. We used a group for both parts, as you hear on the recording. However, you might consider using soloists instead. They, too, could sing in unison at first, then go into the round on the repeat.

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.