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| These are the lyrics we were given to sing |
I have a
Masters in History and Education and have taught Western Civilization as an
adjunct professor. But, my most important credential is MOTHER/GRANDMOTHER. I am blessed
to have a 15 year old granddaughter that I get to take Christmas shopping every
year. She is a delight and sometimes allows me to share the company of her
friends. I love their conversations.
Of course, my antennae is always up when they discuss their teachers and classes.
Of course, my antennae is always up when they discuss their teachers and classes.
One of
the greatest pieces of music ever written is Handel's Messiah. It is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James
Bible, and from the version of the Psalms included with the Book of Common
Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742.
So, I guess since it was written with a scriptural text that makes this
music unacceptable to the public schools. Although, I must admit, when I chose
to take these precious young ladies to the Bay High Gymnasium to sing
Hallelujah as advertised in the Panama City News Herald and elsewhere, I thought it would
be the traditional, very moving piece of cultural literacy in which the entire
community would be participating. Donated food went
towards "Blessings in a Backpack" and donated toys went towards
"Stuff the Bus." It was billed as a very worthy project of providing for the children who
might suffer from not having free meals at the schools and I was pleased to
donate.
I was delighted to invite my granddaughter to this event beginning our annual
quest for the perfect Christmas gift for my dear one. I, and others who
attended, were looking forward to participating with the community and students
introducing them to this masterpiece of music and lifting our voices to the
joyous music.
How did this idea begin?
According to the Panama
City News Herald (Dec. 15, 2016) last year’s
event came about as related below.
"The inaugural Bay County Hallelujah Project invites people of
all ages, ethnicities and walks of life to sing Leonard Cohen’s solemn
“Hallelujah” chorus at the Bay High School gym as part of an event that aims to
bring together the community.
PANAMA CITY — The
students and staff at Bay District Schools want to hear you sing Saturday — even
if you can’t carry a tune.
The inaugural Bay County Hallelujah Project invites people of
all ages, ethnicities and walks of life to sing Leonard Cohen’s solemn
“Hallelujah” chorus at the Bay High School gym as part of an event that aims to
bring together the community.
“We’ve got teachers and principals who will be a part of ‘the
band’ as well and are really hoping for a truly diverse crowd of singers and
non-singers who will come together for a common cause,” said Bay District
Schools Human Resources
Executive Director Sharon Michalik, the project’s creator.
Michalik said the idea came to her after the November elections,
when she was scrolling through Facebook and came across a video from Canada of
people singing Cohen’s song. She was struck by the performance, especially the
diversity of the crowd, and decided recreating that in Bay County would be a hopeful antidote after a
political season that bitterly divided the country."
So the event has a political agenda.
I must say that as a teacher and a parent/grandparent I was shocked by the
song. What did the lyrics mean?
That was not what most of us who came to participate expected drawn
there by the marketing efforts of Stacey Shanklin, a Bay High teacher and adviser for "MAAD5."
The "MAAD" stands for Marketing, Artistry, and Design, subject with which in my old age I am unfamiliar. Beautiful smiles on precious students always make my heart sing as an old warhorse of the classroom. We were blissfully unfamiliar with Cohen's version.
Is MAAD5 an
extra-curricular subject?
I am an old lady now. I cannot help but wonder how this fits in the disciplines one used to study to prepare one for the future. But, that has little to do with this post, except for the fact that those students were led to believe this to be a worthy cause. And I agree providing for hungry children IS a worthy cause. We must also be in constant guard for their minds and souls.
I am an old lady now. I cannot help but wonder how this fits in the disciplines one used to study to prepare one for the future. But, that has little to do with this post, except for the fact that those students were led to believe this to be a worthy cause. And I agree providing for hungry children IS a worthy cause. We must also be in constant guard for their minds and souls.
So, what is the
message of the lyrics to which we were all invited together to lift our voices?
"...an
antidote to a bitterly divided country"?
I did a bit of
research. These lyrics and commentary come from the Internet. As you can see from the copy I scanned, we were given an abbreviated version to sing. But, this recommended piece of "music" is now firmly imprinted in the mental rolodex of in the minds of those children--I know it is in mine!
[Verse 1]
Now I've heard
there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't
really care for music, do you?
It goes like
this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled
king composing "Hallelujah"
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Verse 2]
Your faith was
strong but you needed proof
You saw her
bathing on the roof
Her beauty and
the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
to a kitchen chair
She broke your
throne and she cut your
hair
And from your
lips she drew the Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Verse 3]
Baby I have
been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to
live alone before I knew you
I've seen your
flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold
and it's a broken Hallelujah
Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Verse 4]
There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Verse 5]
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name But if I did, well really, what's it to you? There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Verse 6]
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Verse 7]
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
|
Canadian Leonard
Cohen explained:
"Hallelujah is a Hebrew
word which means 'Glory to the
Lord.' The song explains that
many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist. I say: All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value.
[For others, we talk about the evolution of a relationship
through a metaphor that mixes sex and religion.
The lines referring to the immaculate conception can also be
interpreted as having a sexual connotation: "And every breath we drew
was hallelujah." Leonard
Cohen explained: "Hallelujah is a Hebrew
word which means 'Glory to the Lord.' The song explains that many kinds of
Hallelujahs do exist.
It has become a mainstay of live shows by Cohen's fellow
Canadian singer-songwriter, kd lang
The
English singer and songwriter Kathryn Williams once introduced her version of
Hallelujah in a live show by saying, "I really, really, really want to
shag Leonard Cohen."
Cohen has said of the song's meaning: "It explains that
many kinds of hallelujahs do exist, and all the perfect and broken hallelujahs
have equal value."
|
This is "healing"?
Well, there you have it. Secular Humanism at its best. Rather than elevate the thoughts and aspirations of our children, with political correctness we bring in a community “flash crowd” to join in lifting up a hedonistic, anti-Christian bit of "music" to help bring about the agenda of this Leftist Movement in our public schools.
Well, there you have it. Secular Humanism at its best. Rather than elevate the thoughts and aspirations of our children, with political correctness we bring in a community “flash crowd” to join in lifting up a hedonistic, anti-Christian bit of "music" to help bring about the agenda of this Leftist Movement in our public schools.
We are no longer people with souls and goals,
we are confined to the moral relativism of our current situation, an educational theory against which I have long railed.
And Maybe there’s a God above
All
I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew
you
It’s not a cry that you hear at night
It’s not a cry that you hear at night
It’s
not somebody who’s seen the light
It’s
a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.
I am appalled that the Bay District Schools
would choose to sponsor such drivel. I am sorry that I took my granddaughter
and her friend to participate in this travesty, regardless of the idealistic
goal of helping children. Just the fact that the Human Resources Executive
Director, the woman who hires the teachers who teach our children, thought this
was appropriate to “bring a community together” truly concerns me.
This, folks, is the worldview of your schools.
You wonder why there is so much sex, drugs and violence in our schools and
community? Perhaps it is the existential nihilism that life has
no intrinsic meaning or value in the literature chosen by your Board of Education and "taught" by the teachers who share this worldview that leads these children to doubt and despair. With respect to the universe, existential nihilism posits that a
single human or even the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose
and unlikely to change in the totality of existence. That seems to be the
essence of the Leonard Cohen Hallelujah brought to us by the Human Resources
Director of Bay District Schools.
I do
know that when I left this event discussing secular humanism (a term with which
neither were familiar) with my two companions, they both reflected the words of
that song. Moral relativism. There may be any of several philosophical positions concerned with the
differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures. No
absolutes.
Thank you Common
Core.
My heart bleeds. My work as a GRANDMOTHER is not done. How about yours?
"...an antidote to a bitterly divided country"?
The real meaning of those words did not occur to me until someone pointed out to me the connection between the SNL COLD OPEN the week of the November 8th 2016 election.
"...an antidote to a bitterly divided country"?
The real meaning of those words did not occur to me until someone pointed out to me the connection between the SNL COLD OPEN the week of the November 8th 2016 election.
This appears to have been a blatant political act
of the "resistance" channeling the SNL election week Cold Open. The
first came in December 15, 2016, directly after the SNL event. And now this is
the second annual event. Do public schools now openly confess political
indoctrination through this symbolic act? This was recorded! Will this go on
You Tube as a "flash crowd" for Hillary? Using public facilities.
Using public school resources to promote the event and public school students
to be the conduit for the publicity. Modeling public school students. What is
really going on here? And by the Human Resouce Director!
Don't tell me this doesn't have some political overtone in addition to being the perfect example of the worldview of COMMON CORE.
Well, that was a given.
I must comment here if what I have written sounds mean-spirited. I have long been against people in the education establishment taking advantage of their connections to use facilities and children to promote an agenda -- whether it be personal for their own advancement, political or for fundraising to elevate their own image in the community, all of which I have seen. To my way of thinking our public schools ARE our charity and they should make the most of the dollars we provide to give these children a REAL education, not use them as gophers for their own agenda. Now, I see on Facebook that Ms. Michalik is friends with many of my friends and I am sure she is a delightful person and I would like her very much.
However, if this project had truly been to enhance the experience or education of children this piece of smut would never have been the vehicle. And it is up to us in the public to call it what it is or this will continue. How Cohen's Hallelujah ever came to her attention must make us think twice about what the real purpose of this venture really was. And, when I think that my tax dollars went to provide the venue and that students that need a REAL education were used to promote it disturbs me greatly!
I contacted the Superintendent, Bill Husfelt, with my concerns. In turn, he had Ms. Michalik, now the Communications Director for Bay District Schools to respond to my email. Of course, Mr. Husfelt denied that the event was endorsed by Bay District Schools. I don't blame him. However, he's the boss.
RESPONSE:
https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/response-to-my-expressed-concerns-about.html
Well, that was a given.
I must comment here if what I have written sounds mean-spirited. I have long been against people in the education establishment taking advantage of their connections to use facilities and children to promote an agenda -- whether it be personal for their own advancement, political or for fundraising to elevate their own image in the community, all of which I have seen. To my way of thinking our public schools ARE our charity and they should make the most of the dollars we provide to give these children a REAL education, not use them as gophers for their own agenda. Now, I see on Facebook that Ms. Michalik is friends with many of my friends and I am sure she is a delightful person and I would like her very much.
However, if this project had truly been to enhance the experience or education of children this piece of smut would never have been the vehicle. And it is up to us in the public to call it what it is or this will continue. How Cohen's Hallelujah ever came to her attention must make us think twice about what the real purpose of this venture really was. And, when I think that my tax dollars went to provide the venue and that students that need a REAL education were used to promote it disturbs me greatly!
I contacted the Superintendent, Bill Husfelt, with my concerns. In turn, he had Ms. Michalik, now the Communications Director for Bay District Schools to respond to my email. Of course, Mr. Husfelt denied that the event was endorsed by Bay District Schools. I don't blame him. However, he's the boss.
RESPONSE:
https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/response-to-my-expressed-concerns-about.html
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