Creating a Joyful Community for Songleaders
My experience at the first-ever Hillel Songleaders’ Summit in November was truly incredible. Hosted by Cleveland Hillel as part of Hillel International’s Regional Student Gatherings Grant Program, the weekend was an opportunity for students from Hillels all over to learn together and make beautiful music. From working with legendary songleaders like Dan Nichols and Mayta Cohen, and collaborating with fellow songleaders from campuses across the country, every part of the weekend offered something to bring back to my own Jewish community – and deepened my understanding of what thoughtful, intentional songleading can be.
The summit itself was the result of a conversation that Yaffa Muhlbaum, associate director of Oberlin Hillel, and I began more than a year ago. We hoped to create the kind of educational and communal experience that many songleaders never encounter, one that centers both skill-building and connection.
Bringing songleaders together in Cleveland and hosting our summit at Camp Wise helped make that vision a reality. For me, and for many other songleaders, summer camps and other gatherings held on campgrounds are the first spaces where we learned to lead songs and appreciate the power of Jewish melodies. Being back in that type of environment for the Songleaders Summit brought a sense of familiarity and warm memories to the experience.
We also identified three important ideas that became central to the summit: building a joyful, creative community; creating a network of peers for student songleaders; and instilling confidence in every songwriter to bring new melodies and new avenues for meaning and connection back to their campuses.
Two moments that stood out from the summit drew directly on those central ideas. Veteran songleader Dan Nichols helped us connect as a community by focusing on shared memories and songs, building a spirit of collaboration and trust among participants. His feedback and guidance also introduced me to new ways of thinking about writing and leadership that I would never have discovered on my own.
The individual workshops throughout the weekend were also critical in building my confidence as a songleader. I’ve been songleading since I was 13, but I had never taken part in such an intensive training on the craft. One of the most valuable sessions was a leadership workshop with Dan, which focused on skills relevant to songleaders, in particular, teaching new music. Teaching has always felt like the most challenging part of songleading for me, since it doesn’t come naturally.
Having my teaching style broken down and rebuilt in such a thoughtful way was an invaluable experience, and it’s already helped me more effectively teach melodies back at Oberlin. It’s also helped me find the confidence I was looking for to share a part of myself with my community and introduce my own original melodies into prayer services and rituals at Oberlin Hillel.
While our days at the summit were full of sessions, rehearsals, and services, the time we spent together outside of these structured moments allowed us to connect on a deeper level. These relationships helped us find the vulnerability we need to truly create and lead as community builders on campus.
Overall, the Songleaders’ Summit was deeply meaningful for me, not only as a songleader, but as a Jewish student. It was a joyful, grounding weekend away that reminded me why I love this work so much. Feeling connected to Judaism and to a community of fellow songleaders made the experience not only educational, but deeply spiritual. I can’t wait to see what next year’s summit brings and to continue building on the skills, relationships, and inspiration I gained from this experience.
Micah Margolis (‘27) is a current student at Oberlin College, serving as the President of Oberlin Hillel.
Stay tuned for more stories about Hillel regional gatherings in the coming weeks.