Songwriter, musician, and Jewish educator Rory Michelle Sullivan believes that there is magic in the intimacy of singing together. Through joyful song and moving melodies that “hit you in the kishkes”, Rory Michelle creates experiences that bring people closer to each other, to a spiritual Source, and to themselves. Noted on Jewish Rock Radio and at URJ Biennial as an Emerging Artist, Rory Michelle is poised to become an influential leader in contemporary Jewish music and education nation-wide. From tiny babies to the eldest members of our communities, from lively camp and synagogue Shabbat programs to intimate healing services, Rory Michelle has touched thousands of individuals with her enchanting voice and spirit.

Work with Rory Michelle to create personalized programs for your community including:

Teen Musical Prayer & Song Composition Workshops

Bring in an awesome Post-B'nai Mitzvah or Hebrew High Program that teens will love!
Students collaboratively choose and study a Jewish text then compose a song, musical prayer, or set a liturgical piece to music based on the text, then share their composition at a service or event or through a music video.
FROM STUDENTS:
​I don’t think I thanked you enough for the truly amazing songwriting elective that you put together this time around. I’m extremely grateful that I got to spend my last year of religious school doing something that means so much to me and hopefully my future (making music) and learning more about Judaism than I ever knew before.
 - Lea R., 10th grader at Tiferet Bet Israel, Blue Bell, PA
FROM EDUCATORS:
It has been a distinct honor working with you. Your creativity brings out the best in my high school students. It was clear to me, by their enthusiastic participation, they got a great deal from this project. I intend to do this again next year. Meanwhile, !בהצלחה [Good luck!]
- Buzz Bray, Kesher Academy Teacher, Tiferet Bet Israel, Blue Bell, PA

How it Works

  • Students choose a Jewish text (you determine their options, from the Megillah to Shabbat liturgy and beyond).
  • We dig into the text as a group, in traditional paired (chavruta) learning, and/or retranslating it together from the original Hebrew.
  • Students set goals for their composition based on what they learn from the text 
  • Students compose a song, musical prayer, or set a liturgical piece to music as a group, starting with the text.
  • Students prepare their composition for inclusion in a service or event OR we create a music video.​

More details

  • Workshops are typically 8 sessions long, held once weekly for 50 min to 2 hours.
  • Multiple modules can be added together for a longer program (eg. text study/lyric writing, arranging & orchestration, preparation for presentation, recording, and/or music video production can be designed as sequential workshops).
  • Can be done in person, virtually, or both.
  • If you have particular needs, let Rory Michelle know - timing and other aspects can be customized to your program.

Watch the Magic

Benefits

  • ​Project-Based Learning for deep engagement
  • Focus on meaningful encounters with Jewish text
  • Team-oriented for building positive connections with peers
  • Easy for you to offer impactful program teens will be excited for
  • Share-back with your community (during a service/event or through a music video) included
  • Teens gain confidence through collaboratively completing and sharing a big project, get to bring their authentic selves and use their creativity, and ultimately deepen their relationship with Judaism, Jewish text, and your community
  • Teens exploring future aspirations work and learn with a professional artist/musician
  • It's FUN!

Get in touch below to plan your workshop today

This workshop is available for:
- Religious schools (including Post B'nai Mitzvah and Hebrew High programs)
- Summer Camps (sleep away and day camps)
- Jewish Day Schools
- Community Centers and more!

The workshop can also be adapted for elementary (K-6) students as well as for adults.
Working with Rory Michelle is a dream. She is engaging and energetic, and her ‘ruach’ is contagious. As a supervisor, I could not ask for someone more dependable, reliable, and independent than Rory Michelle. Even when things don’t go according to plan (with transitions, rooms, setups, you name it!) she is flexible and optimistic. When Rory Michelle is in front of a group, she is dynamic and responds well to the specific group that is in front of her. She differentiates well for all learners and ages, and works well with all teachers and staff.
- Merissa Hochberg, Director of the Lese Center for Living Judaism, Central Synagogue, New York, NY
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM OFFERINGS

Artist in Residence Weekends

If you are looking to bring music, creativity, and spirituality to your community, talk to Rory Michelle about an Artist Residency. We'll work together to create a weekend of joyous and moving music, artistic collaboration, singing together, and of course - connection.

​Customize the Artist Residency Weekend to your community’s needs and schedule. Choose from program menu including: Friday night musical service, Shabbat morning davening, Shabbat afternoon song session or talk on Rory Michelle's musical, RISING IN LOVE, Havdalah + sing-along concert, Sunday morning song session with religious school, and whatever else we can dream up together.

Informal Jewish Education Consulting

Want help infusing music into your Jewish education curriculum? Want your students to engage in sophisticated yet fun ways with Jewish teachings? Want to learn how to use songs to bring life to your own teaching, or provide your teaching staff with useful frameworks for facilitating deep learner engagement? Rory Michelle has created informal Jewish education curricula for day camps, innovative Jewish communities like Lab/Shul, and religious schools of all shapes and sizes. Reach out today for a consultation on how to energize and deepen learning in your community or school.

Presentations on RISING IN LOVE the Musical 

Would your community enjoy a presentation and discussion on developing new musical theatre? Rory Michelle's musical, RISING IN LOVE, is the modern-day coming of age story about engaged Jewish couple Rosie and Scott and "what it takes to rise in love" (think contemporary Cole Porter mashed with Esther Perel’s couple's therapy podcast 'Where Should We Begin?'). Pairs well with workshops on healthy communication and one of Rory Michelle's newest programs, tikun olam (fixing the world) - starting with our everyday lives - through shmirat halashon (guarding our speech). 

Songleading & Community Events

In need of a Jewish musician or songleader for your religious school, camp, day school, group retreat, family program, Shabbat, holiday, or High Holiday service, B'nai Mitzvah service, creative ceremony, or other event? Rory Michelle will have everyone singing joyously along together. Looking for a songleader training or a consultation on music or curriculum? Reach out to Rory Michelle for that as well.

Arts-based Torah Study

Is learning a big focus of your community? We’ll explore Jewish text through one of Rory Michelle’s songs, or we’ll dig into one of the Girls in Trouble Curriculum units, for which Rory Michelle served as curriculum collaborator. This arts-based curriculum about women in Torah is accessible to all genders and explores the hidden intersections of Biblical character’s lives and our own, based on the indie-folk/art-pop song cycle by musician, poet, and Torah teacher Alicia Jo Rabins.

Sing-Along Concerts

A concert with Rory Michelle is never only a concert - it is a participatory event! Featuring Rory Michelle's Jewish text inspired album and plenty of singing along, concerts with Rory Michelle are a great way to bring the entire community together.

What others are saying:

SONGLEADING
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"Rory is the type of song leader who comes thoroughly prepared with new material and ideas for incorporating movement and engagement into any song, prayer or story-telling session. She is joyful and full of enthusiasm on a stage, park lawn, synagogue basement, bookstore nook or any other space. She is a natural and it’s clear that she just loves singing Jewish songs to children and families. It’s a passion and anyone can see it right away."
​- Leemor Ellman, Director, Empowerment for Families with Young Children, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ

"As co-creator and co-leader of our 'healing service,'  Rory Michelle's insightful input, radiant presence and beautiful soul helped to create a truly sacred space where people could process their fears and struggles through prayer, meditation, sharing and song.  The melodies she contributed and the words she shared enabled everyone to feel safe and supported, and helped to build a true sense of community and healing among all who were fortunate enough to be in her presence."
- Rabbi Lori Koffman, Director of Congregational Support/Adult Education, Central Synagogue, NYC

"We were blessed to have Rory Michelle join our preschool community for a Family Shabbat. Rory Michelle's warmth, beautiful voice, and ability to connect with both children and adults created a special family event. We hope to have her join us again and we're glad she is now residing in our city."
- Risa Young, Director of Early Childhood Education, Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel

"Rory does amazing work with the youngest members of our community and is also a master at engaging parents". 
​- Rabbi Ravid Tilles, Merrick Jewish Centre

"Rory’s ability to engage children of all ages in singing and enjoying music is amazing.  She really is able to get them excited about learning a new song and tune.  It is truly a gift! 
During our final program at the Jewish Learning Center, Rory not only got the students singing, but the parents were equally engaged and enthusiastic, joining in the songs and fun.  There was endless Ruach (spirit) in the room!
In Rory’s teaching style she always strives for the “out of the box” ideas to bring to her lessons.  She will not settle for the pedestrian way of teaching a song or introducing a new tune for a standard prayer.  Students are genuinely excited to come to Rory’s shira (music) session.
I have seen Rory grow over the years as a song leader and teacher.  She has become one of the best I have seen!"
- Rivka Nelson, Director of Religious Education, Jewish Learning Center, Congregation Beth-El NJ

CONCERTS
"Your concert was sensational. Your music engaged the audience immediately and had everyone singing and playing along." 
- Susan Zeitlin, Congregation Tifereth Israel

"Great concert, powerful, inspirational, really hit a chord in me. Looking forward to more beautiful music, Rory." 
- Betsy Schreiber, Congregation Tifereth Israel

"You are a joyous, inspirational artist and I'm glad many people got to witness your talents!"
- Nita Noveno, writer and host of NYC's Sunday Salon series

"The music was terrific, and your personality and delivery were irresistible!"
- Anna Gabrieli, former classical voice teacher

"It was a blast and I can't stop thinking about how great your performance was. Watching you sing was entrancing."
- Kenneth R. Fisher Jr, Producer/DJ

"Your songs are heartfelt and evocative and I always enjoy your singing."
- Jim Leffert, Worship & Study Minyan, Harvard Hillel

"Like many great artists, the creative brilliance of Rory Michelle becomes immediately apparent as soon as you experience her music for the first time - clever, honest, soul-baring folk songs that transcend place, time and circumstance and stir the imagination and tug gently but deservedly and genuinely at your heartstrings.  As timeless as the ocean tides, Rory’s music would have been equally at home in 1962, 1972, 1982 or 2016 and her songs would still reverberate strongly with her audience, and immediately feel like home and comfort and solace.  Like all truly great art, it becomes more than the sum of its parts by taking on new individual meaning for everyone who listens.  To prove it, I challenge anyone to listen to Rory sing “The Beach Song” live and not be moved to feel something both beautiful and profoundly personal."
- Ryan Baker, music aficionado

MUSIC
"GOOD GRAVY! You have an amazing voice and I'm hooked one song in."
- Joe Buchanan, composer, musician, and host of Jewish Rock Radio's Emerging Artist Showcase

Praise for The God Album (no pun intended): "most enjoyable ... worshipful as well as fun."
- Waynetta Washington, listener
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"I put on your album last night and loved it and all today my family has played it on repeat. Love your liner notes, too."
- Sonia Gordon-Walinsky, Artist-Educator, pasukart.com

"Your voice is beautiful and your songs meaningful... your spirit is contagious, and the melodies stay in my head!" 
- Kim Childs, Life, Career and Creativity Coach

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
"I loved Rory's class and how the music brought a biblical Torah story to life and made it feel new and relevant to me today. Music is the language of the heart and through Rory's song I was able to feel and understand the story in a deep and meaningful way. Sometimes ancient texts are hard to relate to but Rory's song changed that completely through the timeless language of music. Thanks Rory!"
- Julie Eisen, Limmud NY session participant 

"I was privileged to learn about Rabban Gamliel, a reknowned, albeit controversial Hebrew scholar who lived 2,000 years ago, during an outstanding lecture and musical presentation given by Rory Michelle.
In her beautifully written original song, 'Rabban Gamliel', Rory Michelle brought Rabban Gamliel and his mission to save the Torah to life, keeping its values of humility, decency, preservation and innovation, relevant for generations to come, in a most pleasant and inspirational format.  How special it was to learn about this facet of my Jewish history in such an upbeat and memorable way!  The 'Rabban Gamliel' song is one of eight on Rory Michelle's latest disc, 'The God Album', which I highly recommend to all!" 
- Ellen Portnoy, Limmud NY session participant
 COMMUNITIES RORY MICHELLE HAS BEEN BLESSED TO WORK WITH:

Congregation Beth El - NJ - South Orange, NJ
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ
Temple Beth Sholom - Cherry Hill, NJ
Central Synagogue - NYC
Congregation Rodef Shalom - NYC
The 14th St Y/ New Country Day Camp - NYC
Lab/Shul - NYC
PJ Library NYC/Long Island/NJ
Limmud NY
Merrick Jewish Center - Merrick, NY
Merrick Hebrew High - Merrick, NY
Makom NY - Bethpage, NY
Temple Shalom - Plainview, NY
Congregation Tifereth Israel - Glen Cove, NY
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Tiferet Bet Israel - Blue Bell, PA
Beth Zion Beth Israel (BZBI) - Philadelphia, PA
Hebrew Helpers - Philadelphia, PA
Harvard Hillel Worship & Study Minyan - Cambridge, MA
​Temple Israel - Westport, CT
ish, Cincinnati's Jewish and Israel Arts and Cultural Festival, OH
​Limmud Chicago + MW
​URJ Biennial
​Mitsui Collective
and more
I'm excited to meet you!

Write me below and let's actualize your vision.
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