HOW WILL SLBC IMPACT YOU?

Education and Inspiration, Grounded in Strategic Planning

Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC) provides powerful Jewish leadership training for clergy, Jewish educators, religious and day school teachers, family engagement and early childhood specialists, teen leaders, Jewish camping staff, and veteran and new songleaders. Led by nationally renowned Jewish thought leaders, educators, and music artists, SLBC teaches participants specific skills and strategies to inspire transformative change in their Jewish communities. At SLBC, education and inspiration are grounded in strategic planning.

SLBC programs include SLBC national and regional conferences, individual coaching, and leadership training seminars for synagogues, synagogue board of directors, and Jewish conferences.

The SLBC National Conference, held every February, features a wide range of dynamic courses that explore a holistic approach to powerful and effective leadership in the Jewish world. The SLBC National Conference experience is soaked in inspirational Jewish music and communal singing. Participants do not need to sing or play an instrument to fully experience ALL that SLBC has to offer. Music is just one of many vehicles for connection and inspiration that is explored at SLBC conferences.

 SLBC is a national signature initiative of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center.

  • Engage in intensive, super-charged learning with nationally respected Jewish educators, thought-leaders and music artists
  • Become a more effective and engaging presenter and public speaker
  • Create meaningful connections from the bima, in synagogue hallways, at camp, and in all aspects of synagogue life
  • Collaborate with a community of like-minded Jewish professionals
  • Utilize music as a powerful, educational and inspirational vehicle. You don’t need to be a musician!
  • Learn dynamic and relevant ways to reach specific age demographics
  • Acquire new and exciting repertoire

2024 SLBC National Conference

2024 SLBC National Conference

Registration is NOW OPEN for SLBC ’24! The Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC) National Conference is one of the top immersive Jewish leadership training opportunities in the country led by nationally renowned Jewish leaders, educators and music artists. SLBC teaches participants about the many vehicles they have to create powerful, interactive connections, expand leadership abilities, and learn specific skills and techniques to inspire change in their communities.

*The SLBC National Conference includes the SLBC Repertoire Video Archive featuring hundreds of original songs taught by our core educators and presenters!

Location

Conference Site
The J – St. Louis
Jewish Community Center
2 Millstone Campus Dr, St. Louis, MO 63146

Hotel
Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel
191 W Port Plaza Dr, St. Louis, MO 63146

Dates & Times

Sunday, February 18: 2pm to 10:30pm
Monday, February 19: 8:45am to 10:30pm
Tuesday, February 20: 8:45am to 3:30pm

I have never seen anything like SLBC in any other environment. The level of inspiration is so high and the commitment to translation is so significant.

– Rabbi Sharon Brous, IKAR, Los Angeles, CA

Fees

  • SLBC National Conference (In Person) – $425
    • Includes all SLBC activities and materials
    • Includes meals during SLBC hours
    • SLBC requires participants attending in-person to provide proof of vaccination and a rapid test.  Please carefully review our SLBC Covid Policy 

Add-Ons

• Ground Transportation (includes shuttle to/from airport and to/from hotel and conference site): $40
• Shared Hotel Room (Sun & Mon): $150
• Private Hotel Room (Sun & Mon): $300
• Additional Night Shared Hotel Room (Sat): $75
• Additional Night Private Hotel Room (Sat or Tues): $150

Cancellation Policy

If you wish to cancel your SLBC National Conference registration ($425) on or before January 1, 2024 there is a $150 cancellation fee. No registration fees will be refunded after January 1, 2024.
* Expenses already incurred by SLBC will not be refunded after January 30 including hotel and ground transportation.

Group Discounts

SLBC group rates are offered to encourage congregations, camps, Jewish organizations, and entire Jewish communities to work strategically towards creating meaningful and lasting systemic change on an organizational or community-wide scale. SLBC group participants leave SLBC with a shared vocabulary, skill set, and strategy for creating lasting impact in their home communities. SLBC groups will have opportunities to work together as a group to draft a Strategic Road Map specifically created for their organization. This SLBC Strategic Road Map outlines a unified vision, goals, milestones, and specific action items.

For more information about SLBC Group Rates, contact Elisa Heiligman at elisa@songleaderbootcamp.com or 314.991.0909

COVID Policy

SLBC requires participants attending in-person to provide proof of a negative COVID rapid test taken within 48 hours of arriving at SLBC. We strongly encourage everyone who registers for the 2023 SLBC National Conference in person to carefully review the SLBC COVID Policy. The policy WILL IMPACT your registration. 

SLBC Security

SLBC is housed at the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis (The J). The J staff is regularly trained for worst-case scenarios in Situational Awareness and for a variety of unlikely events including active shooters and bombs. In February, the J and SLBC will assess and take appropriate security precautions based on recommendations from local law enforcement agencies.

While it is the policy of the J not to publicly disclose specifics regarding security plans, it’s important that you know that they take security very seriously at the J and already practice best practices.

The J is supported by a large and well-run security team, led by Security Director, Scott Biondo who was engaged several years ago to assist all Jewish agencies in their security planning and preparedness. Scott and his team of security professionals are located primarily on the J Campus, but they also provide additional physical presence when appropriate throughout the community.

The J has a direct relationship with both St. Louis County and Chesterfield Police Departments, as well as the St. Louis Fusion Center, a collaborative effort that includes myriad law enforcement agencies to provide resources, expertise, and information to help detect, prevent, investigate and respond to terrorist activity. It is important to note that THERE ARE NO INDICATIONS OF TERRORIST ACTIVITY IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA AT THIS TIME.

2024 SLBC Conference Educators & Presenters

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Cantor Laurie Akers

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Rob Aronson

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Shira Berkowitz

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Rabbi Joe Black

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Rabbi Sharon Brous

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Joe Buchanan

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Rabbi Noah Diamondstein

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Hazzan Joanna Dulkin

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Zoey Fleisher

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Carla Friend

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Rabbi Brad Horwitz

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Rabbi David Ingber

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Billy Jonas

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Shira Kline

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Charlie Kramer

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Jacob Spike Kraus

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Rabbi Sandra Lawson

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Eliana Light

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Rabbi Jackson Mercer

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Rabbi Myra Meskin

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Chava Mirel

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Craig Parks

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Mikey Pauker

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Elisa Heiligman Recht

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Rick Recht

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Past Presenters
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Rabbi Susan Talve

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Rabbi Josh Warshawsky

Course Offerings at the SLBC Conference

At the SLBC National Conference, participants are encouraged to choose their own adventure by selecting courses in the Worship Leader, Jewish Educator, Early Childhood, Day School or Songleader Tracks. Participants are welcome to attend electives from any of the SLBC Tracks throughout the conference. 

The SLBC Chavurot (Ramah Chavurah, Day School Chavurah, and Staenberg Teen Chavurah) are cohorts that have their own independent team programming during SLBC National Conference. Chavurot participants apply for these cohorts separately from SLBC general registration.

Worship Leaders track

The Worship Leader Track was created to support the spiritual, educational, and professional goals of worship leaders including rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators, teens, songleaders, and lay leaders. Topics for worship leader sessions include theology, prayer expansion and interpretation, diversity in text study, Shabbat repertoire, leadership in prayer, building a singing community and more.

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Jewish Educator track

All SLBC attendees are Jewish educators – some teach on the bima, at synagogue, in classrooms, at camp, in song, or other areas of Jewish life.  SLBC Jewish Educator Track features courses that teach skills, cover topics, and explore strategies that touch on a broad range of Jewish settings.

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Songleader track

Jewish songleaders are some of the most powerful educators and leaders in Jewish life. From its inception, SLBC National Conference has featured a diverse offering of courses for both new and veteran songleaders including general leadership, songleading skills, repertoire, the business of songleading, the equipment of songleading, songession planning, songleading resources, and personal care.

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Day School Teacher track

The SLBC Day School track shares a variety of courses for geared toward   Jewish day school teachers including curricular planning, presentation skills, mindfulness, planning and leading engaging tefilot, utilization of music in the classroom, honoring students with special needs, and more.

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Family Engagement/Early Childhood track

The SLBC Family Engagement/ Early Childhood Track offers a variety of courses for individuals who work with young children and their families.  Courses in the track focus on leadership skills, strategies, and resources that are particularly unique to this demographic.  There are also courses in this track that focus on early childhood repertoire and the utilization of music for young children and their families.

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Staenberg Teen Chavurah

With gracious support from the Staenberg Family Foundation, SLBC is excited to expand the Teen Chavurah at SLBC. Led by Jacob Spike Kraus, the goal of the Teen Chavurah program is to build strong, vibrant, future leaders of the Jewish world.

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Ramah Chavurah

For the last 10 years, Ramah constituents have gathered annually in the SLBC Ramah Chavurah for 3 days of immersive learning, t’fillah (prayer), strategic road-mapping, song leadership, and spiritual exploration at the SLBC National Conference.

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Day School Chavurah

In 2018, SLBC launched the SLBC Day School Chavurah for day school students in grades six through eight. Classes from St. Louis and Greensboro joined together for this inaugural SLBC pilot program exploring roles and leadership skills necessary for students to effectively lead tefilah (prayer) and shira (song), as well as a variety of programs in a day school setting. 

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