Hebrew Round · Jewish Folk Song · Grades 2–6
Full lyrics in Hebrew and English, the meaning of every word, and a complete teaching guide. A beautiful round for teaching Aeolian mode, low ti, slurs, and part-singing — and a perfect way to end class.
All names & spellings
This Hebrew round is transliterated many ways in English — all of these refer to the same song.
Complete lyrics
About this song
Shalom Chaverim (שלום חברים) is a Jewish folk song that has been sung in music classrooms, summer camps, synagogues, and communities around the world for generations. It is a natural choice for an end-of-class ritual — the text is a farewell, the melody is memorable and emotionally resonant, and the round structure makes the ending feel musically complete every time.
One of Deborah's most effective techniques for this song is to begin with large, sweeping body motions that strongly emphasize the downbeat while singing in unison. This anchors the beat physically before students ever attempt the round. When they eventually sing it in parts, the body motions keep each group synchronized from the inside — and you can gradually drop the motions once the round is secure.
"Sing it as a round while doing the body motions a few times before dropping the motions. The physical emphasis on the downbeat is what keeps the groups from drifting apart."
— Deborah Skydell Pasternack, The Singing ClassroomFrom a Kodály perspective, Shalom Chaverim is genuinely rich. The scale is Aeolian (natural minor), containing all scale notes except fa, and the song strongly stresses the mi–la (5–1) interval at both the beginning and the end. The form, broken down rhythmically by measure, is AABBAABB' — a beautiful structure to explore with older students. The song contains three slurs and uses the rhythmic pattern ta-ah-ah (half-note tied) repeatedly in its B section. And the phrase structure is clear: two long phrases, the second beginning with "l'hitraot," each characterized by a melodic ascent followed by descent.
Perhaps most significantly for upper elementary students, low ti appears in the context of a la-based scale — making this one of the few folk songs in the standard repertoire that presents that specific, and typically late, solfege concept in a genuinely musical and emotionally engaging context.
Teaching guide
The complete video demonstration — including body motions, round setup, and instrument parts — is available inside a Singing Classroom subscription.
Teach the three Hebrew words — shalom, chaverim, l'hitraot — and their meanings before singing. Shalom is particularly interesting because it means peace, hello, and goodbye simultaneously. Students find this surprising and memorable. The song becomes culturally richer when students understand what they're actually saying.
Teach the melody by rote in unison, adding sweeping body motions that land heavily on every downbeat. The motions don't need to be complex — a big arm sweep, a sway, a step — as long as they clearly mark the beat. The goal is to make the beat physical before it becomes a tool for keeping the round together.
Don't rush into the round. Sing Shalom Chaverim in unison — with and without the body motions — until the melody is completely secure. If students are uncertain in unison, the round will drift. Use it as an end-of-class ritual for several sessions before introducing parts. Repetition here is an asset, not a problem.
Begin with the body motions still in use. Divide the class into two groups. Group 1 starts; Group 2 enters at the beginning when Group 1 reaches "shalom, shalom" for the first time. Let the round cycle a few times. The overlapping motions help each group stay anchored. Then gradually drop the motions and trust the voices.
Metallophone part: Part 1 plays D–A–D. Part 2 plays ascending thirds that follow the rhythmic pattern of the word "chaverim." Finger cymbals echo the words "shalom." For recorders, the notes are B, A, G, F, E, and D — play the first A an octave up. You may need to slow the tempo slightly for recorder players.
Shalom Chaverim is most powerful when it becomes a consistent goodbye ritual. Sing it the same way at the end of every class — with the same body motions, the same round structure, the same quiet energy. Students come to associate the song with the feeling of a class ending well. By the end of the year, they often begin the motions before you say a word.
By grade level
Focus on unison singing with body motions, learning the Hebrew words and their meanings, and the emotional context of the song as a farewell. Explore the pick-up beat and the two-phrase structure. Introduce finger cymbals echoing "shalom."
Introduce the round structure and vocal independence. Analyze the AABBAABB' form and the two long phrases. Use the song to introduce or reinforce the slur and melisma concepts — they occur three times in the song. Explore the Aeolian scale and the mi–la interval.
Address low ti in the context of the la-based scale — this is one of the clearest folk song examples of that concept available. Analyze the complete rhythmic and melodic form. Add recorders (notes B, A, G, F, E, D) and metallophones. Discuss what makes a round work musically and why this one is so effective.
What teachers say
"I end every class with Shalom Chaverim. By November, the kids start the body motions before I even say a word. It's become the signal that we're about to say goodbye — and they love it."
"The body motions technique is brilliant. I used to struggle getting the round to stay together — but when everyone's arms are emphasizing the downbeat, the groups just lock in. I've never had it fall apart since."
"Teaching my sixth graders that shalom means peace, hello, and goodbye at the same time was a genuine 'wow' moment. They were quiet for a second and then one kid said, 'That's the best word.' Exactly."
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Shalom (שלום) is one of the most important words in Hebrew and means peace, hello, and goodbye — all at once. Its root is related to the concept of wholeness or completeness. In this song it functions as a farewell, but it carries the deeper wish for peace. Many students find it striking that one word can hold so many meanings — it's worth dwelling on.
The biggest challenge in singing a round is keeping each group anchored to their own part without being pulled toward the other groups. Large body motions that land on every downbeat give each group an internal physical reference point that's independent of what the other groups are singing. When students feel the downbeat in their bodies, they don't need to rely on listening to themselves against the other group — they can hold their own part even as the harmonies overlap.
The notes in Shalom Chaverim are B, A, G, F, E, and D. If students can play all of those on recorder, they can learn this song. Play the first A an octave higher than written. You may find it helpful to slow the tempo slightly for recorder players — as Deborah demonstrates in the audio recording on this page.
Part 1 plays D–A–D, emphasizing the tonic and fifth of the D minor tonality. Part 2 plays ascending thirds that follow the same rhythmic pattern as the word "chaverim" — which locks the metallophone rhythm to the song in a memorable and musical way. These two parts can be introduced simultaneously or one at a time depending on your class's readiness.
Low ti is the leading tone below la in a la-based (minor) scale — the seventh scale degree below the tonic. It is typically one of the last solfege syllables introduced in the Kodály sequence because it appears less frequently in folk repertoire and requires a well-developed sense of tonality to hear clearly. Shalom Chaverim is valuable precisely because low ti appears in it naturally, in a song that students already know and love musically — which makes the concept much easier to hear and absorb.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
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