Richard Muller, or “Rick,” is a Torah Reader and B'nai Mitzvah teacher for 53 years now. He is the Torah and Megillah Tropes Specialist at Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy, at Temple Beth Am, in Los Angeles, California. He earned a Master's of Education from the University of Judaism, (now American Jewish University), and he’s been a Life Insurance, Long-Term-Care and Annuity Agent for 33 years, but the best part of his week is teaching Torah tropes!

Long ago, when he was 12 years old, in preparation for his becoming a Bar Mitzvah, Rick found that circling the various musical notes in pencil made it easier for him to see them, recognize their patterns, and remember how to chant them.

At age 14, when he was asked to teach 12 year olds for their B'nai Mitzvah, he thought highlighter marking pens would work even better, and they did!  This color-coded teaching system became "Muller's Trope Colors."

“My students really liked this method of reinforcing the trope patterns,” Rick says, “but in the beginning I could only color the tropes by hand”. Eventually this tedious method was made easier with the development of the computer and Hebrew software, and then the Internet, which led to much rejoicing.

We know that becoming a B'nai Mitzvah can be a challenging, if not altogether scary time, but learning to chant with Trope Colors can truly make it an enjoyable experience for all.