This semester Hands-On Folktales participated as an artist in residence for two Oakland County Schools through VSA Michigan and Matrix Theatre Company. One of the residencies was in the classroom of Lisa Barnett, MT-BC. You may know Lisa from Songs to Grow On, as she has worked extensively throughout the community to provide inclusive music therapy to a wide range of students. You can find more information on programs and events from Lisa by liking facebook page.
Lisa created a Caribbean themed musical showcase for her students. Hands-On adapted a Little John tale, and the young storytellers learned how to share this interactive story with an audience. Both classes worked hard to learn and perform for their families and friends. The day of the showcase came, and it was a Caribbean dream! We had Caribbean songs, music, and a projected presentation. The evening was made complete with steel drums, bird puppets, and an interrupting Pirate. Everyone had a lot of fun! The crowd followed our young storytellers, and we told the story together! One of the classes created visual art of the characters in our story. Here are the pictures made by the students in class.
If you’d like to learn more about Little John tales, follow us on Twitter @handsonfolktale and look for our upcoming series of “Did You Know” tweets.
Hands-On Folktales 