Storytelling Program Artistic Discipline

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Timmy Abell has presented countless middle-school programs throughout his 35-year touring career, with accolades from middle school students and administrators in many states. His program is richly varied, highly engaging and uplifting, and involves the students in almost every piece. His collection of rare musical instruments including hammered dulcimer, bowed psaltery, English concertina, and Appalachian limberjack, as well as the traditional claw-hammer banjo and guitar serve as a springboard for a captivating array of musical styles, original songs and interactive storytelling, all tied to the cultural component across the Common Core and Essential Standards for middle school. Timmy’s program themes can be adjusted for various topics such as a focus on North Carolina history and folk traditions, international musical influences on American music, or the art and practice of storytelling. Middle schoolers, who may not initially consider folk music and storytelling to be in their field of interest, are invariably drawn in to a deep appreciation of their natural connections to it through Timmy’s winning performance style and compelling material. Experience has shown that students will leave this performance with interesting connections to their prior knowledge, a deep sense of inquiry and a most likely, a feeling of inspiration.

Abstract Painting (All Levels)

Residency ; Workshop

This program is fun and rewarding for students of all ages. The beauty of abstraction is that it allows everyone to be successful! Students will enjoy learning brush techniques and about the various types of abstract painting prior to starting on their own canvases. Canvases can be placed on display at the school as an exhibition or students may take them home at the end of the program.

Adventures of the Wild Wolf: Unleash Your Inner Reader & Author!

Assembly/Performance

Deep in the mystical mountains of western North Carolina, if you listen quietly at night, you might hear the ancient and enthralling sound of … a wolf! Although wolves no longer live in the wild in western NC, children’s author Tanya Gerard and her husband, Rob Thomas, have raised wolves and wolf-dog hybrids as pets for almost 20 years. Their pets – and their love of nature and storytelling – inspired Tanya to write a debut book, The Adventures of the Wild, Wild Wolf, and a soon-to-be-published sequel. Tanya and Rob are now on a mission to motivate children to practice reading and writing, and to unlock their own inner reader and author. In this engaging and fun K-5th program, Tanya and Rob will read and act out passages from her book, complimented by stunning photos and captivating videos of their wild pets. Throughout the program, Tanya and Rob will deliver motivational messages about reading, writing and life. Their messages are simple but important: Read as much as possible. Start by writing about what interests you. Keep writing, even if it’s not perfect. Follow your dreams! Tanya & Rob are a multi-talented duo that has performed at hundreds of schools, libraries and other venues nationwide. They also have recorded several CDs and have produced music for numerous films, including the IMAX movie Sacred Planet. Learn more about our school programs at www.didgedownunder.com/schools. Please view our promo videos at www.didgedownunder.com/gallery.

Applied Improv for Autistic, Developmentally Disabled and Special Needs Students

Assembly/Performance ; Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Professional Development ; Residency ; Workshop

We’ve all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Maybe that explains why more and more clinicians are recommending applied improv as a therapeutic modality for people with mental health disorders such as developmental disabilities including autism and other special needs. The research in this area has shown that improvisation has a discernible positive effect in improving communication and prosocial behaviors in individuals with autism, developmental disabilities and other special needs. We “play” improvisational theatre related warm up games and perform other improv related activities applicable for your students.

Arts Integration Workshops for Teachers

Professional Development ; Workshop

How can I use dance, drama, visual art, media, and/or music in my classroom to teach Math, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science? Will it help students learn? What research backs up arts integration as a way of learning? How can I engage students in holistic learning and global thinking? How do I foster 21st century skills? How can I get my students to move in the classroom without going nuts? How do I manage art supplies without a big mess? I’m not an artist–how can I feel comfortable using the arts in my classroom? How do the arts connect with what I need to teach? Will they help with Social and Emotional Learning? The Southeast Center for Arts Integration answers these questions through participatory workshops for educators. Our facilitators lead teachers through arts-integrated experiences that successfully teach curricular content to real public school students. These classroom-tested, arts-integration practices are geared for teachers who think of themselves as “not artistic”–they build on the many strengths that classroom teachers already have. Teachers learn how to manage arts supplies effectively, how to lead movement in the classroom safely, how to conduct dramatic activities so students approach them seriously, and how to make direct connections between the arts and the Standard Course of Study and Essential Standards. Teachers collaborate to create integrated lesson plans that are based on NC SCOS and Essential Standards. They comprehend how teaching with multiple intelligences in mind helps all students learn. They experience how the arts foster 21st century skills like creative thinking, critical thinking, collaborating, and communicating. They see how teaching with and through the arts aligns with current brain research; and climbs to the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy. They make connections between the arts and SEL.

Australian Culture with Paul Taylor (Multidiscipline Residencies, Performances and Workshops)

Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Professional Development ; Residency ; Workshop

Paul Taylor has performed and taught for over 300,000 American children. His educational concerts present Australian culture in story and song for elementary, middle and high school. Paul performs to all ages, Wonders Down Under, Australian Music & Stories, an interactive multifaceted performance adapted to any age level. Paul presents audiences with a unique look at the wonderful Aussie character through an exciting blending of, stories, songs, dance, painting, theatre and didgeridoo, drawing comparisons in American history and culture. Focusing on many of our cultural icons it honors both Aboriginal and European roots. Paul is mentored by Aboriginal custodian Yidumduma Bill Harney and presents Bush University, featuring rock art with creation stories. Bush University is the Aboriginal term for the School of Nature, learning and paying attention to the plants, birds, animals, insects, the land, that are alive with story and song and constantly teaching us, reminding us of our primary role as humans, to be the custodians, to care for the natural world. Bush University is interactive and can be adapted to any audience. WORKSHOPS/RESIDENCIES; Paul Taylor offers twelve workshops in Australian culture, music and stories and one week residencies for elementary, middle and high school. Paul’s residencies with students are a blend of storytelling; theater; visual arts in the form of murals, traditional rock art, and craft such as didjeridoo painting; folk music of Australia including song, story songs and traditional instruments; folk dance; geography; history; and social studies. The objectives achieved in Taylor’s presentations are: – To introduce students to the European migration to Australia through storytelling theater. – To present Australian culture as it was in the founding of the country and as it is today through interactive songs and stories. – To draw parallels between US history and Australian history. – To introduce students to the culture and traditional stories of both European and Aboriginal Australia. – To introduce students to the Aboriginal music, instruments and art. – To explain the physics found in the sounds of transitional instruments and in the workings of the boomerang. Paul presents traditional instruments and song from both the European and Aboriginal cultures. The presentations include the context, language and story of several folk songs; traditional instruments such as the didjeridoo, boomerang, lagerphone and clap stick; the purpose of song and the songlines in the Aboriginal tradition.

Catch the Bluegrass Bug

Assembly/Performance ; Out-of-School-Time ; Virtual/Online Program ; Workshop

Come one, come all, grades prek- 2 are in for a treat when Mr. Charles takes the stage (in person OR virtually) with his guitar and brings the sounds of the North Carolina mountains to life in this fast-paced, interactive journey into the many sounds of NC Bluegrass music! Clap along to “Old Joe Clark” as Mr. Pettee stirs it up with his “tater-bug” (mandolin – 8 string instrument from Italy)! Call and response singing is a blast with “Cluck Old Hen” featuring the harmonica, (the great wind instrument from Germany)! Have more fun with animal sounds as Mr. Charles invites all to join in on “Mole in the Ground,” to the sound of the 5 string banjo (from Africa). Try out a new rhyme while singing “Ain’t No Bugs On Me!” or the “Lollipop Tree,” or any of a number joyful traditional tunes that make NC Bluegrass catchy!

Chia Pets! (All Levels)

Residency ; Workshop

This fun and creative program combines science and art for a whimsical final display of spouted sculptures. Students will learn how to create their own unique pinch pots and clay forms ready for chia seed sprouting. This program connects great to science lessons!

Children's Theatre of Charlotte Touring Company

Assembly/Performance

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s Resident Touring Company, (formerly known as the Tarradiddle Players) has performed throughout the Southeast for 40 years. The company tours from September through May, annually reaching 85,000 students and teachers as it delivers more than 250 performances in nearly 45 counties, 80 percent of which are considered rural. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte designs these shows toward a wide variety of ages, from as young as kindergarten to as old as eighth grade. Additionally, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte offers a separate preschool tour for children ages 3 to 5. Showcasing intimate storytelling at its best, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte performances build on simple but powerful theatrical styles, bringing characters to life with humor, depth and emotional understanding. * Our 2022-23 touring performances include: The Lion and the Little Red Bird Tour available January 23 – March 3, 2023 Prices start at $495 per performance Recommended for ages 3 and older A colorful tail of curiosity. This delightful play tells the story of an inquisitive bird and a compassionate lion, an unlikely friendship to say the least. Why does Lion’s tail keep changing colors? Little Red Bird’s curiosity is piqued, and she sets out to unravel the mystery! Preschoolers will love this charming story, told with a mix of actors and puppets – perfect for this young age. Theme: The Lion and the Little Red Bird focuses on friendship, art, and the beauty of nature. A Sick Day for Amos McGee Tour available Sept 2022 – May 2023 Prices start at $995 per performance Recommended for PreK – 1st grade Friendship can be the best medicine when you’re feeling blue. Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In this heart-warming story about the joys of friendship, zookeeper Amos McGee knows friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, caring for a particularly shy penguin, and reading stories to an owl. One day, Amos is too sick to visit his zoo friends, but, fortunately, the animals know just what to do. Park of the Kindness Project. Themes: Compassion, friendship, kindness Confessions of a Former Bully Tour available Sept 2022 – May 2023 Prices start at $995 per performance Recommended for 3rd grade and up A tough subject takes center stage and explores how to hear after the hurt. When Katie, who never considered herself a bully, repeatedly teases classmate Monica, it pushes their friendship to a tipping point. Katie’s hurtful words and behavior lead her to the principals’s office to deal with the consequence of her actions with a counselor. Will se be able to salvage a friendship and regain the trust of her peers? Told from the perspective of the bully and the bullied, this story makes everyone consider how they treat others and want to be treated themselves. Themes: Bullying, friendship All productions meet specific language and theatre arts curriculum standards. We’ve designed resource guides, which provide innovative connections to additional Common Core and North Carolina Essential Standards, to complement each production, deepen the theatre experience, extend the educational value and spark classroom conversations. Guides include information about the author/playwright, discussion questions, vocabulary words, recommended reading lists and engaging activities.

Clara Barton (Founder of the the American Red Cross) and Corporal James Tanner (stenographer while Lincoln lay dying)

Assembly/Performance

There are lots of people who have made great contributions to history and yet, we seldom hear about them. This program features two of those little known patriots who helped to shape our American past. Clarissa (Clara) Harlowe Barton: Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. She dedicated her life to serving the needs of others. Corporal James Tanner: On the night when Abraham Lincoln was shot Corporal James Tanner was called to sit at the bedside of a dying president to record all that was said and done. His written words have gone down in history. Through story, students will learn about my hometown relationship with Corporal James Tanner and the life decisions and challenges that brought him to be at the bedside of Abraham Lincoln.

Clay Animation (Grades 3-12)

Residency ; Workshop

Students will love building adorable clay characters and bringing them to life as animations. Students will work in groups and go through the process of developing their characters, setting, plot, conflict and resolution. Animations will be created using free apps and green screen technology. ASC Community Goals: Professional Development, 3rd Grade Reading

Conceptual Portraiture (Grades 4-12)

Professional Development ; Residency ; Workshop

Students will learn how to convey ideas through symbolic portraits of themselves or their classmates. Students will write and sketch out a plan for their portraits. We will provide lights, backdrops, props and more to bring their ideas to life. Photo shoots can be completed on campus or at a location of their choice. Artists focusing on conceptual portraiture will be introduced to offer inspiration. Photos can be paired with poems or narratives in the format of books or prints for display at your school. Students can express their individual ideas or create photographic art around a particular theme. ASC Goals: Teacher Professional Development, Middle School Transition, High School Graduation Rate

Design Your Own Shirts! (All Levels)

Residency ; Workshop

Students will love designing their own shirt in this fun, laid back program. We will offer guidance on how to complete designs for the best final outcome on the shirts. The designs will then be scanned and professionally printed onto the shirts. This project can work with a theme such as school spirit, speak your mind, poetry or personal narratives/logos. Designs can be completed digitally if software is available.

Diggery Digger's Dino Adventure Now In 3D

Assembly/Performance ; Out-of-School-Time ; Residency

While Paleontologist Diggery Diggers is showing his fossils to a live audience, he discovers a “top secret” box the museum accidentally packed. Curious, Diggery opens the box and unleashes the DinoSauroScope 3000 or DINA taking the audience back into time to interact with dinosaurs. All is well until they use DINA on a large dinosaur egg. The egg hatches and an amazing thing happens. The dinosaurs in museums around the world start to come alive! The only way to stop this dinosaur regeneration is to return the baby dinosaur back to it’s mother. Come along for a rocking dino adventure with Diggery and save the human race. The show has incredible props including large interactive animated characters, dinosaur bones, a giant dinosaur egg and beautiful puppets. Combined with intriguing magic and rocking music, this is the Story Ship’s most memorable adventure. Audience members constantly interact by digging up fossils, scanning with the DINA, helping solve puzzles and singing songs. Only you can help stop the dinosaur invasion and save the world! Book a show now!?

Digging for the Roots of Bluegrass Music Residency

Residency ; Virtual/Online Program ; Workshop

Charles Pettee’s three to five day in person or virtual residency program for grades 2-5 offers up to four 45-60 minute classroom sessions per day, plus an optional assembly program(s) for the entire school, during which the students will experience first-hand the multicultural tapestry of music styles from the past (Celtic, West African [Blues], European Classical, ballads, southern folk, Gospel), that have combined to give us Bluegrass music! Each day, the students will enjoy hearing, and singing along with, that day’s unique “focus instrument” (guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, harmonica, voice). They will learn how each instrument works, how it is played, and from which country or part of the world it originated. In addition, if desired, students will learn to compose and perform their own original folk song, with the option to present this song to the school at the closing assembly! Students gain an appreciation for the diversity of cultures represented in southern US folk music, and a deeper understanding of how music and culture combine to make new art forms.

Digital Storytelling Workshops & Residencies

Professional Development ; Residency ; Virtual/Online Program ; Workshop

Workshops in Story Writing, Animation, Podcasting and Storybook App Creation Available In Person or Virtual We have three digital storytelling residency tracts or projects you can do with your students and teachers. Each project is broken down into single workshops. The workshops cover specific content and can be offered for teacher professional development as well as for students. This allows schools to be selective about what they want their students and teachers to learn. Story Writing, Audio Recording and Podcast Creation Projects Students write and record their own stories and set them to music and sound effects. We can then publish them to your school’s very own podcast. If you don’t have a podcast, we can create one with you. If your schools test scores are low in reading and language arts, these workshops are perfect for working on writing and reading skills. You can also tailor your story creation to offer curriculum connections with other subjects like math and science. Animation Projects Students create their own animation videos with green screen technology. This project tract can also have multiple curriculum connections with art, math, science and music. Don’t worry about technical issues. We bring everything we need including iPads, camera, lights, green screen and everything else necessary to finish the projects. Storybook App Projects We will write, illustrate and record an original story by your students then turn it into an app for mobile devices. The app will play on any Andriod or Apple device as well as play through the internet on your browser. Visit us online at www.storyship.com or call us so we can tailor make digital story telling projects that help you focus your resources to increase your student’s and teacher’s academic performance.

Educators, Administrators and School/Educational Organizations Personnel Team & Skill Building with Applied Improv

Assembly/Performance ; Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Professional Development ; Residency ; Workshop

Listening is an important part of being an educator in any context. It is a way of “looking for the truth and the interesting things in what students are saying and not just trying to set them up to say the things you want them to say.” Applied improv for educators/administrators/school personnel build teamwork, listening skills, and curious thinking. All skills that are important to educators as well. What is really cool about appliced improv is it’s a way to physically and emotionally experience concepts in a safe space. A space that removes expectations of judgment and builds a foundation for people to support one another in achieving a goal. You have this visceral, physical reaction to it — in a room, playing a game, rather than just hearing somebody say ‘you should make more mistakes’ or ‘this is why failure is good. There is something experiential but safe about applied improv that allows you to play around with and internalize these larger concepts. Amongst many fun and highly interactive activities, participants introduce themselves verbally, gesture physically, move often in an open space, ask for consent before touching others, speak in pairs or small groups, and orient themselves in circles or front-facing arrangements. Participants turn to their partner(s) and say “thank you” after each activity ends and before forming new groups. Thank you is important because it gets us out of our head and reminds us of the value of people around us. Participants celebrate mistakes by raising their hands and exclaiming, “woo-hoo!” As time passes, participants in applied improve grow more comfortable with the activities and with one another, and eventually start passing an invisible ball while making different made-up sounds. These improv skills are especially relevant to educators: how to be present and fully listen, how to be spontaneous and celebrate failure, and how to share control.” At the end of the workshop, participants gather in a circle and reflect on their experiences as a group, with mentions of expanding their comfort zones, learning the value of being a little goofy, and some wondering — can we create a new extracurricular applied improv club?

Entertaining Your School/Class with a Family Friendly Comedy Improv Show/Assembly

Assembly/Performance ; Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Residency ; Workshop

Nothing is more enjoyable, funny and highly audience interactive for all ages and grade levels than an improvisational show/assembly. We (our improv troupe, the Chuckleheads,) your students or a combination of both are the performers in this family friendly “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” type fast passed comedy show of fast-paced short form improv games.

Family Friendly Improv Comedy Show/Assembly as a Class/School Fundraiser

Assembly/Performance ; Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Residency ; Workshop

Nothing is as entertaining, fun, audience interactive and easy to plan and organize as an improvisational comedy show for your school or class as a fundraiser. It can be our performers (The Chuckleheads,) your students or a combination of both. The show is a family friendly, fast-paced, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” short form improv games comedy show.

Global Studies & North Carolina History

Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Residency ; Workshop

GLOBAL STUDIES The World in Our Backyard is extremely proud of our 45 minute programs developed for students to engage them in a creative and energetic way through the use of photographs, artifacts, cultural costumes and traditional music. Attached are photos from past presentations. Our in-house field trips support the North Carolina Common Core State Standards and World Languages Essential Standards by exposing students to diverse global cultures. Geographical features, natural resources, traditional beliefs and values, and important historical events impact the social development of all people. The following programs are offered: – Africa, Australia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Italy, Mexico, Native Americans, the Netherlands, and Peru. NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY (4th grade only) Students will learn about the geographic regions, landforms and natural resources of North Carolina. They will explore how the changing needs of its people impacted social, economic and political institutions. The experiences and contributions of many diverse North Carolinians will be shared. Each student will participate as a part of history, by being dressed up and introduced as an historical figure, beginning with the Native Americans and continuing to the present. The following programs are offered: NC Coastal Plains NC Piedmont Colonial NC Piedmont State NC Mountains

High School Students Readiness For Graduation with Applied Improv

Assembly/Performance ; Day Trip ; Out-of-School-Time ; Professional Development ; Residency ; Workshop

The critical thinking and creative thought practiced with Applied Improv has strong connections to these and other academic, emotional, and social skills related to High School level students and eventually, the skills that help them post-graduation be more prepared for their upcoming educational and professional challenges: *Ability to engage in effective discussions *Intellectual risk-taking *Adaptability in ever-changing circumstances *Creative problem solving *Persepctive-taking *Openness to the ideas of others The students participate in a multitude of warm-up, short form improvisation games, long form improvisation formats and safe and trusting feedback and role-playing activities.

I Feel Better When I'm Groovin'

Out-of-School-Time ; Virtual/Online Program ; Workshop

This ten Week program can occur during school hours or after school hours. Programming will focus on self esteem and self efficacy, socialization skills, problem solving, mental wellness, and expressive language. The group will focus on activities such as art in music, playing in a drum circle, creative improvisation, group and individual songwriting, and various musical games to promote teamwork.

I Have a Dream: How Martin Climbed the Mountain

Assembly/Performance ; Out-of-School-Time

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, but he did not dream alone. Skillfully using stories and music, Reggie highlights how the contributions of Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker (inventor), Satchel Paige (sports star), and others helped young Martin become a man who changed the world and add to the fabric of our nation.

Improvisation

Assembly/Performance ; Professional Development ; Residency ; Virtual/Online Program ; Workshop

OTC improv “Developing tomorrow’s leaders today” “I serve on the board and the experience with your improv was one of the best moments in my year” – Hank Talmadge, Ronald McDonald House. “Naturally caffeinated.” -The Charlotte Observer “Paul provides one of the most motivational, interactive, educational, and applicable sessions we have ever had in a HOBY South Carolina Closing Session of 500+” -Donna Dilanni, Corporate Board President, at Hugh O’Brien’s Youth Leadership Organization The Over the Counter workshop is very different. It incorporates the Essential Standards into its workshop; but, it also teaches improv and right-brain thinking which kids can practice at home to become better and more thoughtful students. The OTC program helps students with listening skills ( active versus passive), energy, quick thinking skills, and self-confidence while explaining a few easy science concepts to help each student nurture the right side of the brain to start their journey toward leadership, humility, empathy, and humor. Check out the webpage for videos with summer camps, Crestdale Middle School, and Community House Middle School https://www.otcimprov.com/teens OTC improv over the past decade Taught 15,000+ students TEDx speaker for leadership development www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeH_gdegpHc&t=78s Featured article in the Charlotte Observer, Fort Mill times, and Creative Loafing HOBY Keynote speaker for the last 5 years 500+ speeches to companies across America. www.betatestimprov.com/clients Sold out more than 100 improv shows over the past decade

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