Week at John C. Campbell Folk School

I just got back from a week at the John C. Campbell Folk School. In addition to teaching an awesome bunch of adults in the hammered dulcimer class, I had a chance to perform with my good friend, Anne Lough. She and her husband were performing for the community concert, and she asked me to sing a song with her. I did "Long Black Veil" and her high soprano harmonies were wonderful! We had about 300 people in attendance, and everyone had a great time!

Hammered dulcimer Class at John C. Campbell Folk School

During my week at the folk school, I was the assistant instructor for a hammered dulcimer class of 10 excited, motivated adults! Happily, the teacher was my good friend, Anne Lough, so we were able to catch up on news, visit and teach. What a neat class it was! Some of the students couldn't even read music, and several were intimidated by the 60 plus strings. By the end of the week, though, everyone could play a number of tunes. In fact, the class performed at "Morning Song" before a large crowd on the last day of classes! My favorite quote was from Dorothy:"I never thought I'd be able to really hear music!"

"Luciernagas" Coming This Summer

I will be the storyteller/musician for a seven week series for Hispanic families in Vardaman this summer. "Luciernagas" is sponsored by the Ms. Humanities Council, and involves whole families in the fun of good literature presented in Spanish and English, as well as songs and discussion of the weekly theme. We will start June 10, and already have 11 families signed up!

West Point: Music in the Park Series

I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of West Point's "Music in the Park" on May 6. It was a beautiful, warm evening and we set up in the Gazebo with hammered dulcimer, orange crate guitar, and a stack of crazy percussion instruments. We had lots of fun with stories and music. Several children in the audience became my percussion band, playing gourd shakers, rattles, tin can drums, and singing along. Thanks to the Ms. Arts Commission and the West Point Arts Council for funding this series of performances.

Magee Madness!

I had a great time at Magee Middle School on March 5! Students sang, played percussion instruments, and performed as part of "Anansi and Turtle" and "Gray Eagle Catches the Sun." After the performance for around 300 fifth and sixth graders, third and fourth graders were bussed over for a second program.
Thanks to Valerie Jones and the Mississippi Arts Commission for making the fun possible, and to Valerie for the hospitality, the extra work getting buses for students, and the snacks! We also enjoyed visiting with school librarian Diane Butler. The library burned down this year, but she is staying upbeat, cheerful, and creative in providing books and stories for her students.
In the story of Anansi, a folktale from Africa, the little spider learns the true meaning of friendship. Gray Eagle, in catching the sun, learns the importance of sharing and being humble. Both stories involve the main character being taught a lesson through his own actions and those of his friends. In this vein, I sang "What Can One Little Person Do" "Hello to You" and other songs concerned with friendship and caring for others. My hammered dulcimer and styrofoam ice chest guitar playing were accompanied by volunteer student bands. Let me tell you, Magee students have rhythm!
It is interesting to me to see how eager children are to come up on stage to play an instrument, provide sound effects, or play the parts of characters. In fact, I often bemoan the fact that many more hands go up than I can call on. What happens to us by the time we're adults? I think we get WAY too concerned with what others might think. There's a lesson for all of us grown-ups here: maybe we could learn to let go and relax into the moment, and just have fun with it. Just a thought!
If you're ever in Magee, don't miss eating at Zip's, home of the Zip Burger. Wow! We were so glad we heard about this place in time for dinner. Best hamburger and fries I've ever had anywhere!

Luciernagas program in Tupelo ends with 40 + children and adults!

Our "Lucie" program just kept getting bigger and better! Thanks to all the parents and children who made it a success. I've made lots of new friends, and had a great time. I think the participants have gained a new knowledge of how to use literature at home to learn new skills, increase English fluency, and just have fun as a family!
Where the Wild Things Are was a huge success. We sang and played "Wild Thing" (of course) to my keyboard and an audience percussion band, and David Morgan of the Ms. Humanities Council showed up in complete wild thing garb. Check out the furry photo!

Lucie Week 4

Our fourth session of Luciernagas Hispanic Family Reading Program was lots of fun! We have had such large crowds that we moved to a bigger room, which gave us lots of elbow space. Nice!
This week we acted out "Pepita Talks Twice." Pepita has to translate for people who don't speak either English or Spanish and gets tired of it. She decides not to speak Spanish anymore. Only when her dog, Lobo, nearly gets run over does she realize the value of speaking 2 languages. We had a wonderful discussion about heritage and being proud of who you are and where you come from. We also talked about the importance of maintaining your heritage and customs, even as you assimilate new ones.
Each session features an "infomercial" for parents.This week, we all learned a lot about banking, including the fact that many banks have someone who is bi-lingual to help with transactions.
Next is "Where the Wild Things Are," one of my favorite books. Watch for pictures of our "Wild Rumpus" next week!

Luciernagas Hispanic Family Reading Program

"Lucie," week 3, saw three new families join those already registered. The theme for the night was "Coping" and we started off with one of my favorite stories, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Both children and parents enjoyed helping us repeat the refrain "Terrible, Horrible..." each time in both English and Spanish. I had written a song about the story, and had lots of help from audience percussionists, who played my bell tree, gourd rattles, sheep toenail shakers, etc.
Next, we read Magda's Tortilla's. Magda wants to learn to make tortillas, but finds it's harder than she thought. After the story we talked about coping when you have a bad day, or when something is difficult. One suggestion from the audience was to sing, so we did. You can see Magda "serving" her tortillas at left.

Second week of "Lucie" went even better than the first. Several new families signed up, and the regulars from last week were back. After telling Magic Dogs of the Volcanoes, a well-known Hispanic folk tale, we had the children act out The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, told from the wolf's point of view (of course, he's innocent!!!) Excellent discussion of the week's theme "Fairness", as we discussed how important it is to hear both sides of a story before judging someone or something. From there, it fit right in to discuss the implications this has for freedom. The U.S.A's court system allows someone to defend him or herself and present their side of the story. Deep stuff for elementary age kids, but something they can understand in a children's story context. The music was fun, once again. Even adults played percussion, and everyone sang along, trying both the English and Spanish verses. Prizes, gifts, and snacks followed.

Hispanic Family Reading Program

Last week we began a 7 week story program called "Luciernagas" (Butterflies.) We had 13 children and 14 adults who enjoyed stories and songs in English and Spanish. This is one of my favorite Ms. Humanities Council programs; it shows parents the importance (and fun) of reading, helps both adults and children learn English, and encourages parents to maintain their own cultural identity and customs while learning new ones. I've posted a few pictures and will include more as the program goes on.

Ballyhoo at the Ballroom

The Whole Schools Initiative and the Ms. Arts Commission held an event in Oxford to allow all of us on the Artist Roster to meet with over 300 educators from throughout the state. The hang drums, made from propane and helium tanks, were the big hit at my table. The other homemade percussion instruments were all sampled, and, of course, I had my styrofoam guitar on hand, too. I love showing people how much fun storytelling, music, and making your own simple instruments can be!