I had a blast hanging out with a bunch of cool and groovy elementary school students, their teachers and parents at Brayton Elementary School in North Adams MA on Friday June 10 2016.
I was able to video the program so folks can see what it is that I do. Please note this is NOT a professional “shoot” I just set up the camera on the side of the stage and hit “record” and then did the program.
It was DEFINITELY Field Day, so it was a bit more relaxed and “fun focused” less “Educational” (but I still managed to slip some “learning” in. There was very little “shushing” of kids who might be talking a bit… because it wasn’t about “perfect behavior” it was about fun. So there are a few times when you might NOT hear a “pin drop”. These are real kids in a real setting. That’s what I wanted to capture.
And I wanted to continue my own process of constant and never ending improvement. Taking these videos and then watching them has definitely helped me to improve my performances. And for those you know my other work as a Peak Performance and Personal Mastery Coach, this is part of the process I teach to the top athletes and business innovators I work with. So if you choose to watch all of these videos you will notice a few themes that I slip in even on “Field Day” that actually might positively influence these kids…
For example, my “Silly commercials for water” always gets a laugh. And SERIOUSLY, Drinking enough water is one of the key, most simple things we can ALL do to improve our health and brain function. So this summer? Stay hydrated :o)
Here’s the program:
Part 1: Overtone singing and “The Pool Rap” A “DrumSongStory” celebrating summer. This also gets the kids to begin responding and being engaged.
Part 2: Porcupine Ice Cream. This is a song I wrote with a bunch of 2nd graders at Booth Elementary School in Elmira, NY back in…. 1997? and it’s STILL a lot of fun to sing!
Part 3: The Shark Song. I wrote this with some 5th graders at Uriah Hill Elementary School in Peekskill NY and it teaches a key fact about Sharks. They have more to fear from US humans than we have to fear from THEM.
Part 4: Jack and the Beanstalk. This is normally part of my “Trickster Tales” Program but since Trickster Tales are also a lot of fun (and part of many states curriculums) it works well with a Field Day assembly or family concert program.
Part 4: Coyote and Cicada. Native American Folktale. This is also often a key story in “Trickster Tales” it also teaches some good summer science to kids. At the end I give them the assignment to be on the lookout this August for Cicada skins which they can often find at the bases of trees.
Part 6: The Pointing Finger. Chinese Folk Tale. I hadn’t told this one in a long time and it’s really short. So I “packaged” it with 2 other “micro stories” my own as well as Earnest Hemingway’s famous 6 word story. The entire “6 Word Story” format is an entire MOVEMENT now. Just google it and see!
Part 7: Together We Can Change The World. This is my big “hit”. And I suggest to the kids that they experiment this summer with changing their own world’s by practicing random acts of kindness with their PARENTS. LOL
Part 8: Pool Rap Wrap Up. Sometimes I like to finish the program by “closing the open loop” of the Pool Rap. This ties the whole program together in a fun way.
What I love about my “DrumSongStory Program is that it can be tremendously flexible allowing me a lot of creative re-combining of various songs and stories in different ways. This keeps it fresh and fun for me which definitely benefits the audience whether it’s an elementary school, library, performing arts center, summer camp, music festivale or corporate retreat.
If you have any questions please feel free to Contact Me! Thanks!
– Mark Shepard, June 2016
