Australian Aborigines say that the big stories—the stories worth telling and retelling, the ones in which you may find the meaning of your life—are forever stalking the right teller, sniffing and tracking like predators hunting their prey in the bush.
—Robert Moss, Dreamgates
In my brief and undistinguished career as a 7th grade English teacher I always thought that it was curious how children confused “fiction” and “non-fiction.” Often when they chose books for reports or free-reading, they described a work of fiction as non-fiction. When I pointed this out to them, their reply would often be: “It has to be non-fiction. It seems so real!”
What is it about a good story that speaks directly to our hearts and illuminates our understanding of life?
I am struck by the hundreds of different stories about 9/11. Each one true and each one a thread in a larger cloth. This event, like none other in our lifetimes, is just too big for any of us to get our minds around. Our need to hear the story again and again demonstrates our need for narrative. The great stories of the past – Beowulf, Chaucer, the Bible, Greek myth – these all serve to enlighten us and explain a tiny little part of the human condition.
The best teachers are great storytellers. When you can hold the attention of thirty wiggly 2nd graders or oh-so-cool 6th graders by the simple power of your words… now that is truly an impressive accomplishment.
Let’s look at some ways to improve our story-telling ability:
Find Your Story
- Maybe your story is actually a song! Whether it has three verses or fifty, sing it as vividly as you can. Make eye contact with your audience (your students) and really sell your song. It’s even better when there is a refrain for the group to join in.
- Maybe you are teaching about a great composer or performer. Even better, since February is Black History month, you could tell the story of a great African American musician (Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Scott Joplin, Robert Johnson). Most of these American musical pioneers led very interesting lives. Instead of assigning your students to read about them, see if you can tell their stories in such a captivating way that your students will be inspired to head to the library on their own.
- Perhaps you are studying the music of a particular country or culture. Try to find a folktale from that culture that helps to make a connection with the music.
- Choose a published children’s book on a theme you are studying and read it aloud to your class. This will create a framework and an emotional connection for the children.
Create a picture
- Try to evoke an image in your mind and communicate it with words. If you can picture an event, you’ll tell the story better and your listeners will understand it more clearly.
Practice
- The best way to become a good storyteller is to tell your story again and again. (This is not a problem for music teachers. After your eighth third grade class, you’ll have it down!) As you tell your story you’ll discover the rough spots, the funny spots, the sad parts, and the story will eventually become yours. This is not to say that it has to be the same way every time. In fact, you should feel free to go where your story leads you at any given telling.
Find your ending
- “And they all lived happily ever after!” Well, maybe not for every story, but do try to find a good ending. In telling about a composer or musician, it’s always great to sing or play one of their works at the end of the story.
Storytelling is gaining in popularity, or so it would seem by the number of web sites associated with it. Do a Google search on the word “storytelling” and you’ll be amazed at the number of sites you’ll discover. A great one is: http://www.StoryNet.org.
So, tell your stories… who knows, maybe the perfect story for you is just around the riverbend! And your students will be the richer for it.
-Emily Crocker
Music Express Magazine Blog 