Ella Jenkins
Known today as the “First Lady of Children’s Music”, Ella Jenkins
was the first successful folksinger in the music genre especially for children
and families (Smithsonian Folkways, 2014). In the 1960s, Jenkins began
collecting folksongs appropriate for use with children, and also began writing
her own. As she collected songs, she also collected stories. While working with
children across countries and cultures, Jenkins would share songs and stories
that she had learned from children from other cultures. According to the
musician storyteller, “Songs from foreign languages and cultures have such
interesting rhythmic patterns that children like to play” (Smithsonian
Folkways, 2014). In order to teach the songs of other languages to children,
she introduced them through a “call and response” method, encouraging children
to repeat her example. Ella also incorporated storytelling to connect children
to unfamiliar languages and songs.
Bill
Harley
Bill Harley began storytelling
through song in 1975, and continues today. Harley combines humor with music and
true stories from his own childhood to reach out to people of all ages. Stories
that are told among families and friends act as his inspiration. Harley says, “What I've really learned
as a storyteller is that those stories that we tell over and over again,
whether in the family or among friends or in a school, are really kind of a
definition of what we are. It's a culture. It's the web that holds us together
and reminds us who we are” (NPR, 2005). It’s the humorous view of the everyday
story of life that makes his stories powerful.hat I've really learned
as a storyteller is that those stories that we tell over and over again,
whether in the family or among friends or in a school, are really kind of a
definition of what we are. It's a culture. It's the web that holds us together
and reminds us who we are” (NPR, 2005). It’s the humorous view of the everyday
story of life that makes his stories powerful.
Tom Chapin
Tom Chapin began his musical career as a folk musician. He became a musical storyteller in the mid-1980s, when his children were eight and six, after he noticed that there wasn’t much music for grade school aged children. This led him down the path toward becoming a “family artist” (Musicguide.com, 2005). Chapin weaves in life lessons through fun musical stories that offer an underlying moral. His first family album, Family Tree (1988) included songs about home life, family history, and taking care of the planet. He continues to write and perform songs and stories for audiences of children and families today.
The Ballad of Dirty Joe
(spoken):
Diane Ferlatte
Diane Ferlatte is a modern-day troubadour who tells stories for
all ages through song, dance, recitation, and sign language. She includes
stories which include legends, folktales, tales of history, and true life
stories which connect to the listener. Ferlatte has travelled to many
countries, sharing her stories with many cultures and ages, but the storyteller
says that telling stories to school-age children is her favorite. Through the
use of rhythm instruments, such as drums and her signature African rhythm
stick, Ferlatte connects back to the days of the original Griots of Africa
(Young Audiences Arts for Learning, n.d.). She has said that for her, storytelling
is about the opportunity to learn from the experiences that others have gone
through and finding encouragement in that (Ferlatte, 2000).
