Going to the schools and children

Subject: Going to the schools and children
From: Schantieman
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 12:38 PM

To follow up from the nursing homes thread:

I'm trying (as part of getting out of teaching in a secondary school) to get into doing music workshops in primary schools. I've booked up to do one on 'Victorians' in a few weeks time at my daughter's school, just to see if I can and if it's useful for them.

Lots of Mudcatters must have done something similar. Any general advice? Please!   (I'm quite happy about what I'm putting in this one and the basic format).

Many thanks in advance

Steve

Subject: RE: Going to the schools and children
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 01:40 PM

I have been involved in doing Shanty Workshops for Schools for a number of years at the Swansea Maritime and Industrial Museum. The session is tied in with a project entitled "Ships and Shanties" organised the museum's education department.

We have a capstan and the children really enjoy working it and singing shanties. I deal mainly with Primary Schools and on one or two occasions have gone out to schools.

I once took a class of French exchange students and I was invited to do a workshop at the Captain Cook Festival in Whitby.

So I think that the opportunity is there?

Do you have a museum or some centre in your locality where you can extend your activities?

Subject: RE: Going to the schools and children
From: sian, west wales
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 01:43 PM

trac (Welsh folk developmental org.) offers workshops to help people run ... umm... workshops! We have one in N. Wales this coming weekend. Maybe there's something similar in your area? (Skipper's an old hand at this stuff!)

sian

Subject: RE: Going to the schools and children
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 01:48 PM

Take stuff they can put their hands on and play/with. Don't take anything which you would die if were broken.

Subject: RE: Going to the schools and children
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 03:05 PM

We have been doing American Folk Music programs in schools for over 20 years. We could (and maybe we will) write a book about it. Doing the programs is easy and most of the time it's fun. But, booking yourself is a lot of work.

Each year it gets harder and harder to get bookings due to decreased availability of money. That means sending out more and more brochures and making more and more phone calls. We have a friend who does music programs in schools and when someone asked him what he does for a living he answered, "I'm a telemarketer and sometimes I do school programs, too".

If your willing to work hard, go for it. It can be very rewarding to your soul and your bank account.

Bev and Jerry