Customer Reviews

Raising Voices: Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am thrilled with this newest addition to my storytelling library. As a professional storyteller and story coach I know I will turn to this valuable resource again and again. It sparkles with insight, wisdom and every basic tool you could possibly need to nurture your own Storytelling Troupe.

This concise and comprehensive hands-on guide is written with clarity and conviction. I predict it will become one of the bibles of storytelling, one which storytellers and teachers will turn to again and again. A must have for anyone interested in storytelling and passing on the ancient art of Oral Tradition!

From recruiting to lesson plans, from games to tellable tales, everything you need to start & grow a storytelling group is here. This book is wonderful! An instant classic! Comprehensive & clear, well-written & easy-to-reference. Designed for use with grades 4-12, this book will be my well-thumbed resource for teaching all my artist-residencies from elementary through college and beyond! It''s great to have everything in one place. Thanks!

Maybe I'm just a wee bit biased, since I get mentioned in the acknowledgements, but even if that weren't the case, Judy and Kevin have done an incredible job of putting together THE resource guide for anyone interested in helping cultivate the next generation of storytellers. Whether you work with kidtellers in a school, church, community setting or another venue, this book is worth every penny it will cost you.

I've coached kidtellers at both the middle school and elementary school levels for about eight years, but Judy has been at this three times as long at her middle school. Her years of experience, along with Kevin's insights as the advisor to a high school telling troupe, are invaluable for any of us just starting in this venture. From the logistics of how to promote involvement, stories to tell, managing your resources, arranging opportunities for telling experiences and many things you never even considered, it's all in the pages of this book.

There are a very few other books out there that address the concerns of those working with youthtellers. The books by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, along with Len Cabral's storytelling book for kids, have long been among my favorites, and will continue to be. However, none of them covers the many aspects of actually organizing your troupe, helping it to grow and celebrating it's success quite like "Raising Voices." Of particular interest is Judy's approach to recruiting adults in the community and training them to become story coaches to the tellers. Not only does this allow the kids more frequent opportunities to rehearse and refine individually, it develops relationships across generations, something that is in danger of dying in our culture today.

If I had to limit myself to only one book to help me in my journey as a coach of young storytellers, this would be it.
Judy and Kevin have truly filled a niche with this volume!

As a storyteller and teacher, I have discovered the benefits that storytelling can bring to literacy instruction as well as other subject areas. Sima and Cordi generated a step-by-step framework for introducing storytelling to youth, which includes information, resources and games. The numerous benefits of using storytelling with children increases motivation, exposes them to public speaking and fosters a child's natural talent for sharing stories. My favorite introductory activities are the "ME bag" and "Hello BINGO". Check them out!

If you only buy one book to get started with your youth storytellers, buy this book. Judy and Kevin have included absolutely everything you need to get a group started and to keep it growing. There are sample letters to parents, suggested weekly goals, excellent activites, and ideas for evaluating what the students learned along every step of the way.
There is no reason to spend valuable time reinventing the wheel. Just pick up Judy and Kevin's book and get started.
Activities are well defined, goal oriented, and kid friendly.
This book is not just for beginners! The student tellers who have been part of the storytelling club for 3 years remain challenged by the variety of activities in the book. They love the energy of the activities!
Raising Voices keeps storytelling with youth fun for both the students and sponsors.

Simi and Cordi have given us a treasure of activities, resources, and ways to organize the teaching of storytelling. From the Table of Contents to the Storytelling Resources the book is written with clarity and excellent organization. The extensive activities and reproducible pages make it easy and exciting to plan classroom instruction. This is a step by step program with lots of room for imagination and creative planning.

Since my current teaching position is filled with standard based requirements, it was a breath of fresh air to read Judy Sima and Kevin Cordi's book, Raising Voices, and witness that literacy learning can be taught in an enjoyable way. This handbook could easily be used as a curriculum guide in the language arts classroom by assisting with communication skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Not only that, when reading Raising Voices, I began to visualize students using these techniques when escaping their every day lives. Most importantly, one often feels great anxiety when speaking in front of a group, fortunately Sima and Cordi see storytelling as worthwhile and inviting rather than to be feared and they present infinite amounts of ideas on how to relax and have fun.

The best kind of manual doesn't just provide cookie-cutter activities but allows the readers opportunities to take and make them own. Raising Voices not only is packed with practical yet useful advice, it provides a springboard for one's own creative ideas to bring to the young tellers.

Raising Voices is a tried and true resource. Cordi and Sima have years of experience that they share in the book. In partnership with my local library, I was able to use this book to start a youth storytelling club. There are ideas for organizing and working with youth. But most importantly there are loads of fun exercises. The suggested activities spark creativity and the spirit of "can do." I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I felt like I had the two authors right by my side. Thank you and I hope you come up with another one!

Without exaggeration, Raising Voices - Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes is the most valuable guide for success in learning and practicing storytelling skills available. The extensive experience of the authors is presented in a volume that is well organized, articulate, intelligent, and complete. It is filled with information, observations from the authors, teachers and students. The book contains reproducible games, activities, and certificates that are inspired and fun! The gift of story with all of its power and magic is offered with sensitivity and appreciation for both teacher and student alike. I have utilized time and again the guidance in Raising Voices from my first workshop as a Teaching Artist specializing in storytelling to enhance literacy skills. However you apply storytelling - whether in a classroom activity or workshop in a club or troupe, this book has what you need to get started and keep going.