Book this artist using the Residency Request Form

• Students will learn folk song lyrics and write original lyrics, using rhyme, meter, and other poetic devices, and expressing knowledge through creative writing.
• Through group singing, students will cooperate, collaborate, and learn musical skills like pitch, melody and rhythm.
• When building and operating puppets, students will make design choices, learn to be resourceful with everyday materials, and translate feelings into movement.
• By studying and adapting folk songs, students will enhance their understanding of history and their empathy for people in different times, places and cultures.
• Students will gain confidence in their bodies and voices through performance.
• As students are exposed to several art forms at once—music, puppetry, writing and more—they will learn that arts disciplines are connected to each other, to academic subjects, and to everyday life.

As a teaching artist, I collaborate with teachers to integrate music, puppetry and folklore into children’s educational experiences. With multidisciplinary programs connected to classroom study, I break boundaries between subject areas and engage all types of learners in the creative process. I create a joyful atmosphere where students can experience the excitement of creating art, the camaraderie of group performance, and the humor in our folk heritage. Serious learning takes place as I encourage persistence, risk-taking, communication and reflection.

Young Audiences teaching artists are committed to inspiring the imaginations of young people and have strategies for working with the complexities of school environments. Through a variety of ongoing professional development opportunities and a multi-faceted evaluation system, as well as through their experience with students and educators, Young Audiences teaching artists are continually growing as teachers and as artists.

Music,3D Visual Arts,

K-2,3-5,

English, 

Fluent, 

The central elements of my residencies and performances are music and puppetry. Students learn a folk song, rewrite the lyrics to connect to curriculum, make puppets of the song’s characters, and put on a musical puppet show. By expressing their unit knowledge with original song lyrics, then by translating the story into a visual/sculptural medium and an embodied performance, students express their comprehension in several ways.

They learn skills like singing, rhythm, crafting with fabric, paper and recycled materials, public speaking and performance. Through active participation, teachers help guide the residency and learn new strategies for helping students creatively interpret texts.

I commonly connect my residencies to social studies units, as students explore the historical contexts of stories and songs. I have led residencies connecting to U.S. History (Native American history, colonial America, westward expansion), Oregon history, culture and geography (Oregon’s Native American tribes, Oregon Trail, Portland history).

Literacy skills are essential to my arts disciplines. Whether students are learning songs, penning rhymes and lyrics, interpreting or reflecting, they frequently write and read in my residencies.

With animal folk songs and puppets, I can connect to life science units about animals, habitats and conservation.

Music and math are linked as students count beats, subdivide rhythms, and discern patterns song structure.

Breaks longer than an hour will be charged.