SCHOOLS

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Four Cinderellas

 Cinderella is one of the most beloved stories of all time.  There are over one thousand versions collected from all around the world.  This tale of lost riches regained through patience and goodness and magical help has found a home in hearts everywhere. In this Cinderella show Jennifer tells four very different versions of the story. An Algonquin Cinderella about Little Soot Face who can see the  Invisible Being living across the lake in a beautifully painted wigwam.

An Appalachian version from Kentucky in which Cindy Ella's Stepmaw is poison mean to her and mean mouths her all the time. A Scottish version about a young boy who wants desperately to play the bagpipe but his two stepbrothers laugh at him saying, "Your hands are too rough to play music. Go and tend the sheep thats all you're good for."  And a hybrid tale fashioned from a number of Eastern European versions where magic bones and helpful birds bring beautiful Mara to her happy ever after. As an introduction to these stories Jennifer will share  the well known French variant, The Little Glass Slipper  written by Charles Perrault in 1697.

Jennifer Armstrong is an accomplished musician as well as storyteller and each story will be told with a different instrument; frame drum, fiddle, bagpipe, banjo and movement. All ages will enjoy this program. Remember, this tale is not about having small feet but about having a large heart!

From Away (grades 1-8)
The earliest settlers in Maine were the "Red Paint People" who lived here three thousand years ago. And the rest of us are...from away! Where did we come from?  What brought us here? What keeps us here? This lively program is a wonderful way to begin a unit on Maine history.

Included are songs and stories from the Wabanaki, English, Scottish, Irish and Franco-American settlers with a dash of color from Swedish, Czech, Somali, Thai and other new Mainers. We'll sing about blueberries, bears, lobsters, tall pines and rocky coasts. A celebration of Maine and its  people.
 

Music Makers   (grades Pre-K to High School)
In this program I showcase the wide variety of instruments I play. I tell stories from the cultures where the instruments originated and I explain how each instrument works and how it got it's name.

Books Alive!   (grades Pre-K to 5)
Favorite books dance off the shelf with music and song. This  program  celebrates picture books, reading and storytelling. I tell the stories of some favorite books and sing some as story songs.  I can create songs or stories for any particular book students are currently reading.  Please ask!  Some of the books included are:

I Can Be Me   (grades PreK-2)
This is a program of favorite tried and true songs and stories for the very young.  It's a celebration of self and positive thinking.  My CD by the same name won a Parent's Choice award.
 

The Poet's Basket  (grades 2-8)
This program uses my new children's picture book (of the same title) as a
framework.  What are the "tools of the trade" for a poet? How do each and
everyone of us access the treasure of our own daily experiences? Through
songs, poems, stories, sensory games, word play and imaginitive fun this
program awakens the poet inside!
 

Happily Ever After  (grades 5-12)
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Through traditional teaching stories, poetry and personal narrative, Jennifer takes us on a quest to explore our most valuable relationship: the relationship with ourselves. Musings on beauty, pleasure and disordered eating are shared with Jennifer’s own brand of humor and infectious love of life. At the heart of the program there is a rare jewel: an opportunity for a young audience to learn from an adult's personal challenges and victories with body image. With her treasure-trove of instruments, including the bagpipe, fiddle and banjo and, of course, her own rich vocal talents, Jennifer delivers a ground-breaking program that will inspire audiences to celebrate their most important asset: themselves.
 

Seasonal Celebrations (grades Pre-K to 12)
There are many holidays and celebrations around the wheel of the year and I can relate songs and stories to most all of them!  I have given Halloween shows, Thanksgiving Harvest shows, St. Patricks Day shows, Earth Day, Turn Off Your T.V., Women's History, President's Day, Midwinter/Christmas, New Years, April Fools Day and Read Across America Day shows