Staying Alive with Oral History - Part 2

This continues the ideas of my fellow storytellers on the topic of Staying Alive with Oral History

Two storytellers who had articles deserving of publishing on this topic are Judy Schmidt, of the Ann Arbor Storytellers' Guild and Canadian storyteller, Renee Englott, from Edmonton in Alberta.  Renee's the author of Part 3 of this series.  We close with a look at Lynn Rubright's book and other suggested books.

When the topic of Oral Histories was recently discussed, Judy commented:

Published by Libraries Unlimited, 2006

Another resource,  although not only with seniors, is described in The Storytelling Classroom; Applications Across the Curriculum by Sherry Norfolk, Jane Stenson and Diane Williams.  It's the section by Madison, Wisconsin, teacher and storyteller, Mark Wagler, entitled "Teaching the World We Live In: Collecting and Telling Ethnographic Stories."  Mark has done ethnographic projects with "students from primary grades through graduate school."  The one described in The Storytelling Classroom focuses on 4th and 5th graders studying neighborhood cultures along Park Street in Madison.  

Judy continues her suggestions, saying: In terms of equipment - lately I've used a little device by Belkin called a Tune-Talk that can be attached to an I-Pod and will turn it into a recorder. The recording can then be dumped into I-Tunes.

Judy also shared her basic Ten Tips for Taping:

• TEN TIPS FOR TAPING - Oral History/Family Storytelling
  1. Make sure your recording device is working - before the interview - so that the
  recording process itself wonʼt be a distraction.
  2. If possible, try to tape without a lot of other family members around. One-on-one
  usually works best. Find a quiet, comfortable place where both you and your
  subject can sit without straining voices or posture.
  3. Prepare for your interview by writing out questions in advance -- BUT
  4. Donʼt get too attached to your prepared questions. If your subjectʼs stories are
  flowing in a totally different direction, let them go in that direction.
  5. As you begin taping, record on the tape the following information: the names of the
  interviewer and the person being interviewed, the date, time and place. You
  may also want to record the nature of the relationship. (Example: This is George
  Jones and Iʼm interviewing my father, Ralph Jones, on May 15, 2007 at 10:00
  oʼ clock in the morning in our home at 3345 Morningside, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.)
  6. Listen attentively and appreciatively. This kind of concentrated listening is hard work,
  but well worth the effort. If you are actively listening, you will find that your
  curiosity is stimulated and you will have lots of questions.
  7. If the person youʼre interviewing is “on a roll” and does not need prompting, just let
  her or him go. Donʼt interrupt.
  8. Plan on taping for no more than one hour at a time because the process is tiring.
  However, in case your subject wants to continue, be sure to have enough tape to
  make that possible. If the person wants to pause or stop taping, abide by that
  request.
  9. Donʼt forget your manners. Be sure to thank your subject for taking time with you
  and
  sharing his or her stories. A written thank you note will will be especially
  appreciated.
  10. Label the tape carefully and punch out the tabs on the back edge so that no one
  can record over your interview by accident.
  Donʼt wait for the perfect time to tape your family stories. MAKE IT HAPPEN!
  -- Judith Schmidt , February, 2007

Excellent advice as we never know when that opportunity will go away.

Don't go away, plan on going next to Part 3, of Staying Alive with Oral History and guest author, Renee Englott. 

Staying Alive with Oral Histories - Part 1

We all hope our lives make a difference.  I've been privileged to do oral histories and at other times help young people do it, too.  Additionally my reenactment of Liberetta Lerich Green started with her oral history telling about growing up on a Michigan Underground Railroad Station and her family's Civil War experiences.  The title story in Harold Courlander's The Cow-Tail Switch and Other West African Stories shows the value of remembering people's lives. 

Never overlook the value of putting something in a format available to future readers or listeners.  Whether they are the descendants of the person interviewed or not, the interview becomes precious beyond any time or expense involved.  Two easily overlooked groups who can especially value doing this are people with no children and those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the early stages. It's their way to stay alive!

I'm always indebted to my fellow storytellers for their ideas.  Great storytelling resources come from a very active international email list, Storytell, and the online network, Professional Storyteller ,  (where I'm an assistant administrator to nearly 1900 members from around the world). I hope these suggestions from my storytelling friends help you do an oral history project.  The ideas were so plentiful this topic will have three more parts.

• Lynn Rubright's excellent book, Beyond the Beanstalk: Interdisciplinary Learning Through Storytelling, (published byHeinemann, 1996) will be discussed in the final part of this four part series of blogs.

• Jo Radner, who teaches oral history workshops in the northeast, adds: My favorite intergenerational storytelling program is Judy Klevins' Swapping Stories.  She trains groups of students and elders separately in interviewing and public speaking, then puts them together in pairs -- one elder, one student.  They interview each other, swap stories, and then perform each other's stories to an audience.  So it's not just students collecting stories from elders.  As I often put it, old people are a foreign country to the young -- but the young are also a foreign country to the old.  They need to tell each other their stories to make the connections.  (Note by LoiS: Their approach sounds very similar to some of the ideas in Lynn Rubright's book mentioned above and in Part 4.)

• Renee Englot offers a three-part look at the interview: Framing Questions, Tips for Shaping and Conducting the Interview, and finally After the Interview.  Each is a complete document, so her contributions will be a separate post, Staying Alive with Oral Histories - Part 3. 

• Prolific blogger, storyteller Karen Chace, has collected a number of resources on this topic.  She plans to update her "Preserving our roots collecting family history" so look to see if she mentions having added to it recently.

• Here in the Ann Arbor area, storyteller and former media specialist, Judy Schmidt, added both a basic "Ten Tips for Taping" and other recommendations in Part 2 of Staying Alive with Oral Histories.  

• It's almost guaranteed my research will include Jackie Baldwin's Story-Lovers site.  She's done an award winning job of compiling information from the Storytell list.  For this topic go to the Oral Histories section of the "S.O.S." there.  (While you're there, be sure to check her home page and scroll down to her lovely stationery, cards, prints, and so much more.)
• Something I first heard about years ago on the Storytell list was this playful way to bring back memories, the game, Life Stories.  It's available and thoroughly reviewed on Amazon (in the Toys and Games section).

If you can't do an oral history project, I suggest you at least create an interview document for people to use in self-recording.  That's not as "magical" as what pops up in a live interview, but at least it's not dependent on grant funding. 

 LoiS(econd interview with someone wasn't nearly as lively as the time the tape recorder didn't work! -- shades of those Ten Tips for Taping)  

This is the end of Part 1 - Staying Alive with Oral Histories.  See Parts 2 and 3 with guest authors, Judy Schmidt and Renee Englot and then the bibliography in Part 4 of Staying Alive with Oral Histories featuring Lynn Rubright.

Nocturnal Animals "Own the Night"

The Collaborative Summer Library theme for the 2012 reading program is "Own the Night" and nocturnal animals are a natural connection for both libraries and naturalists.  This summer I will tell tales of nocturnal animals found here in Michigan, but these stories come from all around the world.

Why?

My mission in storytelling is to increase understanding through stories from around the world and back through time. 

To help you discover and understand how nocturnal animals Own the Night! here are some online resources.  (There are different nocturnal creatures in different parts of the world and, while my stories come from all over, I chose sites tending to focus on our own area.  This helps your young readers and listeners better understand the nocturnal animals already around them.)

Google gives these as "Top references for nocturnal animals"  Owl, Bat, Raccoon, Skunk, Opossum, Cat, Hedgehog, Badger, and Firefly, but don't stop there! Other possible creatures include mouse, fox, wolf, coyote, moth, tree frog, cockroach, and I'd certainly add the Unofficial Michigan State Bird, the Mosquito!

FACTS

• List of nocturnal animals -- This international listing upfront declares it's incomplete, but you can click on any animal for a Wikipedia article. 
• Nocturnality -- Yet another Wikipedia article, this one shows why nocturnal creatures benefit from this adaptation.
• Homeschool Share on nocturnal animals -- This is both an overview and has a special featuring of owls and bats.
• Nocturnal Habits of Nighttime Animals -- Specific to Michigan, this looks at flying squirrels, whippoorwills, tree frogs, and great horned owls.  So that's why those crows I saw made such a fuss!

STORIES

• Franklin and His Night Friend -- Picture book favorite character, Franklin, makes friends with a bat.
• Nocturnal Animals poems -- These are not stories, but poems, especially about owls and bats.  (Thank heavens for the Wayback Machine's archiving the internet!)
• Story-Lovers S.O.S. -- Searching Out Stories lists books, online stories, and much more.  Drop down to section 2 "Animals, Birds, Amphibians, Fish and Insects" and search by specific nocturnal animal.

CRAFTS

• Enchanted Learning's coloring sheets of nocturnal animals from all over the world.  Click on the creature, e.g., skunk, for facts and a coloring sheet.
• A to Z Teacher Stuff -- raccoon, crocodile, bat, and owl activities suitable for young children posted by Ms. Ann.

MUSIC

• Children's Music by Nancy Stewart -- practical activity ideas and an easily adaptable song about nocturnal animals.
• University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee -- music video of common nocturnal animals animated by puppet performers (Peck School of Arts)
• Peter Weiss and his band, The Earth Rangers singing at Westlake Elementary School in Santa Cruz, CA (2007) a song about nocturnal animals.

GAMES

• Sheppard Software Seek and Find Nocturnal Animals -- simple game for young children identifying hidden animals.

•  Kids Planet - Who Am I? -- 20 different animal sounds to identify.

• Amsel, Sheri. “Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles.” Nocturnal Animal Word Search (Older Readers). Exploring Nature Educational Resource. © 2005 - 2011. November 2, 2011.

CURRICULUM IDEAS

Teachers aren't the only ones who can use these ideas.  Scan for good ideas to use also in libraries and nature centers.

• Alex (Alabama Learning Exchange) for elementary school age
• Night, Nocturnal Animals, and Halloween for preschool and primary grades
• Lesson Planet  210 lessons on nocturnal animals for all grades

"EVERYTHING UNDER THE MOON!"

Isn't it wonderful when you can recycle your programs?  Children's programs for preschoolers used 4 years ago can return and be used again with a whole new audience of preschoolers.  In 2008 Who's Awake at Night? was the theme for the Michigan Reads program.  The Michigan Reads pdf provides recommendations for books, crafts, music, games, fingerplays, and coloring sheets to help you plan your Summer Reading program to Own the Night..

Civil War Music

There's an excellent group, the Fifth Michigan Regiment Band performing the songs of the era, but what if you want to know or use some songs yourself?  First of all music from Civil War days are safely in Public Domain, so you are free to perform them without fear of royalties.  Using a recorded version, however, would be something you should work out permission with the artist performing it, although schools, libraries, and other nonprofit educational settings may be covered by Fair Use.

A popular composer of the times was Stephen Foster.  As Wikipedia notes, he was:  the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. His songs — such as "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"), "Hard Times Come Again No More", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Old Black Joe", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", and "Beautiful Dreamer" — remain popular over 150 years after their composition. 

If you want to set a mood of the Civil War days, this composer who died at the start of 1864 is an easy choice, especially if you include minstrel shows set in the pre-war South, but are not looking for patriotic war songs.  Actual songs about the Civil War, however, are definitely not a part of his work.

In contrast to the blackface minstrel shows, a whole group of gospel songs seemed innocent, but were often coded to give messages about the Underground Railroad.  Several sites discuss this:

•  Negrospirituals.com/
•  Owen Sound's Black History - Songs of Freedom (gives 5 songs, but many would eliminate Follow the Drinking Gourd and say it is about the Underground Railroad, but came after slavery ended)
• Spiritual (music) even cautions that the whole idea of coded messages lacks primary support material.  That lack of primary support material isn't surprising, but the case of Follow the Drinking Gourd and the popularity of the Fisk Jubilee Singers after the War means this is an area, at least, where you should check carefully to be sure of the dates of any song.

A photograph of the Hutchinson brothers. Jesse, Jr., (third from the left) is standing with a hand on a brother's head.  Thanks to George Fullerton of Goffstown, New Hampshire, for this image of the Hutchinson family.

There are online articles about the Hutchinson Family Singers and at Wikipedia.org. (Be sure to read the Discussion following the Wikipedia article for added information.) They started 20 years before the war with such controversial topics as abolition, temperance, and women's rights, even traveling with Frederick Douglass through England in 1845 and performed in prisons and almshouses.  The abolition of slavery led them to write many songs and support the election of Abraham Lincoln.  A perfect example of this is their use of the well-known folksong "Old Rosin the Beau."  Jesse Hutchinson wrote to it the lyrics for the abolition song,"Roll on the Liberty Ball", and later the subsequent Civil War song, "Lincoln and Liberty, Too", putting a developmental spin on how the war came about.  Find the words at Roll on the Liberty Ball. and Lincoln and Liberty, Too .

Altogether there were 13 Hutchinson Family Singers and by 1859 they split into two groups each called the Hutchinson Family Singers.  They popularized "The Battle Cry of Freedom",  (the Confederates took that song and wrote their own lyrics, too), "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" and other songs.  "The Battle Cry of Freedom" has many citations on YouTube and Google as does "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground"

Isaac and William Lerich

There's more to the Hutchinson Family story, but I've found the two songs I use give shape to a story not as tidy as fiction. As noted in other posts at my website, http://www.LoiS-sez.com/Historical.html, music ties together lives and events as dramatic as fiction, but less easily organized.  "Roll on the Liberty Ball" is used for my Underground Railroad program about the Lerich family, based upon oral history.  For the Civil War I use "Lincoln and Liberty, Too" plus excerpts from letters by or sometimes about the two sons, Will and Isaac,  who joined the "Fighting Fifth" Infantry of Michigan during the War of Rebellion, as it was called here in the North at that time.


Other songs can be found in the Fifth Michigan Regiment Band's bibliography.

Here are some sources I found useful, many are also on the Fifth Michigan Regiment Band's bibliography.  

* Crawford, Richard, The Civil War Songbook, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1977.

* Currie, Stephen, Music in the Civil War, Betterway Books, Cincinnati, 1992.

* Glass, Paul, Singing Soldiers, Da Capo Press, Inc., New York, 1968.

* Hill, Lois, Poems and Songs of the Civil War, Fairfax Press, New York, 1990.

* Jackson, Richard, Stephen Foster Song Book, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1974.

* Krythe, Maymie R., Sampler of American Songs, Harper & Row Publishers, New York, 1969.

* McNeil, Keith and Rusty, Civil War Songbook; with Historical Commentary, WEM Records, Riverside, CA, 1999.

* Raph, Theodore, American Song Treasury, The, Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, NY, 1964.

* Silber, Irwin, Songs of the Civil War, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1995.

* Silverman, Jerry, Ballads & Songs of the Civil War, Mel Bay Publications, Inc., Pacific, MO, 1993.
If you are looking for stories behind a dozen songs, Silverman also wrote Songs and Stories of the Civil War, Twenty-First Century Books, Brookfield, CT, 2002.

I omit recordings as they are more difficult to guarantee availability, format, and the ability to interlibrary loan.  These books give the music in print to permit performance.

LoiS(inging "For Lincoln and Liberty, Too")

Now for something just for fun!

Remember the old "How many ... does it take to change a lightbulb?" jokes? 

I wrote this in reply to a challenge on the international email list for storytellers, Storytell , about taking storytellers changing the lightbulb and turning it into a story.  This uses many a time-honored folktale element and also looks ahead to Halloween.

,

This is LoiS with her international storyteller sisters, including Csenge Zalka from Hungary.  (Left to right: Erika Todd of MI; LoiS; Csenge Zalka; Nicole Hofeldt of MN; Danielle Todd of MI -- taken at Northlands in WI, 2008)
Storytellers are a family no matter where we are.

Enjoy the tale!

Once upon a time, long ago, but not so long ago that there wasn't electricity, there was a lightbulb.  A lightbulb that all agreed needed changing, but ALAS! nobody felt like changing it.  A summons was sent out throughout the land of stories about changing this lightbulb promising riches & fame to whomever would dare to change this lightbulb.  Many, oh so many considered it, but gave it up as unworthy of their time and effort. Would this lightbulb ever be changed?

In a distant and far away corner the challenge was heard by a storyteller, the youngest in a family of storytellers.  "I'll go!", volunteered the youngest child, but everybody else in the family laughed for they knew this young storyteller had barely learned to tell a fable, much less change a lightbulb through the power of storytelling.

Despite the derision of brother and sister storytellers, the youngest storyteller set out on the long journey with barely a crust of bread & a bottle of water for sustenance.  Along the way the young storyteller came upon an old woman, who asked, "Could you spare me some of your food?"

"Yes, certainly," agreed the young storyteller, "but while you eat it you must promise to listen to my tale about the changing of the lightbulb."

Hours later the old woman begged to have the story stop and, when the young storyteller insisted there was still more to the story, she gave a magic potion that she promised would bring success if drunk upon seeing the lightbulb.  Remembering that the gifts of elders often made all the difference in stories, the young storyteller stopped to thank the old woman. The instant the young storyteller stopped to get a breath and thank the old woman, she vanished.  (Obviously grateful to have escaped!)

On the young storyteller travelled until at last the lightbulb was in view. A crowd had gathered nearby, telling ghost stories in the dark, convinced that light would never return.  The young storyteller felt the attraction of the ghost stories and was about to weaken, already planning to tell some stories that were only told at home in the far away land from which the young teller had come.  The audience turned and looked at the youngest storyteller.  How often they had wished for new stories and young storytellers!

Just then the young storyteller remembered the potion the old woman had so generously provided.  A sip, a gulp and it was drained.  Instantly the fog cleared in the brain of the young storyteller.  The mission to change the lightbulb was recalled and quickly the bulb was grasped.  A few twists and the bulb was unscrewed.  The replacement bulb was laying there and just as quickly screwed in.  The young storyteller bowed to the crowd, but they all started to go away, muttering about the futility of telling ghost stories in such bright light.

Fame and riches might go to someone bold enough to remember that their mission was to change a lightbulb, but ALAS! if that person hopes to become a storyteller, it is hard to gain an audience for ghost stories that end unhappily ever after.  Ah, but of course, "That's another story..."

Happy telling to you, too!

When Disaster Strikes...One Year Later

I've been uncertain when to post this as I know those who most need it probably can't go online.  It's the anniversary of our house flood last year, but it looks puny compared to the flooding, fire, and other disasters I hope are not affecting you or your family.  Whether it's us or others we know, I hope a multi-part series I put on my blog last year helps. 

The series opened saying:

When Disaster Strikes First Aid Kit

November is a month dominated by the Thanksgiving holiday.  What do you do when circumstances make it hard to be thankful?

Whether it's worry over health of your own or someone you love, a disaster, the irritation and difficulties of dealing with construction, whatever has you Coping with Chaos, this month I want to create a First Aid Kit for whenever you may need it.  This is a bit more personal than I expect most posts here, as my own personal need caused me to create this month's topic. 

Blogs crazy format puts the most recent information first, so http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/search/label/disaster has a webliography/bibliography of resources, but it also includes ideas and suggestions gathered from my storytelling family. 

I'm finally forcing myself and Tom to finish our paperwork.  We delayed touching it and I'm hopeful it's not too late.  Dealing with it was incredibly demoralizing.  Even a year later it hurts to see book titles, for example, of what was lost.  A year later we wondered if ever again we might return to anything awful when absent from home.  If I've any recommendations after a year, it's get your paperwork done as fast as you can.  Things have been forgotten we should have listed, but not the pain.  We hope now it will start to ease.

LoiS(torytelling business and other things always seemed more important than facing this)

Third Most Used Language in the U.S. -- American Sign Language

Our family began signing long ago because my older daughter is severely hard of hearing.    To spread interest and beginning knowledge of the third most used language in the U.S., I sometimes tell stories in voice and sign language simultaneously.  Additionally I offer a program called a Playful Introduction to Sign Language.

If you wish to go further in learning it, I recommend:

• Start at the library for books and videos for all ages and even in Spanish.  For the most items, search the catalog under keywords "signing" and "sign language."  American Sign Language (abbreviated ASL) is the official name, but using "sign language" as keywords retrieves more titles, including ASL.  "Baby Sign" is more complicated, the most popular subject headings are: "nonverbal communication in infants"; "interpersonal communication in infants"; "interpersonal communication in children"; and "language acquisition--parent participation."

• Online YouTube has many videos.  "Deaf" covers many cultural issues, but again "sign language" opens the most items. Note the source as there are sign languages and even fingerspelling all over the world different from the U.S.  My daughter loves to compare the sign languages of different countries! Claude O. Proctor shows this in his Signing in Fourteen Languages : A Multilingual Dictionary of 2,500 American Sign Language Words and his earlier NTC's Multilingual Dictionary of American Sign Language.  Both include fingerspelling charts.  Similar to spoken English regional accents, some signs vary throughout the U.S.  

• Have fun learning sign language!  A handy one-stop online source is Harris Communications.  They sell puzzle books such as the two for the classic book, Joy of Signing, lots of flash cards, many games, a magnetic poetry sign language kit, and, in their Books and Multimedia -- Teaching Resources section (but also available at Amazon and elsewhere), American Sign Language Clip and Create 5 CD-ROM

  This fifth version of American Sign Language Clip and Create includes nearly 5,555 clipart signs for making crossword puzzles, posters, banners, postcards and more.

• ASLPro was created for teachers, but includes quizzes and related products.
• As with any language, practice is essential.  Partner with a fellow student or someone who grew up with the language.  Recently I was signing songs at the back of my church for my own understanding and practice.  A man in the final row told me he had deaf parents, but now has no opportunity to use ASL and has forgotten how to speak it.  How sad! 
• The logo at the top of this blog issue came from eHow.com's article, "How to Learn ASL Fast."  That logo often is used by a location offering services to the deaf.  The article includes other online resources in their sidebars.  Their articles and videos are free, but the section called "Related Ads" leads to commercial sites.
•                             

I probably also should mention Tell the World; Storytelling Across Language Barriers, compiled and edited by Margaret Read MacDonald.  I wrote an article in the book, "Telling with Sign Language Translation."





Signed communication is a continuum stretching from informal mime when necessary; through Pidgin Sign which adapts signing to an English word order, especially when both talking and signing simultaneously; through Signed English created to help deaf children learn English grammar and parts of speech in an educational setting; to American Sign Language with its own grammar and is the standard for interpreter certification.  Just as variations in signs exist, so can the communication style, although ASL generally has become the standard.

Remember communication is what it's all about in this practical and beautiful language used by so many people.

My signing puppet, Ivan, signs "Friend"