ATTEND THE LOCKELAND DESIGN CENTER'S "FOLKTALE FIESTA" on MAY 3, 2008!
Storytellers, musicians and more will be part of the Third Annual
Lockeland Design Storytelling and Arts Festival, a fundraiser for
Lockeland Elementary Design Center. Because of its proximity to Cinco de
Mayo, this year's festival will be themed a "Folktale Fiesta."
The theme is in keeping with the school's emphasis on languages and
literature; all kindergarten through fourth grade students at Lockeland
receive 30 minutes of Spanish-language instruction every day. The day
will include guest and student performances as well as various other
children’s activities with a Spanish flair from 10 AM till 4 PM.
The event is open to the public. Admission is $4 for adults and $6
for students (which includes 5 activity tickets), with no charge for children four years old and younger,
and includes all entertainment. Some activities will have an additional
fee, with family discount packs available. Food will be available for
purchase.
More than 30 neighborhood vendors (both individuals and businesses) will promote and
sell products from booths on the front lawn of the school. There is no
charge for individuals browsing this area of the festival.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit the school’s Parent Teacher
Organization and go toward meeting the school’s technology, library and
physical education needs, among others.
Performers scheduled throughout the day will represent a myriad of local
talent, from storytellers to dance ensembles. In addition to the student
storytellers, local performers will include
Susan Ramsey, Linda Ackerman,
Irene Erickson,
Angel Snow, Bucky Stevens,
Improv Nashville, and
students from the East Nashville School of Music.
Lockeland Elementary Design Center is located at 105 S. 17th St. in the
Lockeland Springs neighborhood of East Nashville, near Shelby Park.
TSA produces an annual storytelling conference and festival, sponsors workshops, and provides training in the art of storytelling for teachers, librarians, and others. The 2007 Storytelling Festival and Conference took place in April at Fiddler's Grove in Lebanon, Tennessee. Planning is already underway for the 2008 festival, scheduled for April 11-12 back at Fiddler's Grove in Lebanon, hosted by Tennessee Storytellers Association and Wilson County Promotions. Look for more details here closer to the festival date. Mark your calendars NOW and don't miss it.
Shelley Gotterer is an experienced storyteller who emphasizes the importance of storytelling in the classroom. She has been telling stories and leading workshops for a wide variety of audiences during the past twenty years. For ten of those years, she was an enrichment storytelling teacher at Currey Ingram Academy, a school for children with learning differences such as dyslexia. She tells folk stories for students, works with them on their own storytelling abilities, and collaborates with teachers on ways to integrate storytelling into the curricula. She offers workshops to encourage teachers to tell stories themselves by providing storytelling resources as well as demonstrating storytelling techniques and activities. In addition, Shelley has given week residencies for schools such as Greenbrier Elementary, K-5, and Bradley Integrated Arts School in Murfreesboro, K-1. She is beginning her third year as storyteller for the Westminster Kindergarten multicultural series as well as for Old Center Elementary School’s Family Literacy Night. She also performs for libraries, schools, festivals, and churches. Shelley is a member and past president of the Tennessee Storytelling Association.
Shelley has an engaging blend of personal recollections with traditional tales. Her successful storytelling program is a model for the use of storytelling in the classroom. Her workshops are designed to meet the specific needs of participants. Her goal is to show the value of storytelling as a way of teaching, and her offerings help teachers meet Tennessee Academic Standards. Shelley uses storytelling as a way to strengthen students’ listening and speaking skills, nurture their imaginations, and build confidence.
In addition to storytelling in the classroom, Shelley has another storytelling interest. For over a year, she has been a regular volunteer at Safe Haven Family Homeless Shelter in Nashville. At the shelter, her goal is promote communication, literacy, and language development. She tells stories for both parents and children, in separate groups or together. Shelley supports her goal by adding high-quality read-aloud books to her storytelling.
Storytelling has also been valuable in her weekly parenting skills class. Folk stories demonstrate attitudes and issues in an accessible manner. Moreover, Shelley tells folk stories for parents whom then can tell them to their children. Her work with diverse audiences affirms Shelley's steadfast belief that storytelling, as a valuable and integral part of life, brings people comfort, insight, and inspiration. She writes, "The art of storytelling not only shows us what it is to be human but also shows us how to maintain and develop that humanity."
Contact this teller at tales@comcast.net.
Go to our Featured Artist Archive to learn about other artists who have been featured on this page.
© 2007 Tennessee Storytelling Association