Our school was very fortunate to have storyteller Kevin Cordi come and visit our school for a morning presentation. I've seen Kevin present at our school previously. I've chatted with him while at NCTE and every time I visit with him or watch him do a presentation I am inspired and want to know more. I went to his presentation this year with a piece of paper and a pencil with great hopes of writing down tips for fostering or becoming a storyteller. However, I realized very soon he was there to be a storyteller for all of us to enjoy and he wasn't there to teach us. He was there to be a storyteller and in subtle ways a teacher. When I made this realization, I put on my detective hat and looked closely and made a list of discoveries.
Storytelling is...
fun
uses sounds
uses voice inflection
uses facial expressions
encourages movement
encourages audience participation
I loved this phrase he used - "storytellers need story listeners."
If you ever have the opportunity to see Kevin present I would highly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity. If you can take a class with Kevin, I'm sure it would be enjoyable and filled with learning. I'm also happy to know Kevin has published two books and is writing more for those of us who want to explore storytelling further.
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