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Telling
Stories for Different Ages
Thoughts, Hints and Other Considerations
on Matching Stories with Listeners
On Audiences and Story Selection
Over
the years I've developed a few ideas about what works and what doesn't
with particular audiences and have developed a few guidelines I
try to follow. These guidelines are not chiseled in stone, and you
may discover that your experiences do not match mine. Just as all
tellers are different, I would imagine that what works with what
audience will vary from teller to teller as well. Here are some
of my observations:
Single age group audiences behave differently from mixed or family
audiences. For example, a story teens would consider too babyish
to hear in an "all teen" audience may indeed be accepted
and enjoyed by teens who are part of a family audience. Adult nostalgia
tales that may cut too close for an all teen audience (dating disasters,
for instance) may be thoroughly enjoyed by teens who are part of
a largely adult audience who possess enough distance from such events
to be able to appreciate the humor such stories usually contain.
In general, reactions of older listeners can influence reactions
of younger listeners and help the younger listeners understand and
respond appropriately to the story. It is important that families
sit together in events planned for family audiences. Then, family
members can relate to, and influence, one another instead of the
older members of the family becoming onlookers watching the youngest
members "enjoy the program."
When audiences attend events advertised for a specific age group,
they have the expectation that stories told will be appropriate
for that age group. Thus, adult audiences should hear stories appropriate
for adults. This does not mean every story told to an adult audience
must be inappropriate for children; however, it does mean that the
teller should not assume the adult audience wants to "hear
a story you'll be able to tell your preschooler at home" if
this has not been an advertised intent of the program.
In a program advertised for families, every story must be appropriate
for, even if not fully understood on first hearing by, everyone
present. In other words, in a family program, I consider it acceptable
to tell a brief story that may require explanation for the youngest
listeners to understand as long as the story is one I would tell
to some children - ages 10 and up, for example. I keep such tales
brief so the youngest listeners aren't left out for long. Such stories
must be also very entertaining to the older children and adults
present, and must be easy for them to explain to the youngest children
later. I do not tell family audiences tales I would tell only to
adult audiences because such tales often deal with content adults
may not want to discuss with their children on the ride home!
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Selection Hints for Specific Age Audiences
Preschoolers
- stories
with one plot (not "meanwhile" or "while that was
happening . . .")
- stories
with lots of repetition (say repeated parts the same way every
time and they will join in and tell the story with you)
- interesting
sounds, especially when they are repeated
- short,
active stories (not 10 and 20 minutes - unless you have oodles
of joining in)
Primary students
- stories
with easy to follow and predictable plots just a bit more complicated
that the plots chosen for preschoolers
- lots
of repetition (yes, they will join in too)
- stories
slightly longer than preschool stories
- "silly"
ghost stories
Grade 4 & 5 students
- plots
even more complicated
- "real"
sounding ghost stories
- plots
with twists or punch line/surprise endings that challenge their
thinking
- "fool
stories" and tall tales begin to go over well at this age
- true
stories from teller's childhood, especially if teller was younger
than listeners when the events happened (age difference important
for events that are funny in retrospect, but were not so funny
at the time)
Middle school and high school students
- most
of the same stories as Grades 4 & 5
- realistic
ghost stories
- urban
legends, although this audience does not always appreciate
knowing the tales are urban legends
- stories
of justice
- stories
of male-female relationships
- tend
to prefer realistic or tall tale animal tales over tales with
talking animals
- first
story you tell this group is often the most important, so choose
carefully. I often tell a short realistic ghost tale first. I
feel the tale reassures the listeners that I know they are not
little children so enables them to relax and listen instead of
clinging to a disengaged attitude in an attempt to "feel
grown up." After that, I can often tell a wide variety of
age appropriate tales
- teller's
attitude often makes or breaks an event with this age. You must
be yourself - not a grown-up trying to prove how "with it"
you are, or a grown-up who "knows much more than you do,
so you need to listen" or a grown-up who fears teen-agers.
Teens spot fakes, feel insulted; then react negatively.
Adults
- most
of the same stories middle and high school students like
- stories
that deal with adult issues
- stories
with demanding, unexpected plot structures.
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Additional Story Selection Considerations
Life Experience -
Until about 4th
grade I find most children don't grasp "dead" unless they
have had personal experience with the death of someone close to
them. For this reason, many of the realistic ghostly tales don't
begin to go over well until then.
Many of the slumber party urban legends don't go over until children
are closer to the age and experience of the characters. Children
who are too young to have ever heard of a "prom" won't
grasp the phrase "prom dress." Keep in mind that told
stories rely on audience members being able to create images in
their minds through listening. There are few visual cues to complete
the picture for them.
One story I tell is "Some Dog" a tall tale set on the
farm where I grew up. I find rural 4th graders enjoy this story.
Urban children don't enjoy it until about middle school, or even
high school. The more urban a child, the less farm experience, so
the more likely the child is to think the gigantic turtles in the
story are possible rather than a funny exaggeration, so they miss
out on the humor.
Experience with Story
-
A parody of a
fairy tale will go over well with an audience who knows the original
tale, less well with an audience with no knowledge of the tale being
parodied.
Experience with continuing story characters -
Listeners familiar
with Jack, Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Paul Bunyan and other characters
who have many tales told about them will have more associations
to draw upon when those characters show up than will listeners for
whom those characters are new. How do you know how much information
the audience needs about the character? Watch their reactions. If
you see smiles or nods and grins when Brer Rabbit shows up, you
know the listeners know Brer Rabbit. No reaction? You need to decide
whether you feel this story works well if the audience discovers
Brer Rabbit through it, or if you need to embed a bit of Brer Rabbit
background as you tell.
The
most important story selection question is: "What
does my audience need to understand or to have experienced to be
able to understand this story?" If you believe your audience
unlikely to have the experience or understanding necessary, can
you weave the information into the story as you tell it, or convey
it briefly within the story introduction? If not, choose a different
tale.
Experience being
in a storytelling audience -
Is it or is it not OK to laugh, gasp, chuckle out loud or should
I just be quiet so I won't "throw the storyteller off"?
Experienced storytelling audiences know that give and take between
teller and listener, even if just through body language, is part
of a storytelling experience! Less experienced audiences (especially
all adult) are more likely to "put on polite faces" leaving
the teller less certain whether the story is working or not. While
tellers can't force an audience to react or interact, a teller's
welcoming response to reactions and interaction will encourage more.
So, be aware you can also play a role in helping listeners learn
to be a story-loving audience!
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Brief Bio: Mary Hamilton has earned her living telling
stories and pondering how the art of storytelling works since 1983.
Learn more about her work at http://www.maryhamilton.info
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Mary
Hamilton, Professional Storyteller
65 Springhill Road, Frankfort, KY 40601-9211
Phone: 1-502-223-4523
Email: mary@maryhamilton.info |
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