Descriptions of Elementary School Character Education Shows

Robert brings children onstage to help him act out musical stories. Robert serves as narrator and one-guitar orchestra as he prompts the children to act out each mini-play. Robert equips the children with hat-costumes and allows each child to add his/her personality and humor. The audience also plays a part.

Courage, Trust, and Gentleness Show #1

Courage, Trust and Gentleness Show #1 spotlights these qualities as characters embody courage, trust, and gentleness in two musical stories. Billy is a boy who has lived his whole life in the forest, befriended by animals. There is something different about Billy. He has grown a tail, and he proudly wags it. When the adults discover Billy, they insist that he go to school where the students ridicule him. Billy is tempted to hide his tail in order to survive the experience. This is a story about finding the courage to follow your heart even in the face of ridicule. It is simple enough for kindergartners and compelling enough for fifth graders.

I am the narrator and the one-guitar orchestra. I invite one boy on stage to play Billy. He wears a tie-around tail. A girl plays Princess Sun, the one child who supports Billy. The audience itself becomes the other school children, but ultimately join Billy in his chant of overcoming.

Billy shows courage when he does what his heart is telling him to do despite the ridicule of his peers.

After “The Boy with The Tail” I bring the audience to their feet for some brief musical role-playing. This provides a dynamic change of pace.

Our second story is “Princess Sun.” Princess Sun personifies gentleness while her father, the king, personifies force. The sun falls in love with Princess Sun and follows her wherever she goes. This brings drought to the kingdom. The farmers seek the help of the king. The king tries in vain to assert his power over the sun. It is not the king’s force, however, but the princess’ gentleness that influences the sun. The story shows that attempts at force are caused by fear, while gentleness is the result of love.

In this show, I am not only the narrator and one-man band, but the king as well. I invite a girl up to play Princess Sun. The audience at large plays the animals, the farmers, etc. I’ll often bring on stage a few audience members who show gusto.

After this, we will discuss how characters in the stories exemplify courage, trust and gentleness.

(2) Courage, Trust, and Gentleness Show #2

I begin this show with some light dramatic role-playing with the audience. This loosens up the atmosphere so that children will feel the trust necessary to volunteer. In both of the stories presented in this auditorium show, characters personify courage, trust, and gentleness. In the first story, “The Princess,” a child princess is stolen by a witch who is jealous of the princess’ big heart.

I select children from the audience to play the parts of the witch, the king, the fairy godmother, and the sun. Each child wears a costume prop that indicates identity. Since the princess herself is always in the custody of one of these characters, she is represented by a doll. I serve as narrator and musician. The audience repeatedly helps me in chanting the catchy, rhythmic sound of the princess’ heart, accompanied by funk guitar riffs.

Jealous of the princess’ heart, the witch tries to break it. The first two times, the princess’ inherent gentleness and purity free her from the witch’s deceit. However, the third time, the witch succeeds and the Princess’ heart breaks. Because the Princess chooses to trust her helpers (first, the fairy godmother and then, the sun) she is made whole again. It is her openness to help, her gentleness, which makes her a match for the witch’s treachery. Despite this serious theme, there is a good deal of humor inherent in the story, and the child performers usually find it.

Again, I call children up to play parts in the second story, “The Queen Dragon.” There is a queen, a witch, a dragon, the sun, and two unlucky travelers. The queen and witch are sisters, one fated (they believe) to be good and one to be bad. When the witch asks the sun to give her a new heart, she becomes good. The queen now believes she must seek out the dragon to teach her how to be bad. The dragon threatens to swallow the queen unless she agrees to transform into a dragon. When the queen turns into a dragon, the dragon turns back into a prince, and the queen-dragon swallows him. Now the queen-dragon must swallow someone new each day. Finally, the good witch arrives and transforms the queen through gentleness.

After this, we will discuss how characters in the stories exemplify courage, trust and gentleness.