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Koto Tales Books
| Bring a Live Koto Tales Presentation to Your Educational Setting! |
"You are the talk of the school! All the kids loved the assembly and flooded back to see you at night. We cannot thank you enough for your wonderful stories and music." - Kimberly Vining, A.G. Bell Elementary School
2007-2008 Fees for Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools
"Koto Tales" can be adapted to a variety of educational formats, including classroom presentations, assembly programs, residencies and more! I provide my own wireless mic and donate a set of Koto World recordings to the institution. Fees are of course flexible depending on budget and needs, and travel fees apply for places outside of the Seattle area, but the basic fees are as follows.
| Note: Fundraising Opportunities are available! Click here for details! |
| Single 45-minute assembly of Koto Tales: $300.00 |
| Two 45-minute back-to-back assemblies: $350.00 |
| Classroom visit: $150.00 |
| Half day of classroom visits: $200.00 |
| Full day of classroom visits: $275.00 |
| Residencies: $100.00 - $200.00 a day, depending on number of classes. |
| Early Childhood Education programs are also available |
| To bring Japanese music, stories, and puppets to your school, just email info at kotoworld.com. |
Note to Educators:
One of the wonderful aspects of these folktales is their timeless, ageless themes, making them appealing to any age group and relevant to a variety of approaches. I will work with you to develop the best program for your educational goals. My "Guidebook for Educators" includes pre-program and post-program linguistic and cultural information and activities for K-12th grades. A PDF of the "Guidebook for Educators" is available on line to teachers who schedule school presentations; simply click on this link.Residencies for K-12
Travel to Japan with A Folktale a Day! These residencies, for elementary students, provide the students to experience each day Japanese music and s story through a Koto Tale and, following a short discussion, do a related hands-on activity. This provides both a cultural and musical base for imaginative discussion and allows hands-on understanding of traditional values in Japan and their relevance to our own lives.This experience allows the students to enjoy the flavor of Japan on many different levels, and to make some connections with our own values and lives and Japanese culture. It works to make Japan accessible, a source of wonderfully rich stories, music, and cultural beauty that can enhance and enrich our artistic, creative and everyday life in a meaningful way. It fulfills various Arts EALRs.
Learn to Play Koto!This residency, designed for for Junior High and High School students studying Japanese, offers students a hands-on opportunity to learn the basics of playing the Japanese koto. Students learn the basics of koto music reading and playing in this hands-on residency. Emphasis is placed on group cooperation, artistic presentation, traditional aesthetics, and performance practice. The session culminates in a student performance of a piece such as "Sakura, Sakura." If fulfils various EALRs.
Sound Story Residencies, for grades 5 and up, provide the students a chance to hear a Koto Tale each day, and then in pairs create their own "Sound Stories" using simple instruments which I provide, and construct their own stories from a structured day-by-day outline. We discuss ideas such as sound associations, using instruments as props, voicing, pacing, dynamics, and improvisation. At the end of the residency, students perform their original Sound Stories for each other. The students have so much fun creating stories with their instruments, they hardly notice they are writing at all. It is a unique confidence builder and stimulating experience for all of us. My Sound Story residencies can be adapted to various age groups from upper elementary onwards, and integrate arts techniques in storytelling and music with curriculum in language arts and social studies, fulfilling various Arts EALRs. Interested educators please contact info at kotoworld.com.
Students at Hamilton International Middle School learn to play koto, Spring 2005. Residency sponsored by the Seattle International Children's Festival.
"Travel to Japan with a Folktale a Day" at Orting Primary School, 2005 (Sponsored by the Pierce County Arts Commission)
Music Residency at John Stanford International School, 2005
(Sponsored by the Seattle International Childrens' Festival)
PINE TREE ELEMENTARY "SOUND STORY" RESIDENCY, MARCH, 2002
Koto Tales Assemblies and Class Visits
I have shared Koto Tales at a number of Seattle-area schools in assembly programs and one-day residencies, including "Folklife in the Schools" at The Lakes Elementary, Moorlands Elementary, Charles Wright Academy, Panther Lake Elementary, and Sheridan Elementary. I have also taken them to Oregon and California schools, and told stories at Clarendon Elementary and Yujin Gakuen, Japanese immersion schools. I have taken my koto on classroom visits to preschools, kindergartens, elementary, junior high, and college classes and to homeschool meetings as well.
SCHOOL ASSEMBLY AT CLARENDON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SAN FRANCISCO, FEBRUARY, 2002
Library Performances
One of my favorite places to take my koto is to libraries; they are wonderful settings for Koto Tales. My library programs provide intimate opportunities for listeners of all ages to be surrounded by the stories and sounds of Japan. I have shared my Koto Tales at numerous libraries, including King County, Snohomish, Renton, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Multnomah County, Jackson County and Timberland libraries. Interested librarians should email info at kotoworld.com.
KOTO TALES AT ARDEN LIBRARY, SACRAMENTO, OCTOBER, 2001
Koto Tale programs are quite adaptable, and work for large or small audiences. I have shared them at festivals, museums, bookstores, meetings, churches, and gardens. I have shared them with audiences ranging in ages from preschool classes to senior centers. I have told at elegant gatherings and casual get-togethers. If you have an idea of where you would like to offer koto programs, please contact Elizabeth: info at kotoworld.com.
Don稚 Forget Koto Music!
Ah, yes; I am still a musician. (See my article, "Mastering the Koto.") I also offer solo koto music performances, and perform occasionally at places such as the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Portland Japanese Gardens. I perform with other musicians as well, such as Lori Goldston (cello) and Aiko Shimada (voice). And I perform often in the duo EN, which consists of my husband John (shakuhachi) and myself; you can find out more about our music by visiting www.enjoyjapanesemusic.com. I have found that a "combination performance" of part music, part stories enjoyable for both adult and family audiences.
What listeners are saying about Elizabeth's Koto Tales:
"The stories were truly riveting. The sounds of the koto enhanced the stories in a most enchanting way."-Joni Wright, KSER Global Griot Program Coordinator
"The Children's Museum was very fortunate to experience the unique style of Elizabeth Falconer's storytelling. Our visitors were completely engaged with the musical stories of old Japanese folklore which she accompanied with the magical and dramatic sounds of her koto."
-Mylen Huggins, Seattle Children's Museum
"We rarely see kids sitting so still. They were completely enthralled."
-Jennifer Davies, Community Relations Coordinator, Borders Books and Music,Tukwila
"The one about the one-inch boy.....was it true?"
-Aaron, Fairwood Elementary 1st-grader
"What is remarkable to me about Elizabeth Falconer is her creative and fluid engagement of both refined and primitive elements of music making. Her delight and expertise in traditional elements of koto music are beautifully combined with her free spirited experimentation. All of what she plays sounds perfectly natural, making her gifts a composer's dream come true."
- Janice Giteck, Composer
"To hear and see Elizabeth Falconer at the koto is to witness a transcendence of cultures by a graceful artist who grasps the essence of East and West with aplomb and elan."
- Dr. Richard P. Soter, Executive Director, Japan America Society of Chicago
"Dr. Elizabeth Falconer and I have performed several concerts together for koto and shakuhachi, and have collaborated on a recording of her own music, released in Japan. She is the finest Ikuta-ryu kotoist with whom I have performed, aside from her teacher, the legendary Sawai Kazue. I consider Elizabeth to be the greatest American-born koto artist and composer today."
-Dr. Dale A. Olsen, Professor, The Florida State University
"Elizabeth Falconer's playing conveys both the richness of the long tradition in which she has immersed herself and the freshness of her own creative spirit."
- Kent Mullikin, Deputy Director, National Humanities Center
"Elizabeth Falconer brings alive an ancient tradition of elegance and passion that leaps onto the present. It is a visually and musically compelling experience that enchants listeners."
- Mimmi Fulmer, Soprano, School of Music Faculty, University of Wisconsin.
"Thanks again for the wonderful presentation you gave to my class. Your insightful comments so clearly made connections between the performance practices of koto musicians and cultural and social themes, and elucidated foundational reasons as to why multicultural music has become so prevalent and important."
-Dr. Mike Smith, Professor of Music Education, DePaul University
KOTO TALES AT A SCHOOL ASSEMBLY IN BOSTON, MA.