Cultural Education

		In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

		CULTURAL EDUCATION

		Program description and objective Storytelling and folk music are age-old expressions of every culture's laughter, loves, and mysteries. Virtually every culture on this planet has used tales, fables, legends and epics in both narration and music to describe, recount or teach about what is enduring in the events and conditions of the human experience. Mass media and technology have made the many nations of our earth more visible and interactive. All cultures are rich with complexities, but far too often information is provided in an over generalized, extremist, or negatively stereotyped way. As global separations decrease, the need for tolerance and appreciation of cultural differences cannot be underestimated as a pressing educational need for today's youth that will be tomorrow's citizens. The Zevk Ensemble's program draws its source material primarily from the Balkan/Turkish region. Students and staff members will be able to see and hear indigenous instruments, be stimulated and intrigued by language and melody presented in rich vocals, laugh and reflect on folk tales, and have question and answer times with the colorfully costumed performers. A magic chest full of artifacts, costumes and indigenous crafts is available as interactive educational play for students. Overall, students receive information and exposure to different cultures in a beautiful, creative and nonthreatening manner.

		Educational advantages Storytelling is a perfect springboard for educators. It is a shared experience that reaches both the slow learner as well as the gifted student. Each listener absorbs meanings at his/her own level of experience and development and responds accordingly. The principle pedagogic feature of storytelling as a curricula tool is its ability to enhance creative and predictive thinking. Great storytelling invigorates the internal imaging of children that is the essential ingredient in all creative endeavors. Through listening and working with a story, students develop a rich repertoire of images from which to invent. Storytelling enhances predictive thinking as the listener hears and works with the plot of a story. The "what happens next" aspect of the story helps students internalize patterns of sequence, cause and effect, action and reaction, and ultimately synthesis and evaluation. Storytelling provides unlimited opportunities to integrate history, geography, social sciences, and humanities.