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Alan Scofield

Alan Scofield

dance, master teacher, storyteller, consultant

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About Alan

The Little Bird Stories

May 7, 2019 by Alan Scofield

The Little Bird stories by Alan ScofieldKids are hungry for my original “Little Bird Stories”. They know that if they “make good choices” during our class time, then they will reap the reward of hearing one of my fifteen Little Bird stories at the end of my kindergarten dance classes.

So how did the Little Bird Stories begin? Ten years ago, I began to make up a story for a class full of restless rainy-day kindergartners, who needed a dose of enchantment to calm their spirits. Now, thousands of children in the Marin schools are hooked.

It began with Mama Robin building a nest and welcoming her three children into the world. Like most children, they were very different from each other. Little Bird was the curious one, always asking questions. Big Brother was the competitive one, who always wanted to be first and of course, well known. Little Sister was the family’s old soul, wise beyond her years, who loved stories. Each of them bumped into the lessons of growing up and with each story a gentle lesson was learned.

Take for instance the story: “Big Brother flies to the Moon.” In it, he asks his sister to tell everyone in the forest to gather at midnight, to watch him fly to the moon. His glorious attempt is foolish but he gives it his all, soaring upwards to a great height, only to fall from grace into a muddy lake. He gets a moment of fame but it soon fades. He despairs, until his sister confesses that he is a hero in her eyes, for trying the impossible.

For the first couple of years I thought I should name the birds, but no names stuck. I realized that a specific name would limit who they were. For these birds were every child that tries to spread their wings and learn.

The children adore and remember these fifteen stories, even to the point of asking when they are older if I still tell them. Why not? They are simple, funny and true.  Rather than blockbuster tales about super heroes, these stories celebrate the moments in life that we choose to be a hero for our self, or someone we love.

I created my Little Bird stories for children through the magic of live storytelling, but now I have written down all fifteen in a manuscript, and with luck, soon they will find their way to you in a book to be shared.

Filed Under: About Alan, Arts Education, Education Tagged With: alan scofield, birds, books, children, kids, lessons, Little Bird Stories, manuscript, storytelling

“What Else Do I Do?”

February 21, 2016 by Alan Scofield

What else do you do?

This question has been asked of me for many years and is often sparked when a student or client suddenly discovers my work at a brand new place.

As the official KIDDO dance teacher in Mill Valley, California, I’ve taught thousands of elementary school children throughout the years. For example, a fourth grader at a local Marin County school will chance upon me teaching my Contemporary Jazz dance class at Roco Dance and ask, “What are you doing here?” I explain that I ALSO teach adults. Their eyes widen and they smile as if they are the first to know the secret. But actually, the secret of diversification has been the key to my robust career as a professional teaching artist, and the many hats I wear, are in fact, cut from one cloth: the power of dance.

A single educator can teach both, kindergartners and corporate teams, the art of teamwork, and I have done it for years. For at every age and in every profession, even that of budding five year old’s, the art of moving together brings out the best in a community. Barriers fall for the business participants and values are born in the youngsters. The art of dance, levels all ages and all categories, for it is supremely human.

Once, after I finished teaching an elementary school dance class, a boy came up to me and asked, “what do you really do?” I said: “This is what I do.” He shook his head and said, “no, I meant what is your real job? Like where you go to work and have an office.” I smiled and said, “look, I go many places but this is my job.” “You do this for a living?” he said. I replied, “yes I do.” It was hard for him to get, I imagine.

So to make it easier for you to get, we built this website that traces my trail from the world of studios to the domain of schools and businesses, to the College of Marin where I am an associate professor, and reaches all the way to the world of curricular design for school districts.

And lastly, when the journey is done, come listen to The Story Home, and treat yourself and your family to the enchantment of children’s audio stories, loved by millions of families around the world for the last nine years.

You do that too? I hear you ask.  Oh yes, and so much more… stay tuned!

Filed Under: About Alan Tagged With: arts education, dance, kiddo, rocodance, teaching, the story home

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Once Upon a Time…

Alan is not only the voice of The Story Home, but also the author for over 40 original stories!

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