Multicultural voices
“Multicultural Voices” uses interactive, theatrical storytelling workshops to empower ENL/ELL students by helping them improve intelligibility, communication confidence, vocal variety, as well as their ability to ‘think it through’ in English, while sharing stories of their cultural and immigration history. Our primary educational and artistic goal is to help these students become as confident expressing their cultural stories in English as in their own native language.
Whereas ENL students may be confident performing in their native language, performing in English brings a multitude of new challenges. To name a few: finding the correct words, articulating sounds that may not be in their native tongue, including appropriate physical gestures, using variations in pitch and speed to express emotion. Each of these areas is addressed areas using theatrical techniques to help students creatively overcome their fears of performing in English and become as confident expressing themselves in English as in their own native language.
Expected program outcomes are improved storytelling ability; greater confidence; clearer articulation for greater intelligibility in English; better understanding of oral expression; better eye contact; more expressive speech; better projection; less anxiety; improved listening skills; more impassioned speech; greater confidence of expression while performing for an audience. It is our hope to increase students’ comfort level with spoken English so they may have fun using language for expressive storytelling.
Themes for the program change yearly and have included "Stories of Immigration," "Poetry Café," "I Have a Dream," "Time Capsule," "Food Memories," and more all connecting to the ENL curriculum. All sessions are multilingual and include cultural exchange.
Since 2006, Multicultural Voices has been awarded a Local Capacity Building/Creative Curriculum/Statewide Community Regrant for the Arts, made possible from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and is currently administered by the Huntington Arts Council, Inc.
Whereas ENL students may be confident performing in their native language, performing in English brings a multitude of new challenges. To name a few: finding the correct words, articulating sounds that may not be in their native tongue, including appropriate physical gestures, using variations in pitch and speed to express emotion. Each of these areas is addressed areas using theatrical techniques to help students creatively overcome their fears of performing in English and become as confident expressing themselves in English as in their own native language.
Expected program outcomes are improved storytelling ability; greater confidence; clearer articulation for greater intelligibility in English; better understanding of oral expression; better eye contact; more expressive speech; better projection; less anxiety; improved listening skills; more impassioned speech; greater confidence of expression while performing for an audience. It is our hope to increase students’ comfort level with spoken English so they may have fun using language for expressive storytelling.
Themes for the program change yearly and have included "Stories of Immigration," "Poetry Café," "I Have a Dream," "Time Capsule," "Food Memories," and more all connecting to the ENL curriculum. All sessions are multilingual and include cultural exchange.
Since 2006, Multicultural Voices has been awarded a Local Capacity Building/Creative Curriculum/Statewide Community Regrant for the Arts, made possible from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and is currently administered by the Huntington Arts Council, Inc.
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