Mary Jo Maichack

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A Dynamic, Interactive Program of African-American Folklore & Music Celebrating Dr. King & Black History

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Book early for January's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and February's Black History. This show is very popular. The message: Share, be fair, and enjoy this wonderful culture's traditional songs and stories, which, without preaching, rather, through entertainment, reveal the abiding strength, spirit and values of this culturally and spiritually rich culture. An engaging singer, guitarist and storyteller, Ms. Maichack has read and researched widely from African and African-American folklore, and culled a range of stories with which young listeners can fully engage.


Kids enact "Rabbit & Elephant"

The program is about an hour long and consists of singing, guitar accompaniment, lively and reflective folk telling and varied participation by the audience as a group (singing along, clapping, chanting, dancing) as well as voluntary participation by individuals who come to the stage to play rhythm instruments, learn and demonstrate a Gullah dance (from Angola to Gullah, the language of Br'er Rabbit), even act out a story in colorful masks and costumes. The result is always enthusiastic engagement for pre-k to grade 5. A middle school version is available.

"Let Me Fly"

"We learned to make friends & get along together no matter what nationality we are."
-Chapin School, Chicopee, MA

The show opens with a rousing spiritual and is followed by the title story, "The People Could Fly," a powerful tale of slaves who find wings in their roots. Students' faces express deep sympathy with the plight of the slaves, and often quietly cry out their cathartic joy when the slaves use their deep connection with the past to fly away. In "The Cow Tail Switch," children participate in debating which child has done the most to bring their lost father, Ogaloosa, back from the dead. But not everything is heavy-far from it; the show is designed for emotional content that meets with students', and as is true of folklore, works perfectly well over a range of ages. (It is nice, if possible, to have two sets, depending upon the number of students, and separate pre-k to 2 from 3 to 5 or grades 4 to 6.)

On the contrary, "The Talkin' Cooter" is laugh-out-loud funny and includes a wise but dopey turtle who plays the fiddle to help a slave escape, and Ms. Maichack takes on the personas of the characters, even playing a real fiddle to bring the story to life.

"Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Martin Luther King" is an original story poem of the man's life and ideals. Teachers always request a copy of this rhythmic, call-and-response chant by Charlotte Blake Alston, from Jump Up and Say, edited by Linda Goss. Catchy and perfect for young listeners, they will learn about civil rights, even touching on Rosa Parks's bravery on the bus.

We connect and add release to the storytelling with spirituals new and familiar, including "Let Me Fly," "Somebody's Knockin' at My Door," for younger kids, Leadbelly's "A Dog Dig Dog," (If my dog loves your dog and my dog loves my dog, then why can't we sit under the apple tree?"), and "This Little Light."

The show culminates in "Rabbit & Elephant," enacted in masks and with African percussion instruments. Elephant is bossy & demands that the other animals serve him/her. Through ingenuity, cooperation & music (with audience chanting along), Rabbit and friends turn enmity to unity.

1) Celebrates & Expands Knowledge of African-American Culture & Respect for Diversity
Students find the material interesting, informative and entertaining. By identifying with the characters, they form a deeper, more personal appreciation of the history and are inspired to respect and enjoy the culture. This transfers to compassion for other cultures, as well.

2) Oral Language and Folklore Connection
Through expert modeling and active participation, students gain experience and practice in spoken language. This invaluable language arts experience underlies reading and writing and opens a door to language success that is otherwise harder to open, especially for some students, who will shine for the first time.

3) Self-esteem and peer recognition as some students take to the stage
Teachers frequently express surprise at the participation by volunteer students usually considered too shy. Students applaud each other, giving & gaining mutual respect.

4) Unifies the School Community in a Positive, Shared Emotional Bond
All listeners present have a common experience that offers rich subject material to discuss, formally and informally. The group gains cohesion by sharing emotional responses together. Shared laughter, shared silence, shared & witnessed sympathy for characters-the sharing affirms the validity and universality of the response.

Boston area:
"Thank you for a wonderful experience! You were superb!"
Anita Silverstein, Donovan School, Randolph, 5th grade teacher

"Tremendous at her craft."
Principal Dr. Jack Billings, Donovan School

From their 5th grade students:
"Thank you for your wonderful performance. It was one of the best shows I've seen in the 5th grade. I really liked when I got the chance to be the elephant."
Sincerely, John Pires

"Thank you for coming and telling your stories because I really enjoyed them. I think it was a good idea to talk about people in Africa and the way they think because we don't really hear a lot about Africa."
Your fan, Melissa Itzkowitz

"Thank you for the inspiring and beautiful stories. I hope you come again.
Your best fan, Cassy Agemoe
P.S. I was the frog shaker, remember?"

"I loved your performance! I was surprised when you played the fiddle and the guitar. I enjoyed dancing to your music. My favorite part was when you called people up to do the play with the elephant, rabbit, and the frog."
Meridith Vaughn

Central Mass.:
McGrath School, Worcester (two repeat invitations):
Show for Grades 4-6
"The program tied in wonderfully with Black History Month. Students enjoyed the songs, dancing and storytelling. Very appropriate for the grades. (I teach 6th.) Active participation made this program lively. Students got an appreciation of history and storytelling as an art."-5th Grade teacher

From a teacher at David Mindess School, Ashland, MA
Show for Grades 4-6
"Mary Jo has an excellent ability to involve students and hold their attention. The students gained insight into African American culture and an appreciation for storytelling. The group was large (600) but they were so well behaved that the size didn't matter. It was wonderful!"

Mayberry Elementary School, East Hartford, CT
Grades k-3 and separately, 4-5:

Comment on teaching ability of performer:
"Excellent! I was impressed with the variety of the program-stories, poems, songs, student participation, the masks at the end. I was impressed with Mary Jo's energy, easy transition from one activity to another, her range of talents, and the pace of her talking! It was slow enough to absorb it all."

"Highest rating in regard to holding attention and involving students. Some students were still singing the 'Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Martin Luther King' song days later."

"Students gained historical knowledge, and the art of storytelling. Size of audience shouldn't be any larger than our assembly was (200 est.)"
--N. Fox, Grade 3, Feb. 3, 1998

"We discussed the drinking gourd story/song and what the Underground Railroad was about. I have since found and ordered "The Drinking Gourd" by Monjo, as a trade book to be read in grade 3."-Grade 3 teacher

"Very useful in the curriculum. She related very well with the children. She had a good understanding of their attention span. Active and educational!"-Grade 1

"The children had a good understanding of Martin Luther King and they had a good time."

"It sparked an interest in other folk tales and songs related to the topic, which provided a gateway to African American history. One of the best programs we have had."

"Content provided enrichment for material being covered in curriculum."

From East Hartford/Glastonbury, Connecticut Magnet School:
"The students were enthralled. They loved the stories. They enjoyed using the instruments and participating in the performance."

From Sunderland, Mass. Elementary School:
5th grade teacher:
"The program was a great addition to my class. We had just finished reading War Comes to Willy Freeman, so we were able to do some comparing and contrasting."

"The whole class is interested in the subject of equal rights for all. They heard a message like the one we've been talking about in class-great reinforcement."

3rd grade teacher:
"This was a good lead in to learning about MLK and history (3rd grade). My students enjoyed it very much! They learned to be kind to all despite skin color, and don't be rash.

Mater Dolorosa School, Holyoke, MA:
"This was a very effective program that helped our students appreciate African-American culture. Students k-8 loved it. We combined it with Catholic Schools week."
--Sr. Corrinne, Principal, Mater Dolorosa

Chapin School, Chicopee, MA:
Students loved it, it was great for k-3. Excellent involvement of students as they learned more about Black history.

Another teacher (grade 2):
Children learned there are different kinds of people. We should all be treated the same (fairly and kind). We learned to make friends and get along together no matter what nationality we are.

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