Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Holiday Show features Kantele Ensemble




The Duluth Area Youth Kantele Ensemble, directed by musician/songwriter Barb Hanka, will present a holiday program at 1 p.m., Sat., Dec. 15, 2007, at the Cloquet Public Library.

The event is free of charge and open to the public. Light refreshments will follow the performance.

The Duluth Area Youth Kantele Ensemble has been together for about three years, playing five and 10-string kantele (Finnish folk harp) music from Finland, Karelia, Russia, Lapland, and other countries. Children sing in Finnish, English, Russian, and other languages, and members’ ages range from third to seventh grades.

The ensemble meets once a month from September through June, with extra sessions in preparation for performances. Instruction sessions with the whole ensemble are approximately 90 minutes long. Individual kantele lessons are also available. For more information on the group, performance bookings, or how to join, contact Barb Hanka at (218) 724-6352.

For more information on the Cloquet Public Library performance, call 879-1531.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Every Picture Tells a Story





Children from Washington and Churchill elementary schools, with a little help from Middle School students, recently participated in an after-school program at the Cloquet Public Library. The program, Every Picture Tells a Story, was a look at Kamishibai, a Japanese form of storytelling. Children were introduced to this method of storytelling using colorful poster-size illustrations. Afterward, they got a chance to create their own storyboards and share them with the group. Middle School students pitched by helping the younger students construct the storyboards. The program was a joint effort between the Cloquet Public Library and Cloquet Community Education. Additional projects between the two organizations are scheduled for the new year.