No.142
Audience Sound-Effect Story
Japanese name: 観客参加の音つき物語
Materials
- Notes for a short original story
- Optional three cards showing the cue words
- Mat or stable chairs
How to play
- Leave the fire to its designated manager and sit in designated seats. Choose one storyteller and divide the audience into three groups, assigning “wind,” “rain,” and “bird” to one group each.
- The wind group rubs their palms, the rain group lightly taps their knees with their fingers, and the bird group makes a short bird call. Only when its cue word is spoken does a group make its sound for two beats, shown by the storyteller's hand, then stop.
- Practise by having the storyteller call each word once. Then slowly read an original story lasting about one minute, in which each of the three words appears several times.
- For example: “A bird sang in the forest and the wind blew. Rain began, and the bird sheltered under a tree. The rain stopped and the wind grew calm.” Wait for each sound to finish before continuing the story.
- At the ending, stop all sounds and applaud. Discuss what scenes the sounds suggested. Change the group assignments and invite a volunteer storyteller for one more round.
Ways to adapt
Preschool children can share a role with an adult; begin with just wind and bird groups. Replace bird calls with a gentle clap for participants who find vocal sounds difficult. Older primary school children and adults can create a story and choose three cue words.