Jay performs this show with an accompanist; a member of his performing group, 'The Grooveniles' (actual accompanist varies with scheduling). This is a concert of songs and stories with a seasonal, Halloween focus. We bring a backdrop, which looks like a colorful, haunted tree (about 8 feet tall, and 5 feet wide). We also set up our state-of-the-art sound system, which can handle any size room.
The songs and stories presented in the show are participatory through singing along and guessing along (kids fill in the rhyming words at the ends of the sentences). Most of the pieces we present in the show are humorous; they are about scary things, rather than being scary themselves. A few pieces are more serious, for instance, a story about a couple of kids who go out trick or treating, and meet a couple of folks who help them out when they get lost. There’s a surprise twist in the story, and an interesting lesson as well. Our material, both original and collected is sure to get everybody singing along, hopefully, even you!
In the many discussions I’ve had with parents, teachers, and other performers, Halloween has often been presented as a holiday that is much nicer after it’s over. For all its hype and craziness, though, I see Halloween as a day for letting down your hair (so to speak), cutting loose (to a degree), and allowing some of the scarier sides of ourselves to have some fresh air. As an outlet, it works wonders.
On the other hand, we’ve all heard some real horror stories that have unfortunately accompanied this holiday from time to time. My own role as a performer, then, is to help create an experience, which, through both silliness and seriousness, allows a safe and fun outlet for looking at, laughing about, and respecting that scarier side of ourselves, and the world we live in.
One of the main messages we try to convey between the songs, is that its okay to get scared sometimes – everybody does – and that talking to someone like a friend, a parent, or a teacher, is a good idea. If you think you’re the only one who has ever felt that way, talk to someone else, and you’ll find out that you’re not. Scary things become less scary when we share them.
We do the classic Monster Mash, of course, as well as a song about making friends with our skeletons, and a piece about a man who would only eat pumpkin pie. There’s also a short story about the time I met the most dangerous creature in the world, which turns out (don’t tell the kids) to be human beings, with our pollution, wars, etc… ‘Halloween Afternoon’ is a ‘guess along’ story that tells of two boys who get into trouble while trick-or-treating, and learn the lesson: ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. The song ‘I’m Not Scared’ is a rap song that gets the kids shouting out “Yes You Are!” in response to my not quite believable claim.
I’ve included some biographical information about us, which you might consider sharing with your students before the show (on back side). We’ve found that knowing what to expect can personalize the experience for them and really help to make it something to look forward to.