Steve has extensive workshop experience in schools, youth clubs and with adults. He also works with adults and children with learning difficulties. Recently appointed Poetry Places poet at Battersea Dogs Home, he has been developing workshops specializing in dogs/family pets - an inspirational poetry topic for children and adults alike. As a member of Atomic Lip, poetry's first pop group, he co-ran workshops to develop group poetry - choruses, back beats, polyvocal lines - which by definition are inclusive of every workshop participant. He is happy to work with children of any age and the type of workshops he runs include:

Understanding Poems By Performing Them
Particularly helpful for studying poems on the national curriculum. The skills of

Poetry you can actually dance to.

The Independent

performance poetry involve verbally drawing out the meaning of a poem for the benefit of the listener, but the performer must first interpret the poem for her/himself. This workshop involves study of syntax, rhetoric, metre, onomatopoeia, etc. but the study is activity-based rather than academic. It involves theatrical games and is better suited to a hail space than a classroom. Beginning with a performed poem by the tutor, it moves on with physical/vocal warm-up exercise, followed by a process of staging' the chosen poem(s). Everybody gets a go, and specific emphasis is given to group discussion and feedback. Study notes supplied for follow-up work by the teacher.

Polyvocal Pop Poetry

The class produces one poem on a general subject (the millennium, a day at the seaside, first day of school). After warm-up exercises and a tape of Atomic Lip's polyvocal work, we split into groups of 3 or 4. One group produces a basic, rhyming list summing up the key sensations of the subject. This is the back beat. The other groups each create dialogue, free verse, rap or any metric 4/4 rhyme, to perform over the top of the back beat. The separate components are rehearsed, placed together for the best effect, and performed. This is possible in 60 minutes, but a longer session gives the participants greater satisfaction. Constructing and performing a group poem in one session gives a special understanding of the mechanics of poetry, and inspires indepth study of poems on the curriculum.

The above have been specifically devised, and Steve has experience of more generalised workshops. As a performance poet who has played at the Royal Festival Hall, Ronnie Scott's, and Glastonbury Jazz Stage, he enables us to be inspired by poetry, rather than challenged by it.

TEACHER'S NOTES FOR GROUP PERFORMANCE OF MACAVITY: THE MYSTERY CAT

Begin with general discussion of the poem. Is it just a nonsense poem about a naughty cat called Macavity? Does Macavity's Oat symbolise the kind of prejudice in which a certain type of person gets blamed for all manner of wrongs? Is Macavity a scapegoat. What is a scapegoat? Discuss any words which may have difficult meanings, such as fakir, levitation, feline, depravity, Peke, trellis Admiralty, suavity, alibt Napoleon.

Identify the different voices in the poem. Is there an Official Voice, such as a detective or politician, whose job it is to give Macavity bad press (3rd verse). Does Macavity have his supporters (2nd verse).

Who says Macavity's not there? Maybe his supporters, maybe the police, maybe the victims of the crime, maybe Macavity himself. Each voice will say the phrase with a different emotion. Discuss. The final MAOAVITY WASN'T THERE could be said by all the different voices at the same time.

Establish the rhythm of the poem as a whole group. Then split the class into different sections: a detective section; a tabloid newspaper section with sensational headlines; an awestruck Macavity fan-base; Macavity himself.

Many lines can divide into two voices. For instance:

And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled, Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled, could be spoken by four voices, taking half a line each. A fifth voice could be over the top of these, that of the sombre detective, who could matter-of-factly state the whole two lines. Think about the sound of lines like he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity' in which
the meaning can be magnified by the voice. Also discuss physically enacting appropriate lines, indicating shock, amazement, disgust etc.

Warm-ups

If possible, arrange everybody into one circle. A huge group scream is always a good start, if thin walls don't disallow it. Have everyone take turns to say their name, alliterating it with an animal (Steve the Snake Patience the Polar Bear, Vic the Vulture) using their body and voice to imitate the creature. Passing hand-claps around the circle in a solid rhythm can be good for encouraging the group to listen. Also, a good tongue-twister to warm up for this poem would be:

I thought I heard the thump and thud of thirty thousand hoofs
like thirty thousand hailstones thundering on the roofs
I think the sound I thought I heard was Arthur doing sums
thudding with his thick-soled shoes and thumping with his thumbs.
Finally, if possible, try and have everyone learn their words, so the piece can be performed as a real piece of theatre, with people acting out their lines and making appropriate movements.

If the exercises are working, everyone will be having FUN.

NUMBER CRUNCHER POEM
Workshop notes

This workshop is suitable for all ages, either as a speed test for older pupils or a learning process for younger ones, with teacher assistance. Pupils can participate on their own or work in small groups. It can be utilized with blackboard and pens, scissors and paste, or be used to practice editing and pasting skills on a P0. It involves:
1. Oounting and adding from Ito 10 2. Understanding and identifying rhyming couplets The poem, which may be read out at the beginning of the exercise, is:

for a mathematics liftoff let's all Count down from 10
done up to the 9s - one below the X-Men

it's better 8 than never and occasionally amazing

the magnificent 7 has all barrels blazing

the tricky 6 is super slick

give me 5 double quick

4 stars extra proud

3's a crowd

2's fun

I

Each line is a countdown from 10, containing its own number, which is also the number of words in the line - so the 5 line consists of five words, the 4 line consists of four words etc. The poem is made up of rhyming couplets.

Either in paper or computer form, the groups are given the poem in nineteen jumbled parts, and must use the above information to reassemble the poem. They will be working from a starting point thus:

the tricky 6 is | never and occasionally amazing | a crowd
for a mathematics liftoff let's | 2's me 5 double quick | super slick
it's better 8 than | - one below the X-Men | I | proud
4 stars extra | 3's all count down from 10 | the magnificent
done up to the 9s | give | 7 has all barrels blazing | fun

TOP TIPS: Apart from 1, each line is made up of two segments. As each line contains its own digit, all ten segments containing digits can be placed in descending order. Filling in the rest of the poem is merely a matter of making rhymes, adding up, and making sense of English.

To Book a performer for your school
To book a performer or stoeyteller for your school contact Jubilee Books using the contact details below:

Jubilee Books
Address of head office
31a Vanburgh Park
Blackheath
London SE3 7AE

t. (020) 8293 6060
f. 056 0150 8125
e. e-mail Jubilee Books

Our office is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm.