Silly Goose & Val Smalkin

• Details
• Programs
• Featured Work
• Contact

• About the Artist:

  Ventriloquist, musician, composer, and performer Val Smalkin was one of the writers, performers, and co-producers as well as the head puppeteer of the Emmy award-winning television program It's Kindertime on Baltimore’s WMAR-TV 2. Val’s CD "A Gentle Halloween" received a Parents’ Choice Fun Stuff award in 2015, and in 2016 her CD "Sing! Sing! Sing!...and Dance!" garnered a Parents’ Choice Approved award. Her current CD "Love Bug!" received a Parents’ Choice Recommended award.

  Her book "Springtime Dance" took gold in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards in 2014. As a recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council grant for solo non-classical performance in 2015, and for solo theatre performance in 2016 and 2019, Val continues to perform and compose music designed for the 2 to 10-year-old set. As a ventriloquist, Val performs for family and educational events in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York City, California, Cap d’Antibes, France, and Brussels, Belgium.

  Category:

  • Music
  • Theater

  Type of Programs Offered

  • workshop
  • assembly
  • virtual
• • Silly Goose & Val - The History of Ventriloquism

    Description:
    

    Using puppets, comedy, music, movement, and 100% audience participation Val Smalkin and Silly Goose entertain while taking students through the history of ventriloquism, from Greece where ventriloquism was used for religious and mystical practices, to the present-day USA where venting us used for entertainment. Val Smalkin streamed a weekly show called "Grandma's Place" during the pandemic. Please visit Facebook @GrandmasPlaceStation or click on the YouTube link to see the quality of her work. Programs are appropriate for K to 5 combined, but are best if geared separately for K to 2, and 3 to 5.

    Appropriate Grade Levels:
    K-5

    Curriculum Connections
    

    This program belongs to the Fine Arts domain with historical, cultural, and social context strands in Theatre and Music. Students will gain an understanding of the history, traditions, and conventions of puppetry and observe the way puppetry depicts themes and stories. Students will also gain an understanding of the roles music and puppetry (theatre) play in the lives of people and explore the relationship of music to puppetry. The movement portions of the program promote rhythmic awareness.

    This program is offered as:

    • assembly
    • virtual
  • Silly Goose & Val - Songwriting & Puppet Making

    Description:
    

    Silly Goose & Val can combine an assembly (see Programs 1 and 3) for your entire school with songwriting and/or puppet making workshops for smaller groups of 20 students.

    Appropriate Grade Levels:
    Assembly: Pre-K to 5 / Workshops: 2 to 5

    Curriculum Connections
    

    PUPPET MAKING
    - FINE ARTS - Creative Expression and Production; Perceiving and Responding;

    SONGWRITING
    - LANGUAGE & LITERACY - Speaking & Listening; Collaboration; Writing; Strategic Use of Digital Media;
    - FINE ARTS - Music: Creative Expression and Production;

    This program is offered as:

    • workshop
    • assembly
  • Silly Goose & Val - Puppet Mania!

    Description:
    

    POPULAR TOPICS: Silly Goose Goes Green; A Gentle Halloween; Springtime Dance; Musical Zoo; Kindness Counts
    With hundreds of songs Silly Goose & Val can almost always craft a virtual or live program filled with ventriloquism, puppets, comedy, music, movement, and curriculum related content to suit your educational needs. Val Smalkin streamed a weekly show called "Grandma's Place" during the pandemic. Please visit Facebook @GrandmasPlaceStation or click on the video link to see the quality of her work. Programs are appropriate for K to 5 combined, but can also be geared separately for K to 2, or 3 to 5.

    Appropriate Grade Levels:
    K-5

    Curriculum Connections
    

    ALL PROGRAMS: Fine Arts - Music: Perceiving, Performing, and Responding; Historical Cultural and Social Context;
    SILLY GOOSE GOES GREEN: Environmental Science - Recognize and describe that the activities of individuals or groups of individuals can affect the environment.

    This program is offered as:

    • assembly
    • virtual
  • Booking Details

    Program Costs:
    

    Single Assembly: $350 Back to Back $600
    Travel from Cockeysville, MD to your school will be charged at the then current IRS mileage rate.

    Puppet Making Workshop: $200 per session with a $5 charge per student for materials
    Songwriting Workshop: $250 per session

    Songwriting workshops include notating the song in finale and making it available to the students within two days of a one-day workshop.

    Additional Notes:
    

    Recommendation:
    "What a fantastic assembly! Everyone - including the teachers - enjoyed themselves. I was able to talk with the teachers during the day, and everyone said how valuable your small group sessions were as well. Thank you so much for sharing your day with us!"
    ~ Jaime Cornman, Forest Lakes Elementary School, Harford County, MD

• Artist's featured work:

  Artist's videos:
• Name or Art Agency:
  Valerie Smalkin
  Email:
  [email protected]
  Phone:
  (410) 458-3326
  State / County:
  Maryland, Baltimore County

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