Back in 1989, Jim Weiss recorded 5 cassettes. In those days computers were huge and not readily available. About 10 years later we embraced CDs and about 10 years after that, in came MP3’s! In April, 2020 we learned about “Zoom.” And hence came the amazing term of “Webinar.”
In this segment of our website, we offer you high quality and engaging Jim Weiss Webinars that span from art to music-to literature and history-to how to tell stories and much more. Welcome to “Greathall Productions Presents: Fantastic and Free Jim Weiss Webinars, Videos and Podcasts.”
Jim Weiss recordings and webinars reflect our trademarked motto: “Intelligent Entertainment for the Thinking Family.”
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Jim Weiss on this episode! For the past thirty-five years, Jim Weiss has been telling stories professionally around the world. This master storyteller grew up hearing his father retell great stories. In “Summer Writing” (Podcast 373), one of the suggested activities is story writing. In this podcast Jim Weiss explains the unbreakable rules of storytelling and offers helpful story writing tips.
Referenced Materials
- “Storytelling with Jim Weiss”
- Jim Weiss
- Episode 373: Summer Writing Ideas
- Storytelling Recordings by Jim Weiss
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- The Black Count by Tom Reiss
- The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood as told by Jim Weiss
- Animal Tales as told by Jim Weiss
- Heroes in Mythology as told by Jim Weiss
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz read unabridged by Jim Weiss
- Marathon as told by Jim Weiss [free download]
- Transcript of Podcast Episode 381
If you have questions for Andrew, send them to Podcast@IEW.com
Perhaps your question will be answered at the next Ask Andrew Anything (AAA).
If you have questions about IEW products or classes, contact customer service at 800.856.5815 or info@IEW.com
Play Podcast:
Jim Weiss & Carol Reynolds Open the Door to Imagination: Storytelling, Music, History & Culture
JIM WEISS AND CAROL REYNOLDS HAVE JOINED TOGETHER TO BRING THESE FOUR WEBINARS RIGHT INTO YOUR FAMILY’S HOME. JIM ENGAGES YOU WITH HIS FASCINATING STORYTELLING AND CAROL OFFERS DELIGHTFUL INSIGHTS INTO THE HISTORY, MUSIC AND CULTURE SURROUNDING JIM’S STORIES. THIS WEBINAR OFFERS VIBRANT AND MEANINGFUL FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT.
Dear Jim, I have enjoyed all 4 classes.
Now watching you & Carol for four nights, I am totally in love with you. All people should be as knowledgeable and kind. The world would be a happier place. You make me smile and think about creativity. You show such love of life! It is contagious. You and your wife Randy have created such a valuable tool through your company. I know I am blessed to have crossed paths with you and maybe one day I can meet you & Randy when this pandemic is over. You, kind sir, are on my “bucket list”. Some day we will meet in person. I really just need to thank you and wish I had known of your work when my children and grand children were young. I assure you my great grand babies will know you. Thank you.-K.B
“Going West in the USA: Fulton’s Steamboat & The Railroad Men“
Featuring “Fulton’s Steamboat” and “The Railroad Men.” The story of America’s move West includes the Gold Rush, the inventions that moved people and supplies across a continent, and the music that traveled with them heavily based in folk styles and portable instruments.
“Greek Myths: Thrilling Adventures that Shaped Our World“
Thrilling Adventures that Shaped Our World. Featuring “Hercules and the Nemean Lion” and “King Midas and the Golden Touch.” Also the musical instruments of the Greeks and how they recited and accompanied their literary odes.
“Fairytale Favorites in Story and Song”
Featuring “The Sleeping Beauty” (aka: Briar Rose) and “The Shoemaker & the Elves.” What makes a fairy tale compelling and ripe for being transformed into a musical masterpiece full of magic and color?
“American Music: From Tin Pan Alley to Oz”
Featuring “George and Ira Gershwin: What Is American Music?” and “E.Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg: Painting Rainbows.” These composers followed a tradition of American songwriting centered on Tin Pan Alley and driven in significant ways by a wave of immigrants.
JIM WEISS has been a professional storyteller, recording artist and author since 1989 when he and his wife, Randy established their company, Greathall Productions (now Jim Weiss, LLC). In the past 31 years, Jim has recorded over 70 storytelling recordings featuring classical literature and history and numerous audio books including Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World Volumes 1-4, and Carry on Mr. Bowditch. To date, Jim has received more than 100 National Awards for his family-oriented recordings.
Jim’s “live” storytelling performances have been described as “exciting” and “enchanting”. His connection to his audience is magnetic and interactive, proof positive that storytelling today rejuvenates one of the first and most personal forms of entertainment. Adults and children alike leave the performance feeling that they have really met the characters from a wide range of classic literature, folk tales and history. Jim’s presentations garner respect for the art of storytelling, and for both the art and the wisdom we pass on through the great stories of classic literature and history. As Jim summarizes, “Our storytelling recordings work precisely because we value the original sources, and have tried to convey our love of the stories, and the wisdom they contain, to a new generation of listeners and readers. Storytelling today rejuvenates one of the first and most personal forms of entertainment. Telling stories is pure joy.”
In 2016, Jim’s dream continued down a new and exciting path as he and Randy licensed their recordings and business operations to Susan Wise Bauer of Well-Trained Mind Press (aka Peace Hill Press)
Jim Weiss’ Trademark Motto Speaks for his Life-time Work:
“Intelligent Entertainment for the Thinking Family”
JIM SAYS:
“As a musician myself, I think constantly in musical terms when I write, and perform, spoken word. Rhythms, pauses, sustained or abrupt syllables, pacing, changes in volume and other “musical” elements are there, and like Carol Reynolds, I find parallels in the work of painters, dancers and other artists. I love Carol’s ability to shine new light on familiar works of art and culture, and introduce new works that often become beloved favorites. A conversation with Carol is fun and enlightening, and I am excited to share thoughts with her and with our audience.“
PROFESSOR CAROL REYNOLDS is a uniquely talented and much sought-after public speaker for arts venues and general audiences. She combines her insights on music history, arts, and culture with her passion for arts education to create programs and curricula, inspire concert audiences, and lead arts tours. Never dull or superficial, Carol brings to her audiences a unique mix of humor, substance, and skilled piano performance to make the arts more accessible and meaningful to all.
Carol has led arts tours to Russia, Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, San Francisco, and Broadway on behalf of several arts organizations and has recently teamed with Smithsonian Journeys for cruises to the Holy Land, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic Sea, Indian Ocean, and across the Atlantic. Her enthusiasm and boundless energy give tour participants an unforgettable experience.
For more than 20 years, Carol was Associate Professor of Music History at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
She now makes her home in North Carolina and maintains a second residence in Weimar, Germany — the home of Goethe, Schiller, Bach, and Liszt, and the focal point of much of Europe’s artistic heritage.
Please visit Carol’s website at www.professorcarol.com for in-depth information about Carol and the complete line of Professor Carol’s fabulous products .
CAROL SAYS:
“The nuances, dynamics, color, and choreography of telling a story are little different from those same qualities expressed in the performance of music. I’m very excited to embark upon a closer connection with Weiss’s creative work, integrating his recordings more directly into our course material.”
STRUCTURE OF STORIES & CREATING CHARACTER VOICES
Through entertaining examples from Aesop’s Fables, the Wizard of Oz, Sherlock Holmes, Cinderella and Greek Mythology, Jim Weiss offers simple techniques for creating distinctive voices for each character in a story or book; and then explains the structure that almost all stories follow, allowing listeners to easily create or re-tell stories. This video encompasses most of Jim’s famous teaching session on the nuts-and-bolts of how to write, tell, or read aloud stories.
TEACHING HISTORY THROUGH STORIES
Using thrilling, true stories of pirate and explorer Sir Francis Drake, U.S. President Harry Truman and artistic genius Michelangelo, Jim Weiss gives hands-on advice on how to light a passion for history through stories. Learn how to find and use history sources; how to shape historical facts into engaging stories; how to tie together history and literature; and how to use history stories to teach all across the curriculum.
AN INTERVIEW WITH JIM WEISS OF GREATHALL PRODUCTIONS
Storyteller/author/recording artist Jim Weiss, recipient of over one hundred major awards, tells his own, inspiring story and explores the ways in which stories are the most powerful tool for learning and for drawing together families or entire societies. This fascinating video will inspire a whole new appreciation for reading aloud or telling stories; includes useful, practical tips; and reveals the vital role that stories play in our lives.
JIM WEISS TELLS STORIES OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THEN THE TORTISE & THE HARE
In this video, master storyteller Jim Weiss brings to life both the humor and the deep emotion of Abraham Lincoln, and then will have you laughing out loud with Jim’s rollicking version of Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare”. Both as pure entertainment, and as a superb example of the power of stories to touch us and teach us, this must-see video will become a favorite you’ll want to watch over and over again.