The Preparation of Children's Programs.

 

It is not my purpose to enter into the controversy between child psychologists and commercial advertisers as to the validity of the contention that the majority of the children's programs now on the air are emotionally overstimulating and have undesirable effects upon the characters of the young listeners. The kind of program to be broadcast will be determined by the children themselves. If they want blood and thunder, they will probably get it, for the advertisers do know their business even though they are a little weak on the child psychology. What I wish to do is to point out certain principles and techniques for the preparation and presentation of all kinds of programs directed toward an audience of children. A good program for children must serve the best interests of the child. The choice of subject matter, the emphasis, and the play of good and evil should be such that the boy or girl who listens will like the qualities which we think make for happy living. We want children to develop dislike for that which is unfair and untrue, disgust for that which is cheap and tawdry, indifference for that which is trivial, and enthusiasm for that which is fine, true, and important. We want the boys and girls to be attracted by all those things which build up mind, body, and spirit. We also want them to recognize the danger of opposite tendencies so that they will not fall into bad habits. In short, we want them to adopt and develop habits of self-control, self-respect, self-reliatnce, and self -culture. Parents have every reason for resenting the inclusion of too much abnormality, especially if the characters that represent it are made very likable, glamorous, or attractive. Programs are criticized which depict children of tender years doing all sorts of impossible things and indulging in pert remarks and coarse slang. Horror stories for older children overemphasize evil. While it may be true that a play is not interesting unless it has evil characters as well as good ones, these evil characters must not have greater appeal than those that are good. However, plays can be written without evil human forces. Struggles can be against time, the elements, and space, as well as against men and women. Children's scripts should make character building attractive. The program should make a better citizen out of the youthful listener. In this way, the program becomes educational as well as interesting. The boy scout laws of "trustworthiness, loyalty, helpfulness, bravery, cleanliness, friendliness, thrift, courtesy, and reverence" are a good standard for any writer to follow. Desirable activities should be stimulated, such as helping with the home duties, helping Dad, reading better books and magazines, and developing good hobbies. All these things may be inserted subtly into the radio script. Entertainment is of course essential, but the programs must not be a trashy or cheap story. Most stories should have a poiñt, should teach a lesson, and should make attractive those qualities that will build mind, body, and spirit for the child, but this point must not be crammed into small ears. In radio, unlike the stage or movies, one cannot see the characters. Therefore it is desirable to build up the characters so they can be identified by their lines. The roles of the actors must be natural and true to life. They should not be too perfect. In fact, they should be endowed with both human weaknesses and human virtues. If they are too perfect, they might disillusion the child. He will think that anybody who isn't perfect is evil and this would be a bad impression for him to get. The play of good and evil must be portrayed in such a way that the child will recognize each. A dislike for everything evil, unfair, or untrue, must be instilled in the listener. That is the way he can be helped to become a good citizen. The first requisite for material to be used in a program for juvenile listeners is clarity-absolute clarity. No child will be interested in what he does not comprehend. Clarity can be achieved only through simplicity of language and construction and through simplicity of ideas. The first step is to decide the age group to which the program should appeal and then calculate as nearly as possible the ability of children of that age. Observation of a graded course of study for almost any grammar school will be helpful in determining what kind of material can be used for the different age groups. By knowing what they are studying in school, one can judge their ability to understand additional material. Simplicity of language does not, under any consideration, imply baby talk. There is nothing quite so insulting to a child's intelligence as to be talked down to from the lofty heights of adulthood. Of course, a distinction should be made between talking to children and impersonating children. In selections like "The Raggedy Man," "At Auntie's House," and "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, the method is impersonation and the childish language is justified. Simplicity of language means the use of words understood by children of the age to which the material is directed, or, if any new words are used, the explanation of them in terms of words already known. It means, likewise, the use of simple sentence construction. Short sentences that leave out any words not necessary to the meaning are always best. Quite obviously, clarity alone cannot insure a successful children's program. Equally important and much more difficult to achieve is interest. Children are even more impatient with the uninteresting than are adults. They cannot be induced to wait and see if something better will come later. They demand a story that holds them intent from the very first word to the last. They want fast action and plenty of it. Long explanations bore them regardless of how beautiful the language may be. Therefore, anything that is not simple enough to be understood without explanation should be left out of children's stories. This does not mean that new and strange material cannot be used, but it should be introduced with simplicity, omitting all complicated details. In addition to action, children demand something to see. The facts should be accurate in historical dramatizations. So vivid and uninhibited are the imaginations of most of the young listeners that by concrete picture words they can be lifted out of the realm of the present and from their homes to any place or era to which one may wish to take them. Once an audience of children has been won, it is more satisfying than an adult audience because it is so willing to believe; when children give their attention, they give it completely. Sound effects are more vital to a children's program than in a drama for adults. In addition to fast-moving action and image -arousing words, a further device for gaining interest is the use of direct address. By making the relationship one between the storyteller and each individual child rather than the group of children, the story becomes more important to each of them. Children's interests are aroused easiest by either the very familiar or the very strange. They like to hear the same stories over and over again, and they like to hear about boys and girls exactly like themselves. Or they like to hear about beautiful fairy princesses and giant killers, which are entirely out of the realm of actual experience, yet which are part of their world of imagination. The instinct for hero worship can also be utilized to good advantage in the preparation of material to interest them. If they can identify themselves with an Abraham Lincoln or a Babe Ruth and hear the praises of those heroes, their interest is assured. Of course, the whole problem of clarity and interest is not solved when the material has been written. The same ideals must be carried over into the presentation of it. The requisite of clarity is satisfied by correct enunciation, careful grouping, and significant emphasis. But the question of interest involves the matter of personality. The writer must be well informed. He must know. If the script deals with current or historical events it has to be true to underlying facts

If it is frankly fantastic and imaginary it has to be conceivably genuine, and not just fantasy used as an excuse for blood and thunder. Authenticity does not mean that the script contains all plodding details of everyday life. The writer must have a story, and it must move. He has a right to telescope events and to select high points that keep interest in the program. Even though the material is fantastic in detail and timing, it can still remain true in substance and deal with sound dramatic forces and characters. During the past few years, there has been a decided tendency to neglect the fun -and -foolishness programs and turn more to dramatic programs for children. This does not mean, however, that there should be no comedy in children's programs. Children love to laugh and be entertained the same as adults. They are ardent followers of comedians upon adult programs. For their own afternoon programs, however, they like drama. These dramas should have some characters in them that are comical or at least suggest comedy. Funny incidents should appear now and then in the drama; all the continuity should not be serious action. Comedy relief is needed in children's programs as well as in any other kind of program. Even comedy on the verge of burlesque would not be amiss. The field of comedy has been sadly neglected by dramatic writers for children, and young writers should realize this and govern their actions accordingly. The surveys which are constantly being made indicate the preferences children have in dramatic programs going on at the present time. For the girls, a variety program ranks first, with "Gangbusters" and an adult dramatic program ranking second and third, respectively. Two dramatic programs, "Gangbusters" and "The Lone Ranger," rank first and second, respectively, for the boys. There is a decided sex difference indicated in the preference and dislike of programs. Biographical drama ranks second with boys, while with girls musical programs are the second choice. The desire for adventure programs is highest in grades two to seven. The music and drama type of program ranks highest in grades eight to ten. Humor ranks high in all grades. Some of the types of programs listed as making children afraid are also worthy of notice. They include programs which have for their theme shooting, killing, screaming, murders of all sorts, and other such types of blood and thunder which might harm the child. The survey indicated that children are listening to a very great variety of programs, many not of age level, yet all having a definite effect upon their thinking, their emotions, and their outlook upon life. Much has been written and said about the value of more educational programs for children; programs which emphasize geography, history, mathematics, or other school subjects, programs which place the story as secondary with the education foremost. Education is very fine, but after a long day at school is the child not entitled to a little relaxation -listening to the programs he enjoys instead of having adults trying to force some more book learning into his already overburdened head? As Niles Mack, who is children's director for the Columbia Broadcasting System says, "Don't forget that there is such a theory as a tired businessman of nine, and if history, geography, and botany have to creep into his listening hours, don't forget to let them creep." Before attempting to write for children study them, their games, their reading habits, their comic -strip and movie preferences. Francis Pearson of Pennsylvania State College has prepared a very helpful outline of the interests of children, based on age groups: Children up to six years old like realism. They like to hear about the cat, the chicken, and the dog. Give such an audience stories of repetition, rhymes, and jingles. The stories must have quick action, rhythm. and familiar objects tinged with a hit of mystery. From six to nine, the child is always someone other than himself. It is the Fairy-tale Period, and the child has passed from the realistic to the symbolical stage. This is a danger zone, for naturally if the symbols become real to him, sleep will be haunted with ogres and monsters. Yet such stories must be told, for to scorn the fairy tale is to scorn the source of our literature. It is well to be considerate of children in this age group by not offering them stories in which cruelty, revenge and bloodshed have a large part. If, however, in your approach to these topics you should encourage this group to listen, remember your moral - painting device and emphasize it. Children from nine to twelve bring the barbaric, fighting instinct to the fore. Boys of this age, especially, are destructive out of curiosity. They demand action, danger and daring and are thrilled by physical bravery. Even with these children, you must be wary and use only stories that arouse ideals and fine aspirations. Robin Hood, so fearless and so kindly, is an excellent choice. Go to King Arthur, too, and you'll find a wealth of material. Keep to the realm of heroism whenever possible. And, until the boy begins to slick his hair and the girl to be interested in shades of lipstick, it will not be necessary to turn to the Romantic. Don't attempt to emulate or imitate a program that is on the air. Test your stories on the neighborhood children; they will be sincere and severe critics. Put some fun in your scripts, characters that your listeners can worship, and things that they can do. Don't leave the listener worked up to an emotional pitch; solve things, end the worry. Children frequently enjoy adult shows more than they do those prepared for them so adapt the adult to childhood. Avoid tragedy, psychological studies, wordy character plays, social drama, and sex. Above all, do not undertake to write for children if you don't like children and if you don't love to tell them stories.

It is the tendency of the writer of children's plays to indulge in whimsy, to introduce the supernatural and unreal. There is also a very strong tendency to introduce into such plays a number of short acts with multiple settings and large casts. The director who broadcasts these plays encounters these difficulties and others. For example, the type of characters that populate the majority of plays for children are March hares and gasoline pumps, buttercups and maple trees, the North Wind, and spiders. There is no form of speech to enable the listener to distinguish between the speech of butterflies and of fish. To be sure, the speech of a dog may occasionally be punctuated with a bark and that of a cat with a "miaow," but this repetition would prove tiresome and not particularly interesting to the listener. For these reasons, then, be chary of those plays whose only characters are naturally speechless. In regard to the setting of these plays, we are confronted by still another problem. While transition of scenes is easily accomplished over the air, it is necessary to remember that children's minds do not follow too many shifts with a great deal of ease. Therefore, it is wise to limit the number of scenes. A single plot, simply developed, is most easily understood and enjoyed. Then there are the time element; the lack of visual aid to arouse interest and understanding on the part of the audience; the necessarily limited cast required for radio production-these and many other problems directors meet only too often. Despite these numerous disadvantages, however, there still remain many plays that are admirably suited for radio production. It would be necessary, in the majority of instances, for the director to do some adapting to meet the principles of broadcasting as well as his or her own individual problems. For those directors who may experience difficulty in finding material suitable for adaptation, the following list of plays has been compiled. All plays listed herewith may be satisfactorily adapted for radio use. It will be noted that the number of characters in these plays has been omitted because with the necessary shifting and rearranging of parts the size and type of cast used for radio production would differ materially in individual cases. Asterisks designate plays especially recommended for radio use.

Radio is perhaps the ideal way to present the wealth of good poetry to children, not only because they can actually hear it read rather than reading it themselves, but because other ways of bringing poetry to them are either ill-suited or "too much trouble." The school is not the ideal place in which to acquaint the child with poetry. The child should think of poetry as something connected with leisure, fun, and entertainment, not as a subject in school. The home is also at fault because the child seldoms hears poetry read aloud after he outgrows the Mother Goose jingles. Few parents know the world's great treasury of poetry and so cannot lead and direct the child in his enjoyment. Children truly love poetry, and any attempt to make them appreciate it will be well repaid. Tom. Tom, the Piper's son, Stole a pig and away he run; The pig was eat, and Tom was beat, And Tom went roaring down the street. This is the first type of poetry the child hears. Children are fond of Mother Goose rhymes, but few retain an interest in poetry as they grow older. Perhaps this is the fault of our educational system, which too often places the emphasis upon scansion and subtle interpretation, instead of teaching poetry as an art which finds its expression in the beauty of word and sound.

 Poetry for children up to six or eight years should stress rhythm and musical swing rather than meaning. The Mother Goose rhymes are ideal; their irresistible rhythm, their quaint verse form, and their whimsical nonsense delight children everywhere. They are a perfect basis on which to build an appreciation of poetry. They are too familiar to need repetition. (The musical arrangement of Nursery Rhymes by Pearl Curran is particu- larly interesting.) The contact of many children with poetry stops when they have outgrown Mother Goose; however, there is a vast library of poetry for children of every age. The jingles and short verses pave the way for the poems of childhood, and these in turn should lead to the enjoyment of lyrics, epics, sonnets, and ballads. Radio appeals to the childish imagina- tion, inspires him to create mental pictures, and teaches him to observe the things about him. A birdie with a yellow bill Hopped upon my window sill. Such short verses are remembered and are repeated by the small listener when a live bird is in sight. Vachel Lindsay's " The Little Turtle " is excellent for a children's program. Lessons on manners and health can very easily be taught in radio plays through a poem. The child who fails to shut the door may have the poem: Godfrey Gordon Gustavus Gore, Can't you remember to shut the door? read with unusual results. Good habits of diet may be represented in an interesting manner by members of a primary class broadcasting "Mary Anne's Luncheon" by Dorothy Aldis. Some of the more recent poets for children are Vachel Lindsay, A. A. Milne, Rose Fyleman, Walter de la Mare, and Sara Teasdale, and there are many older ones like Robert Louis Stevenson, Eugene Field, and, of course, Lewis Carroll. Children like different types of poetry at different ages. The young child likes nonsense verse, short narrative poems, and jingles. Only poems easily grasped, situations easily visualized, and words easily understood should be used upon the radio. The "Tap Tragedy," with the small boy who got into trouble because his name was Teki-teki-noo Teki-suriombo So-teki-nudo Hair -e -ma -no -bet -to Cha-wans-chans-noo Fu-shi-mi-no-suke. is not good for broadcasting. Situations met in childhood such as por- trayed in "The Mortifying Mistake" by Anna Pratt are very acceptable. As the child develops into the adolescent stage he begins to enjoy serious as well as the lighter poetry. Inspirational poetry fulfills a growing need in the life of the adolescent. It is not necessary that he understand everything in the poem, for the charm of the poetry will grow as his own experiences widen. Poems of this inspirational sort also abound-"Abou Ben Adhem," "For Those Who Fail," "Lifting and Leaning." Another type of poetry popular with children, especially boys, is the adventurous type, "The Ancient Mariner," "Gunga Din," "Lochinvar," "The Explorer," etc. It is up to radio to bring to youth the vast and fascinating world of poetry in its own medium-the air. Strictly speaking there is no such thing as children's poetry, for adults also enjoy it thoroughly. 

n a consideration of the type of personality best adapted to the presentation of children's programs, the most important characteristic is imagination. Not only must the performer have imagination, but he must be willing to forget his adult dignity and thoroughly enjoy the thrilling tales he unfolds for his youthful listeners. He must have infinite patience; otherwise he will become bored with his material and with his audience. In short, he must be able to speak their language and to enjoy speaking it. In addition to possessing this desirable personality, he must have the ability to project that personality through the single medium of voice. His interest in his audience will not be apparent unless his voice possesses vitality; while he may have sufficient patience, he may fail to make it felt by his audience unless his voice is smooth and his speech even and unhurried. A single harsh note creeping into the voice, because it suggests a lack of patience, may destroy confidence. The matter of personality is of less importance in a program that is strictly a dramatic presentation. Acting ability is the important thing here, although d is a type of acting that requires an unusual amount of imagination. There are certain specific techniques that may be used to advantage in material presented for a juvenile audience. The first of these is a wider use of variety both in rate and in pitch. Changes in scene can be more obvious when the audience is made up of children, and indeed they may be missed unless they are quite plainly evident. Inflections can be more pronounced without danger of artificiality. A second and very important technique is the free use of impersonation. Children love to have the giants in their stories talk like giants and the fairy princesses speak with the perfection all fairy princesses must have. The person who tells children's stories must be ready to change his voice to meet the requirements of half a dozen or more characters and keep the differentiation clear throughout the entire story. He must have a tiny sweet falsetto for fairies and a BIG GRUFF BASS for giants and bad wolves. Unlike ordinary interpretative reading, children's stories also permit the use of impersonation or near -impersonation in straight narrative. Such impersonation is accomplished in the main by variety in pitch and rate, and occasionally by a change in quality of the voice. Only a voice that has great flexibility can manage the sudden changes and wide ranges that make a story or poem interesting to children. Much that is considered to be poor taste in oral interpretation for adults can be used and should be used in reading for children. The slight subtle changes in voice are missed by children. Things ca be exaggerated and made obvious for them. Because they do not see the reader in a radio presentation, stories can be made more vivid and real than through any other medium, provided the reader can adapt his voice to fit every situation that arises.