Devon More

Discipline: Film / Video, Music, Storytelling, Theatre, Writing
Homebase: Vancouver
Languages: English, German, Dutch
Contact Me: Email , Web

Devon More is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumental musician with a slam poet's soul who wields her Art as Activism. An award-winning playwright and nationally touring performer, she is also a UBC B.Ed graduate with a Specialization in Arts-Based Learning and current TRB qualification. Whether working in the creative sector as a performer, rock band front woman, independent theatre producer, or educator, she aims to foster a sense of collective identity through a shared live experience. As an artist, Devon seeks to open lines of inquiry with original work that is melodic, politically charged - without being prescriptive, and also, wildly entertaining.

Testimonials

She made learning not only enjoyable, but created a safe space that was also welcoming to all skill levels. She came to teach our students prepared, enthusiastic and continuously made her lessons dynamic. The unit culminated with students participating in a story cafe where we celebrated by sharing their stories in front of students, our local newspaper and members from our board office. It was a huge success and students were very proud to perform. Helen Cranstoun, grade 8 teacher, SD40

Devon was professional, creative, and demonstrated effective classroom management skills in the workshop component of her session at RSS. She encouraged students to present their skits in a way that was comfortable for each of them. Her organizational skills and attention to individual differences were very much appreciated by the students as well as the teacher. Jeff Wilson, Teacher-Librarian, SD19

Devon carries herself professionally at all times. She is a very skilled performer (and workshop presenter) and it was just so valuable to have had the students experience several days of workshops with Devon before they saw her perform. I am sure many were inspired to continue writing their stories and perhaps even to pursue Drama in their future lives from having had the opportunity to work with Devon. Leanne Ewen, Curriculum Facilitator, SD40

Project Examples

Creative Activism

As a professional artist, Devon More's original work features elements of Creative Activism. In this Residency, she facilitates cross-curricular integration of the Arts and current affairs to empower students as active citizens and agents of change. This Residency's 4 stages are highly adaptable based on available timeline and according to input or interests of class group and lead educator(s): 1. Identify area(s) that participants believe could benefit from change, ranging from a school-specific issue to something with national or global significance that students are passionate about. 2. Working as individuals or in groups, students define the perceived problem, its potential negative impact, and their recommendations for positive change. 3. Creative Activism: students explore and execute ways to use the Arts to highlight the issue and present their platform. A wide variety of options can be catered to suit student strengths or school resources. Examples include: writing and recording a song; creating a short video; penning, sharing and posting Open Letters (ie. to politicians or public figures); formulating and creatively circulating a petition; designing and implementing a local poster campaign; collectively writing and presenting a short play; organizing a demonstration or march; staging a group talent show to fundraise for an existing cause. 4. Students evaluate their project(s), identify ways to measure its efficacy and impact, assess their learning, and articulate future goals, improvements, or actions.

MY Story: Autobiography and Storytelling

MY Story is a multi-day Story Exploration workshop series where participants transform autobiographical anecdotes into oral stories that hold the listener captive. While acknowledging the many forms of story, Devon focuses on her 7 Steps to building effective first person narratives "for the ear", in a style similar to The Moth podcast. According to ability, with any necessary accommodations, students self-select appropriate content and practice narrative devices and presentation techniques on various short (3-6 minute) personal stories, exchange feedback, and define their preferences as speaker and listener. Daily workshop activities are student-centered, participatory, and open to integration with other classroom or curricular objectives. Culminating in a flexibly formatted "MY Story Share", the outcomes of this workshop series are: to elevate and celebrate the ordinary; to showcase and appreciate diversity within the group; to polish public speaking skills; to pose questions on how the power of story is applied in other arenas. An ideal schedule includes 3-4 devoted classroom sessions comprising 4-6 hours of total workshop time before the final presentation event.

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