Author Visit "To Do List"

        The students and the staff love this book and Daryl does not charge a fee to do it for a school. The expectation is that the costs will be recovered during the author visit book sale.  

To do this book Daryl will need to get some information from you. 

• Staff List (This list should include everyone that works in your school.)
• List Format: The staff list must be e-mailed to Daryl in either a Word Doc., Excel File, or Google Doc.
• NO Photocopies or PDFs (If Daryl can't cut and paste from the document, he can't use it.)
• Lists need to include staff's names and the jobs that they do at the school.
• Also Include: The year the school was built and what your school mascot is.

Where to hold the event at the school and what to consider when choosing the assembly space. Take a moment and watch Daryl's live video clips to get an idea of his movement and student interaction. Daryl will work with whatever space you choose but keep in mind that the space you decide on can impact the programs. Daryl likes to move in and around the whole audience, so more space is always better. 

What to look for:

• Think about the lighting in the assembly space. No presenter can work in total darkness, but if there is too much light the LCD projector might not work well. 
• Again, think about lighting, look at the windows, do they have shading. Can you adjust your overhead lighting or is it all on and all off. 
• Does your space have a movie screen? If yes, is it a standard white front projection or a grey rear projection screen? 
• Think about the size of your assembly spaces and the number of students you need to get into them. The space needs to allow for interaction and movement of the students and author. 

Spaces often used for assemblies:

• Library: This space is often too small and inhibits interaction and movement. (Nice for small groups.)
• Cafetorium: This is often a good option and offers the larger space. (Occasionally has window issues.) 
• Gym: This is usually a good space. (Occasionally has lighting issues and often doesn't have a movie screen or white walls).

Again, Daryl will work with whatever space you need to hold your assemblies in, but if you have a choice between big and small, go with the bigger space.  You can't go wrong with too much room.

Daryl's program times can be adjusted based on your needs.  Listed are typical running times.

• "Music & Storytime" runs 40-45 minutes. 
• "A Writer's Journey" runs 60 minutes. 

            Please remember to add time for seating. 

A movie screen or a white wall to project onto.  The LCD projectors works very well on white but loses clarity as the shade darkens, so eggshell and tans colors will lose visibility.

If your school does not have a movie screen or other viable option let Daryl know in advance, and he will make arrangements to bring one with him the day of the visit.

Time to set up!  Daryl's programs are filled with music, graphics and live storytelling.  For Daryl to create a show like this, it comes with equipment needs that other authors don't require.  Daryl comes with his own sound system and body microphones for cordless movement and guitar playing.  He brings his own LCD projector and computer. So, running cords and setting up tables as well as doing a vocal warm up and sound check are all a part of his morning set up.  Daryl asks for access to the assembly space about 90 minutes before the first program of the day. Daryl can clear the assembly space in about 20-25 minutes.