Opera by Children and Civic & Character Education Development

Opera by Children and  Civic & Character Education  Development

Opera by Children Director, Pamela Gee

Opera by Children, the in-school arts education program for Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre naturally utilizes topics of social studies, civics, creative themes and character education values. Students learn these as they create opera.  Each class that creates an opera enriches, empowers and enables deeper study of the character education and civics program that is in place at their school. This allows for lifelong learning as they create community in their very own classroom.

Opera by Children utilizes all art forms to create experiences, which develop and expand the students’ perception of how to function in society. It also expands their understanding of the world and their place in it now and in the future. Classes create original stories which may be based on actual events from history i.e.: Black Hawk War, 911, Pearl Harbor, World War II, and Revolutionary War. Others reveal the free enterprise system featuring entrepreneurship and the American spirit of resilience and determination. Some stories, in contrast, are creative fairytales. However, all stories focus on character education and the values taught in schools

Classes celebrate the cause of liberty in operas such as “Battle of Baltimore” (recounting the creation of the Star Spangled Banner) “Dr Phils’ Big Guest”, “Pearl Harbor’s Darkest Day”, even “Mother Goose”. Students penning such words as “Patience is the key to success and liberty!” demonstrate how classes learn from past and present successes, mistakes and experiences. This strengthens character development.

The process of creating an Opera by Children is based on civic forms of democracy and character education, along with community development. It embraces lifelong learning skills necessary to future success in college and careers. A class’ current study of the Titanic in opera form helped students understand arrogance, lives lost, and of heroism that rose above tragedy. Each student discovers characteristics in their own self value. Through this type of exploration, Isaac, a young man with cerebral palsy, overcame the barrier between his peers created by missing regular classroom time, his wheel chair and walker. He was able to engage and connect with the class because of his determination to take part. He decided he would participate without the wheelchair or walker and accomplished all the staging with his own physical power. His peers supported him and he felt included and great satisfaction in his accomplishment. That is the magic of Opera by Children.

All ideas are contributed and considered for inclusion in the opera in a democratic way.  There must be consensus through a democratic vote to move forward in the process.  Honesty, respect (for teacher, school, family, home) communication, service, honor, obedience are all encompassed in the process with the use of the three goals.  The three goals for classroom cooperation are: 1) No one gets hurt, 2) Everyone participates and 3) It is the Students work. This makes it possible for teachers and students to employ Trust, Affirmation and bring great Growth into the classroom (TRAG) which builds a strong community. You can bring Opera by Children to your classroom to help you enrich, empower and further character education and civic studies in your school community. The choice lasts a lifetime.

Opera by Children and the Utah State Core Standards

OBC: Michael Ballam created Opera by Children in 1997. It is a dynamic program and offers teachers professional development accredited through USOE and our participation in the POPS program. We have developed a process which uses goals and objectives that encourage whole child learning and enriches curriculum through arts education integration.  This process is a hand and glove fit to the Utah State Core Standards which assist teachers in maintaining and meeting required standards through its implementation and identification of what the final desired outcomes should be; which are the individual and community learning in the classroom through the process and not a polished and refined opera production by adult definition in the end.

●      OBC is an entry level collaborative integrated learning program; it is “active” learning and uses cooperative learning strategies throughout its application in the classroom. For this very reason OBC is a hand and glove fit for utilizing and teaching the Utah State Core Standards for English Arts Language (ELA) and Literacy in History, Science, Social Studies and Technology aspects through their reading and writing standards and objectives.

●      The introduction to the Utah State Core Standards states: “When students meet the new  . . . core standards they develop the skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in language.” (Utah State Core Standards for ELA, page 3) This very statement could be said about Opera by Children and has for years by the teachers that have implemented the program in their classrooms.

●      The classroom becomes a learning TEAM where everyone is assisting the learning of not only themselves but also the other students in the classroom through cooperative learning which embraces students at their own level allowing each student to feel and be a contributor to the education of the whole group.  This is whole child learning and community building.

●      It is project based instruction.

OBC Utilizes the Top Ten Core Standards for Writing and reading with ELA and incorporates history, science, social studies and technology as the students make connections:

·       Identify the learning goals to be met through OBC

·       Identify students learning outcomes throughout the OBC process.

·       Easily develop a rubric which identifies how learning objectives are accomplished with opera.   

·       Technology with research using  internet sites, media and opera highlights DVD

·       OBC utilizes writing techniques for students to express opinions or arguments, to explain, and to convey information at all stages of the writing process and expands to the physical and vocal communication of the story in performance.

·       OBC uses narrative and informational texts to gain background information and is used in new and unexpected ways.

o    OBC discusses the ingredients of a good story.

o    OBC teaches technique of changing tense to create the libretto.

o    Help the students understand appropriate “song moments”.

·       Students learn the multiple ways their writing may be revised beyond editing.

Opera by Children naturally encourages the growth in individuals and classes in the area of College and Career readiness in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Language:

·       Students “demonstrate independence” as they desire to research and understand complex texts while creating their operas to support their ideas. This enables them to “construct” language which effectively communicates in written, verbal and physical communication. OBC is about building on others ideas, to synthesize information.

·       Students use OBC to further expand their knowledge  generally as well as “discipline Specific”

·       Students evaluate their work and how it affects their relationship with audience and for all purposes and disciplines utilized. They learn how to effectively communicate not only through writing but vocally as well as physically.

·       The students must understand and fully comprehend the material they are creating in order to constantly critique their work and evaluate how effective they are with their new masterpiece.

·       While developing an opera together, students must come to understand one another’s culture and background as well as other cultures and perspective s as they communicate their stories; especially when utilizing history and social studies curriculum as a basis for their work. This process encourages and enables the students to develop respect for one another.

All of which is accomplished through our program philosophy of: Trust, Risk, Affirmation and Growth. It is explored through the medium of OPERA, which interpreted means “Great work!”  That is Opera by Children!

Auditions!

Discover Who Should Play What Character. . . . Audition Micro Bites:  1^st audition micro bite: Play the Theater Game “Mirrors”  (page 22 in the Opera by Children manual) Help the students pay close attention to each other as they prepare to watch each other audition and cast one another in roles.

This activity takes movement and concentration. Follow the instructions and take it to another level in groups of four stationed in a diamond shape to watch and follow—when the leader turns full body in another direction the person stationed in the point of the diamond in that direction takes the lead, etc.

Play “Doggie, Doggie, Who Has the Bone” for younger children (page 22 in the Opera by Children manual) .  Sing it as you play it!

2- Next Micro Bite: Now that the class is focused and paying attention to each other, the next time you     work on opera have the students play “Character Walking” (page 23 in the Opera by Children manual). This will give the students an opportunity to pretend how each character in the opera moves before they audition.  This may happen before any music for the opera has been returned to your class. 

3- Next Micro Bite: Do Tongue Twisters!!!  This will help the students develop great articulators for auditions!!!  Sing the Tongue Twisters!!! Have fun. The "Theatre Games" chapter in the Opera by Children manual has some fun ones on page 24.

4-     Next Micro Bite: When the music is back from the music mentor have the class sing through the opera entire Opera!!! (Repeat this micro bite as often as you wish. It is a great idea to have a CD made and to print off the score and send it home with each child.)

5-     Next Micro Bite: next time have the class listen to the opera as they do their math

6-     Next Micro Bite: have them sing the first song as they line up for recess

7-     Next Micro Bite: have the class sing the final song of the opera as they line up for lunch

8-     Next Micro Bite: Have the class sing the middle part of the opera as they clean up their areas and move to a new activity.

9-     Next Micro Bite: Ask the students if they have been listening to their CD at home and use your class room system of reward to celebrate their learning the opera at home.

10-     Micro Bite: Have the students sign up for their first and second choice for characters.

11-     Micro Bite: Tell the students the criteria which they will use to select their peers to play parts: Project, Enunciate, Be Believable and Sing in Tune. Talk about these with your class and how you would like them to use them during the opera process. If you plan to have them record it on a similar audition chart found on page 77 or whatever plans you have. 

12-     Micro Bite: Sing through the opera and have the class decide on the measures that each character will sing to audition with for each part. Remember that groups may audition together if they sing together, but solo parts should be sung by individuals. Do this at least a week before the actual auditions so that the students may practice and be prepared for the parts they wish to play.

13-  Micro bite: Hold auditions.

14-  Micro bite: another day . . . announce the results of the auditions!

Notes on Audition Micro Bites:  Some of these activities are option, but all of the suggested activities have a purpose Have more questions about student determined auditions? leave a comment or email Pamela Gee.

Music Time

Discover the Melodies micro bite:

It may be that your class sings while they write the libretto!!  That is wonderful and it does happen!  I am sure you will find this to be the case in your class.  Do you have a digital recorder?  If you do, take time to record the class as they create!  The music mentor will find these gems to be more authentic than what they might be on a scheduled singing day as they retrieve the students’ melodies.

It takes at least two weeks for the music to be generated once the melodies the students create are recorded by the music mentor. It may take more depending on how many operas she is working on at the time your students’ melodies are collected.  Please plan your performances with that in mind.  There still needs to be time for the casting and staging micro bites!

Story and Libretto

Two Pears: Discovering the Story

Micro bites # 5-16: (15 minutes for each micro bite. These may spread over the course of one day or a week.  It may even need to take a month or so in order to do research, etc.)

1-Discuss story creation: What makes a good story . . . good story structure.  Make it a quick chat to bring these concepts to their mind:  Setting, character, plot, beginning, middle and end, etc.

2-Talk with the class about settings that would be interesting for their opera:  discuss settings that might tie into subjects they have been studying.  Make a list.

3-Ask the class to decide what setting they would like, where the opera to should be.  Take a vote if necessary.

4-Have the class make a list of characters that could be involved with the decided setting.

5- Have the class Synthesize the list.  Have the class make connections with the characters by placing them in groups. Example: Princesses, princes, and knights are the “royalty” group, whales, dolphins and fish are the “ocean” group and aliens, robots and scientists are the “space” group. If your class discovers two or three clear groups there is no need to vote, but if they have more than three character groups listed you will need to have the class vote on which characters groups to include in the opera.  You could vote at this point or save it for another micro bite.

6-Have the class make a list of generic problems: that protagonists (heroes) and antagonists (villains) or (hero verses hero) need to overcome problems of good versus evil or problems such as: characters verses nature / characters verses machine (or their society creations)/ characters verses other characters / characters verses fate/ characters verses themselves (a problem they created)/ characters caught in the middle of a situation they must resolve/ characters seeking understanding . . . etc. Characters may be anything from animals, humans, aliens, and royalty to inanimate objects like rocks, volcanoes, bubbles, snowflakes or imaginary creatures. It does not matter what type of characters they have developed one of these generic problem scenarios should work.  They may explore some of these types with a little detail but do not attach it to a specific character, even if they do . . . write it down without those specifics.

7- Vote on the problem for the opera!

8- Write the first sentence as a class introducing the Characters that are involved in the action at the beginning of the opera, what it is they are doing to show how they are interacting and proceeding normally UNTIL the problem happens or is discovered.

9-Write the second sentence as a class! What is done to overcome the problem? Why doesn’t it work? [BUT]

10-Write the third sentence as a class! What is done to overcome the problem? Why doesn’t it work? [BUT]

11-Write the fourth sentence as a class! What is done to overcome the problem? Why does it work? [AND]

****A different micro bite approach for the second, third and fourth sentence creation:  divide the class into three groups (may want parent volunteers to help) and have each group write the details for one of the sentences and then share with the class.  Many mentors have incorporated this technique for the sake of time and greater individual involvement.  I like Dr. Dave’s term for these groups “Think Tanks”.  I have called them “Buzz Banks”.  “Becauzzz”. . . there’s lots of noise attached to these groups which usually means they are on task.  If they are quiet and disjointed they need a bit of guidance to direct their thinking with those ever important questions!!!  All adults working on the process should be informed on OBC philosophy and facilitation techniques before they begin to work with the students.

12- The whole class creates the fifth sentence (together): making note of the lesson they would like to ensure the audience understands that the characters in the opera learned and to establish a new normal way of living.

13-review all five sentences and edit for flow and understandability!

Micro notes about the story creation process micro bites: WOW!!!  It only takes a maximum of 13 micro bites to write the story!  You can weave this throughout the first month of school.  You can weave it through a week. 

Make this step easier . . . Don’t try to write the story in one day.  Don’t try to write the story with your class in one hour. You are tied to doing that more when you have a drama mentor’s help, but that is not the ideal way to explore the story to build community with your class and encourage individual involvement with each student.  Use tools such as your name sticks, small groups, throw a bean bag or other ‘cool’ object to indicate who the speaker is so all voices are heard. Use the opera journal as a tool to record thoughts as the process progresses. Use it as a reference as details are added. Don’t drag the process of story creation on too long or the enthusiasm for the project will wane. Keep sessions close enough together that interest and consistency remain intact.

Three Plums: Discovering the Libretto Micro bites:

1-Micro Bite: Play the “Slap, Slap, Clap, Snap” game in the Theatre Games Section (page 21) to recognize rhythms.

2- Micro Bite: Sing Action songs.

2- First libretto creation micro bite: share the tools and terms of Opera:

Opera: “Great Work”

Libretto: Little Book= “words that the actors are to act or sing”!

Three ways to use words to create a libretto:

1)     Action= the words to Act write in parentheses/

2)     Song: song has structure, rhythm, beat, can rhyme, melody, chorus, repeating melodies and/or words.  Songs STOP action and communicate: NEEDS, EMOTIONS, WANTS and Underlying Beliefs (what we think but do not usually share aloud to others) =NEWUBS 

3)     Recitative (Recit): “conversation that the performers sing as if they were spoken.” Not as much structure as songs and they only move the opera to the next action or song.

Review importance of each tool:

The opera always begins with ACTION!  It is desirable to have lots of Action in opera.

Songs are memorable and communicate more in fewer words!  It is desirable to have lots of songs in opera.  It is desirable to repeat whole songs. They usually do stop action.

Only need a few lines of recitative.  Recit JUMP STARTS action again!

This is the Libretto Cycle:                

3- Next micro bite: Have each student tap out the beat to a familiar song that has repeats in word and repeats in melody. Sing something as familiar as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.  Have them tap the beat with only two fingers from one hand onto the upturned palm of their other hand while singing the song. Have the students evaluate the song for repeats, rhythm as well as beat and if there was rhyme.  Ask about the communication in the song of emotion or any of the other NEWUBs. Try other songs.

4- Next Micro Bite: Cover the “S” evaluative questions of creating songs and recitative for opera:

Is it? . . . .

1-     Sing-able (Is it easy to sing in a meter)

Does it? . . . .

2-     Show don’t Sing (Action is shown—you don’t have to sing about it! Show as much as possible in the opera)

Are we using? . . .

3-     Short Simple Sentences (AKA  KISS: Keep it Simple Sweeties)

Write the action that the class has included for the first sentence on the board in parenthesis. Ask the class which character group will sing first about their situation?  Ask how the characters feel. 

List several feelings and responses together in four short sentences.

Format it in “poem form” with the sentences stacked on top of each other.  It helps students put it in a meter.

                   Example: We have a problem.

                                      It makes my stomach churn

                                      We just aren’t getting along

                                     Maybe there is a key in a way to be.                                   

Have the class tap test while speaking it aloud (the same as singing the song in the “tool” discussion micro bite). As they do this they may find words that are difficult to sing and may simplify until the rhythm of the words fit easily within the beats.

Write a couple of lines of recit with the group as needed and have them identify the next action.

Repeat the cycle until you wish to save the project for the next micro bite opportunity!

5-     Next Micro bite: complete the libretto process for the first sentence. Stop working on the libretto at any point where the class loses focus or gets off track.  Pick it up again in a new micro bite later that day or on a different day.

6-     Later—or on another day the next micro bite is:  As a class, write the libretto for the second sentence!  The students may choose to repeat a song and change the words or keep it the same for each attempt to fix the problem. Keep recitative to only a few lines.  Include lots of action!

7-     Later—or on another day—the next micro bite is : As a class, write the libretto for the third sentence! The students may choose to repeat a song and change the words or keep it the same for each attempt to fix the problem. Keep recitative to only a few lines.  Include lots of action!

8-     Later—or on antother day—the micro bite is: As a class, write the libretto for the fourth sentence! The students may choose to repeat a song and change the words or keep it the same for each attempt to fix the problem. Keep recitative to only a few lines.  Include lots of action!

****A different micro bite approach for the second, third and fourth sentence libretto creation:  divide the class into three groups (may want parent volunteers to help) and have each group write the songs for one of the sentences, the action and any necessary recitative and then share with the class.

9-Have the whole class create the New Normal Libretto portion for the last sentence.  Have them create the necessary action songs and recitative. A finale song where the moral of the opera is communicated which identifies what the characters learned is a wonderful way to end the opera.

10-REVIEW:  This is a necessary separate micro bite: read through the entire libretto as a class and create any portion that seems lacking or edit out parts that overlap with everyone's input. Be sure to facilitate, through questions, the opprotunity to edit long sentences; smooth the words for flow. You may choose to break this up into several micro bite editing sessions.

Notes on libretto Micro bite sessions: It is very important to do micro bites of editing separate from micro bites of brain storming and creating.  These must be separate activities.  As with the story creation process editing inhibits the creative flow.  Let the creativity flow and then clean it up later!  Do not skip the editing process.  It is necessary and needful.  Send the libretto for a final mentor feedback review before it moves to the music mentor.  This step is to ensure that time has been given to the editing process, the structure of opera is understood and for tips and suggestions for the class to continue their fine work.

Watch for more Micro Bites,

Pamela Gee
Opera by Children Supervisor

Time to Get Started!

It's fall time! Leaves are changing colors. The weather is starting to become crisp. Apples are ripe and ready for caramel. You can just smell fall in the air. How exciting and fun and sweet! And the best part of fall, is Opera by Children Time!!!

In the beginning of the opera process we as adults get to watch the wheels turn in the young minds of the students. There isn't anything more exciting and sweet then watching the eyes of a child light up when they have contributed to their opera. To hear the excitement when their idea is put together with others to make a marvelous story. The beginnings of a creative team have been formed within the classroom. Then watching this creative team turn their story into a libretto is such a refreshing experience. There is nothing better or more fun for this drama mentor than to witness the eyes of a child lighting up with excitement and creativity!

-Lori Wood

Drama Mentor

Creating Opera in Micro bites

Your students are very clever and bright. You set up classroom controls and systems to follow to bring order to your classroom. The students are hungry, for knowledge and more so, you introduce opera and you’re off to a great start. So, when you begin brain storming the opera "buzz" reaches great volume heights! Congratulations! Your students have become Hungry Caterpillars on this project . . . So as a great Opera facilitator make sure the students don’t bite off more than they can chew at one time. Think “micro bite” and it will be just right.

When Erik Carle’s caterpillar was very hungry he still ate pretty sensibly one bite at a time until one day he ate through lots of food . . . junk food . . . and ended up with a stomach ache. If you try to do too much too quickly you soon may be overwhelmed or the students will try to pack too much in their opera.

Think of each step in the opera process and then think even smaller. Your class can accomplish so much in a quarter hour. “Never underestimate the power of 15 minutes” is a saying I live by. These steps, we will call “micro bites”, may be woven throughout your day, week, months and even the entire school year as the students create their opera. Not only does this approach make the creative process easier it also promotes deeper learning in all you teach and greater results with the opera process itself.

Let’s look at the sensible bites of that hungry caterpillar as he paced himself at first. That way, you and your students will feel great. The students will also enjoy greater learning and improvement.

The Apple: Introducing the Opera Project

Micro Bites #1-4: (15 minutes for each micro bite. These may all be accomplished on the same day or over a few consecutive days. Of course, you may continue to use the first two micro bites whenever needed and as often as possible!)

1- Sing action songs!

2- Do drama activities . . . the Name Games or Creative Paper found in the OBC Teacher Manual, Theatre Games, Chapter 7, pgs 17-19 are great community builders for the first of the school year.

3- Three goals (rules) of opera . . .talk to the students about working together. Help them see where they build trust by sharing ideas, risking together, and affirming one another for great ideas enabling the whole class to grow. Share the secret which allows it to all to happen: The three opera goals: No one gets hurt, everyone participates and it is the students’ work. Have them explore making them goals!

4- Start your opera Journal! Have them put their name on it and decorate it.

It only takes four micro bites to introduce the opera projects and you are ready to begin the next phase!

-Pamela Gee

Opera by Children Supervisor

Supertitles and Program Covers

It's that time of year again!

Time to start thinking about a performance date!!

I am slowly getting a few dates trickling in here and there.

As it gets closer to your performance date, I will be sending you Supertitles for your opera, as well as Program Covers. I do this usually about a month before. I find if I do it much sooner than that, they get lost or forgotten about.

Here is an example of the program cover I will be sending. http://www.ufoc.org/images/stories/OBC/OBC%20Program%20Covers%202010-11.pdf

It has all of the Opera Company info that we need on there, as well as some space if you would like to add any of your own info on the front/back. Such as the name of your school, performance title, date, special thanks, etc... You can add other things such as cast names, synopsis and such on the pages that you print off for the inside.

And here is an example of what the Supertitle presentations look like this year.

http://www.ufoc.org/images/stories/OBC/FLOWERS%20SUPERTITLES.pdf

These are a huge help to the audience when watching/listening to young children on the stage. It is sometimes hard to understand what is being said. All you need for these is a projector, (which most schools have in their media center) a laptop or computer and a screen or flat wall next to the stage. It runs in a Power Point presentation. Once I send them, I ask that you look over it to make sure I didn't misspell your name, or miss any typos, etc. You may also add to them if needed.

So, please email me when you have decided on a performance date, or even if you just know which MONTH you will be doing it, that is helpful too!

And look for your Supers and Program covers soon!! Please email me with questions, dates, ideas on how to use them, etc!

Thanks!

Nellie Horrocks

nellieg@ufoc.org

Utah Festival Conservatory

Have you noticed the Utah Festival Conservatory?  If you have not, you really should look at it:  Utah Festival Conservatory of The Performing Arts

Watching this fabulous new performing arts school go through its second season has been a real treat for all of us at Utah Festival Opera - especially for those of us who love seeing young people learn and excel in the arts!  I highly recommend it as a unique learning opportunity for any aspiring musical theatre stars from 4 to 18!

Stefan Espinosa the Conservatory Director is already enrolling now for the spring semester that begins in January.  If you have questions, email him at stefan@ufomt.org.

Opera by Children Teacher Manual BY CHAPTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD

TRUST, RISK, AFFIRMATION AND GROWTH

THE THREE RULES OR OBJECTIVES

TEACHER AS FACILITATOR

START WITH A SONG

WHAT IS OPERA?

THEATRE GAMES

WRITING THE STORY

CREATING THE LIBRETTO

TEACHING CHILDREN TO CREATE MELODIES

ARIA VERSUS RECITATIVE, SIMPLIFIED FOR CHILDREN

EMPOWERING CHILDREN TO CREATE MELODY

AUDITIONING: THE CHILDREN CHOOSE
STAGING, THE POWER TO PRETEND

STAGING, MORE QUESTIONS!

COSTUMES: LESS IS MORE

SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCES: FINAL HINTS

How to Join Our Opera Family

If you want to be an Opera by Children teacher in 2011, download this request and return it by mail.  In the meantime, contact us by email so we will know you are out there.  We will put you on the waiting list.  If you are not able to join us in 2011, you will be first in line for the following year.

Susan Ames
ames@ufoc.org


Request to Participate 2011-12