Singeli Zaparaniuk, Summer Education Intern for Chicago Opera Theater
Spending your summer at Chicago Opera Theater during the off-season can be equally as thrilling as spending it while multiple productions are in rehearsal/performance- productions get pushed back, new Teaching Artists are hired, and Opera For All expands. This summer has been full of exciting changes both for Chicago Opera Theater and for the Education department. Brian Dickie’s office is now our new General Directors, Andreas Mitisek, who balances his time between Chicago Opera Theater and Long Beach Opera; school days have been extended and with that comes a new set of standards-the Common Core; and we’ve expanded our Opera For All program! Starting in a few weeks, we will be in 5 elementary schools and 2 after-school programs. But of course the excitement doesn’t last long as expanding and changing means more work and adaptability for all. Everyone on the education team has been busy working or re-vamping lesson-plans to make sure each lesson is in accordance to the Common Core as well as putting everything together for the 2012-2013 school year. We’ve even created a new education brochure to promote the Opera For All program.
Students at Reilly Elementary, Clinton Elementary, Hampton Elementary, Chase Elementary, Cameron Elementary, St. Vincent dePaul Center and Marillac Center will be creating their very own opera this spring (luckily this year we get 50 minutes of classroom time as opposed to the 45 minutes we had last year). In order to prepare students, we will be spending the fall semester teaching them the various aspects of opera (from writing lyrics to basic music theory). The students receive their very own opera journal in which they can keep track of their progress and reflect about the day’s lesson-whether it’s learning the proper etiquette of fanning, the elements of a plot, or basic rhythm structures they will have the necessary tools to put on a great production in the Spring.
It’s been fun working on the lesson plans and figuring out creative ways to implement the Common Core standards as well as keeping children engaged. I think opera class is going to be everyone’s favorite class this year!
A blog from the Teaching Artists in Chicago Opera Theater's outreach and education programs
Monday, August 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Lost in New York, tech week at Reilly!
The tech week at Reilly was a whirlwind of rehearsing. We were deep in preparation for our June 8th performance, making sure that every career hat had its finishing touches, that hand-made Gucci bags were glittered and "glammed," and that dance moves were energized to their fullest. The kids have been having a ball using their newly finished props that they hand-made. We used the cardboard taxicab/cop car to its full extent, with kids "driving" it around the entire auditorium and catching criminals in the act. My favorite moment this week was when we assigned one girl to be the statue of liberty, and she was so excited that she asked me about ten question in the span of 3 minutes regarding her costume. "What will I wear? Do I need to get green makeup? How will I change clothes between scenes? I should wear my sandals, right? That's what the statue wears." It's encouraging to witness this kind of investment!
The dances to "Without You" and "Wild Ones" have really come together these past few rehearsals, and it's exciting to see the kids that were previously struggling take ownership of the movement. It's hard for me not to dance along because their excitement is contagious! Our biggest production number is definitely "Lost in New York," which we worked very hard to clean this week. I think the kids are beginning to feel much more confident about their entrances and exits, and we added some movement to help them remember when to sing. I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this production, and to help these kids learn what it means to work as a team. They are learning invaluable skills about respecting their peers, overcoming their feelings to work toward a bigger goal, and improving their performing skills while having fun. Break a leg, Reilly!
Amanda Compton
The tech week at Reilly was a whirlwind of rehearsing. We were deep in preparation for our June 8th performance, making sure that every career hat had its finishing touches, that hand-made Gucci bags were glittered and "glammed," and that dance moves were energized to their fullest. The kids have been having a ball using their newly finished props that they hand-made. We used the cardboard taxicab/cop car to its full extent, with kids "driving" it around the entire auditorium and catching criminals in the act. My favorite moment this week was when we assigned one girl to be the statue of liberty, and she was so excited that she asked me about ten question in the span of 3 minutes regarding her costume. "What will I wear? Do I need to get green makeup? How will I change clothes between scenes? I should wear my sandals, right? That's what the statue wears." It's encouraging to witness this kind of investment!
The dances to "Without You" and "Wild Ones" have really come together these past few rehearsals, and it's exciting to see the kids that were previously struggling take ownership of the movement. It's hard for me not to dance along because their excitement is contagious! Our biggest production number is definitely "Lost in New York," which we worked very hard to clean this week. I think the kids are beginning to feel much more confident about their entrances and exits, and we added some movement to help them remember when to sing. I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this production, and to help these kids learn what it means to work as a team. They are learning invaluable skills about respecting their peers, overcoming their feelings to work toward a bigger goal, and improving their performing skills while having fun. Break a leg, Reilly!
Amanda Compton
Monday, April 30, 2012
From Moscow to the South Pacific
Drew Smith, Education Intern at Chicago Opera Theater
These past few weeks have been a flurry of activity for both the Opera for All and COT for Teens programs. As the Opera for All students continue to work on their productions each week, they had a little break from their classes to come out to the Harris Theater for the final dress rehearsal of COT's Moscow, Cheryomushki. You could tell from the moment they got off the bus they were incredibly excited to see the show. Our teaching artists had spent the previous class session going over the plot and characters of the opera so they knew what to expect, but hearing their reactions during the show was a treat! There were "Oohs" and "Aahs"...and some funny "Ewws" (there was a bit of kissing after all in the show). The most magical moment of the opera came in the second half when a ballet was about to start on stage and streamers of blue fabric unfurled from the ceiling and fell to the floor. The kids gasped in amazement and were completely mesmerized by the dancers on stage. Needless to say that part of the opera turned out to be the overwhelming favorite for many of the kids. With a lot of my work with COT being "behind the scenes" it was incredibly rewarding to see first hand the impact that opera is having on our elementary students.
The COT for Teens recently finished up their program with a wonderful shortened version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. They had a busy semester with the Citywide Showcase in the mix, and all their hard work helped them put together a very fun and energetic evening with fantastic singing. Whether it was a solo or ensemble number, the students gave their all and the audience had a blast. They are such a talented group of high schoolers, and it was great to see them have the opportunity to show off their work at the opening nights of Moscow, Cheryomushki and Teseo as well. A small group of students performed a medley of selections from South Pacific in the lobby before each show. It was fun to see the patrons stop and listen, with more than a few of them tapping their feet along to songs that they knew well.
It's hard to believe it has already been four months since I started my internship with COT. It has been an incredible experience so far, and I can't wait to see everything come together over this next month as the Opera for All students work to finish their productions. They have been working hard on music, scripts, sets, props, and dancing...now to put it all together! Save some time the first week of June to see the performances, you won't want to miss them.
These past few weeks have been a flurry of activity for both the Opera for All and COT for Teens programs. As the Opera for All students continue to work on their productions each week, they had a little break from their classes to come out to the Harris Theater for the final dress rehearsal of COT's Moscow, Cheryomushki. You could tell from the moment they got off the bus they were incredibly excited to see the show. Our teaching artists had spent the previous class session going over the plot and characters of the opera so they knew what to expect, but hearing their reactions during the show was a treat! There were "Oohs" and "Aahs"...and some funny "Ewws" (there was a bit of kissing after all in the show). The most magical moment of the opera came in the second half when a ballet was about to start on stage and streamers of blue fabric unfurled from the ceiling and fell to the floor. The kids gasped in amazement and were completely mesmerized by the dancers on stage. Needless to say that part of the opera turned out to be the overwhelming favorite for many of the kids. With a lot of my work with COT being "behind the scenes" it was incredibly rewarding to see first hand the impact that opera is having on our elementary students.
The COT for Teens recently finished up their program with a wonderful shortened version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. They had a busy semester with the Citywide Showcase in the mix, and all their hard work helped them put together a very fun and energetic evening with fantastic singing. Whether it was a solo or ensemble number, the students gave their all and the audience had a blast. They are such a talented group of high schoolers, and it was great to see them have the opportunity to show off their work at the opening nights of Moscow, Cheryomushki and Teseo as well. A small group of students performed a medley of selections from South Pacific in the lobby before each show. It was fun to see the patrons stop and listen, with more than a few of them tapping their feet along to songs that they knew well.
It's hard to believe it has already been four months since I started my internship with COT. It has been an incredible experience so far, and I can't wait to see everything come together over this next month as the Opera for All students work to finish their productions. They have been working hard on music, scripts, sets, props, and dancing...now to put it all together! Save some time the first week of June to see the performances, you won't want to miss them.
Reilly Elementary, Dancing Maniacs!
Amanda Compton, COT Teaching Artist at Reilly Elementary School
This week has been an incredibly energetic and exciting week at Reilly! We learned dances to "Without you" by David Guetta/feat.Usher, and "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida, with choreography by the lovely and talented Devery McCoy. After many weeks of intense focus on writing our script and composing our songs as a group, having some days that were entirely physical really helped the kids let loose. Their energy skyrocketed every time the music played, and they all really put forth their best effort to learn these challenging moves. We had a great moment where we paused from our dance practice and sat in a circle. Ms. Linden asked the kids how they felt about dancing, whether they like it or not and why, and what their favorite move is from the dances so far. As we went around the circle, almost everyone said they love dancing, and even like to dance at home in their rooms for fun! Even the two girls who said they did not like dancing admitted that they were glad to being trying something new. The most popular move was the "Justin Bieber" move, involving some very complex hand movements with coordinating legs. Come see the show (June 8th) to witness the astounding dexterity and vivaciousness of the Reilly students!
This week has been an incredibly energetic and exciting week at Reilly! We learned dances to "Without you" by David Guetta/feat.Usher, and "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida, with choreography by the lovely and talented Devery McCoy. After many weeks of intense focus on writing our script and composing our songs as a group, having some days that were entirely physical really helped the kids let loose. Their energy skyrocketed every time the music played, and they all really put forth their best effort to learn these challenging moves. We had a great moment where we paused from our dance practice and sat in a circle. Ms. Linden asked the kids how they felt about dancing, whether they like it or not and why, and what their favorite move is from the dances so far. As we went around the circle, almost everyone said they love dancing, and even like to dance at home in their rooms for fun! Even the two girls who said they did not like dancing admitted that they were glad to being trying something new. The most popular move was the "Justin Bieber" move, involving some very complex hand movements with coordinating legs. Come see the show (June 8th) to witness the astounding dexterity and vivaciousness of the Reilly students!
Art at Hampton, Staging at Clinton
Lisa Golda, COT Teaching Artist at Clinton & Hampton Elementary Schools
As always, this part of the year becomes very exciting as we plunge towards the finished product--our fully staged opera, with props co-created with our wonderful visiting teaching artist Sonja Henderson! Sonja often works first on drawings with the children to get them thinking about ideas for sets, costume pieces, and masks, for instance, which she can then incorporate into her work with them, or that the children can use as designs for their work! We worked on a canvas backdrop of the galaxy (stars, planets, comets), space suits based on packing tape molds, and yoga ball planets with the class who wrote a song about space discovery; mask designs for spooky space animals with the children whose song describes museum animals that come to life (who were, incidentally, brought back from outer space in a frozen state, only to thaw upon reaching earth! Of course! What could be more logical?) The other class sketched designs for a chocolate wall and wristbands for their roles as defenders of the chocolate-walled mirror kingdom! They love art class and their creations add so much to the final opera.
At Clinton, my teaching partner Kim, who is sadly soon to leave us, showed me the blocking she had created for the scenes between the kids' songs. I realized--we are in GREAT shape! We reviewed the choreography we had created for their songs. . .much of this was at first very rusty, but started coming back. . .which means that the entire opera is roughly staged. We now must just run transitions between scenes and classes. This is the first time that we are attempting to combine classes in some scenes, instead of confining scenes to one class at a time. . .we'll see if it works!
As always, this part of the year becomes very exciting as we plunge towards the finished product--our fully staged opera, with props co-created with our wonderful visiting teaching artist Sonja Henderson! Sonja often works first on drawings with the children to get them thinking about ideas for sets, costume pieces, and masks, for instance, which she can then incorporate into her work with them, or that the children can use as designs for their work! We worked on a canvas backdrop of the galaxy (stars, planets, comets), space suits based on packing tape molds, and yoga ball planets with the class who wrote a song about space discovery; mask designs for spooky space animals with the children whose song describes museum animals that come to life (who were, incidentally, brought back from outer space in a frozen state, only to thaw upon reaching earth! Of course! What could be more logical?) The other class sketched designs for a chocolate wall and wristbands for their roles as defenders of the chocolate-walled mirror kingdom! They love art class and their creations add so much to the final opera.
At Clinton, my teaching partner Kim, who is sadly soon to leave us, showed me the blocking she had created for the scenes between the kids' songs. I realized--we are in GREAT shape! We reviewed the choreography we had created for their songs. . .much of this was at first very rusty, but started coming back. . .which means that the entire opera is roughly staged. We now must just run transitions between scenes and classes. This is the first time that we are attempting to combine classes in some scenes, instead of confining scenes to one class at a time. . .we'll see if it works!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Amanda Grimm, COT Teaching Artist at Reilly Elementary School
Winter and spring are shaping up to be exciting seasons for the violin classes at Reilly! The students are making rapid progress as we have been reviewing our basic techniques for posture and, most importantly, excellent bow holds. The second grade class is learning the song 'See-Saw,' a nice melody that utilizes the first finger and helps coordinate string crossings between the E and A strings. The after school class is moving very quickly, having already learned two versions of the song 'See the Pretty Flowers.'. This song also uses the first finger and encourages practice of the Mississippi-Stop-Stop rhythm. They are also starting to use their second and third fingers - 'Twinkle, Twinkle' is just around the corner!
I am very proud of my violin students at Reilly. Beginning the violin is a very difficult task and every student has approached it with enthusiasm, hard work, and a great attitude!
Winter and spring are shaping up to be exciting seasons for the violin classes at Reilly! The students are making rapid progress as we have been reviewing our basic techniques for posture and, most importantly, excellent bow holds. The second grade class is learning the song 'See-Saw,' a nice melody that utilizes the first finger and helps coordinate string crossings between the E and A strings. The after school class is moving very quickly, having already learned two versions of the song 'See the Pretty Flowers.'. This song also uses the first finger and encourages practice of the Mississippi-Stop-Stop rhythm. They are also starting to use their second and third fingers - 'Twinkle, Twinkle' is just around the corner!
I am very proud of my violin students at Reilly. Beginning the violin is a very difficult task and every student has approached it with enthusiasm, hard work, and a great attitude!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Linden Christ, COT's Manager of Education and Outreach
Our very own Chicago Opera Theater for Teens were one of ten selected groups to perform at the Chicago Theater on 28th. They performed a medley of songs from South Pacific including: I'm Gonna Wash the Man Right Outta My Hair, Honey Bun, Some Enchanted Evening, and more. The thirty participating teens from our program come from schools all over Chicago and meet at Gallery 37 downtown to rehearse on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings with our Instructors, Chris Richard & Marta Johnson.
Come and see the Chicago Opera Theater for Teens at the Harris Theater on our opening nights of:
Moscow, Cheryomushki on Saturday, April 14th at 7pm
Teseo on Saturday, April 21st at 7pm.
Our very own Chicago Opera Theater for Teens were one of ten selected groups to perform at the Chicago Theater on 28th. They performed a medley of songs from South Pacific including: I'm Gonna Wash the Man Right Outta My Hair, Honey Bun, Some Enchanted Evening, and more. The thirty participating teens from our program come from schools all over Chicago and meet at Gallery 37 downtown to rehearse on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings with our Instructors, Chris Richard & Marta Johnson.
Come and see the Chicago Opera Theater for Teens at the Harris Theater on our opening nights of:
Moscow, Cheryomushki on Saturday, April 14th at 7pm
Teseo on Saturday, April 21st at 7pm.
When Field Trips Attack!!!
Kimberly Chin, COT Teaching Artist at Clinton & Hampton Elementary Schools
Clinton is going very well! Unfortunately I wasn't there when they had their composition sessions with our guest composer, Adam, but when I came back and heard the songs the students have written with him, they were amazing! I would have thought that a professional composer wrote those songs himself. They also seemed to be very proud of their work, which is always gratifying to see. The most difficult song was Mr. Lee's "Devil Twins" song. This class really stepped it up when it came to composing a song. They were the most enthusiastic class when writing their lyrics so it's not surprising that they made their song so complicated.
I have only been to one art class that Clinton had with our guest artist, Sonja. I saw some of their finished products and also observed them working on current projects. Some of their finished products could have been displayed in a Museum because they were so good! My favorite was the huge submarine that they made out of cardboard and silver colored tape. I could already imagine how good this artwork will look in the performance. On top of the beautiful artwork, they enjoyed making them. All I heard were ideas and laughter in the auditorium. Sonja really helped make their imagination a reality.
We also started staging recently. All the students were super excited and many wanted to input their suggestions. Sometimes that is a problem because of time, but it was wonderful to hear their ideas and enthusiasm. Of course, we have incorporated as many ideas as possible. Mrs. Lee's class staged their zombie scene and they LOVED staging this. They also can't wait to learn the choreography for Michael Jackson's Thriller. We even have a "music video" section where one student will be rapping while others provide a beat. Even Mr. Coor's class, which has the most special ed. students, were super excited and followed directions well with staging. Trying to focus everyone's attention in this class is rare but they did really well when we staged their section.
I believe the biggest challenge at Clinton will be balancing the staging rehearsal days with the guest teaching artists days. This will include having enough time to rehearse, remembering staging, and memorizing songs, lines, and the dance. With their enthusiasm and hard work, I'm sure that we will have no problem making the performance a success.
Clinton is going very well! Unfortunately I wasn't there when they had their composition sessions with our guest composer, Adam, but when I came back and heard the songs the students have written with him, they were amazing! I would have thought that a professional composer wrote those songs himself. They also seemed to be very proud of their work, which is always gratifying to see. The most difficult song was Mr. Lee's "Devil Twins" song. This class really stepped it up when it came to composing a song. They were the most enthusiastic class when writing their lyrics so it's not surprising that they made their song so complicated.
I have only been to one art class that Clinton had with our guest artist, Sonja. I saw some of their finished products and also observed them working on current projects. Some of their finished products could have been displayed in a Museum because they were so good! My favorite was the huge submarine that they made out of cardboard and silver colored tape. I could already imagine how good this artwork will look in the performance. On top of the beautiful artwork, they enjoyed making them. All I heard were ideas and laughter in the auditorium. Sonja really helped make their imagination a reality.
We also started staging recently. All the students were super excited and many wanted to input their suggestions. Sometimes that is a problem because of time, but it was wonderful to hear their ideas and enthusiasm. Of course, we have incorporated as many ideas as possible. Mrs. Lee's class staged their zombie scene and they LOVED staging this. They also can't wait to learn the choreography for Michael Jackson's Thriller. We even have a "music video" section where one student will be rapping while others provide a beat. Even Mr. Coor's class, which has the most special ed. students, were super excited and followed directions well with staging. Trying to focus everyone's attention in this class is rare but they did really well when we staged their section.
I believe the biggest challenge at Clinton will be balancing the staging rehearsal days with the guest teaching artists days. This will include having enough time to rehearse, remembering staging, and memorizing songs, lines, and the dance. With their enthusiasm and hard work, I'm sure that we will have no problem making the performance a success.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Linden Christ, COT's Manager of Education and Outreach
Our COT Education Programs have been really exciting during these warm winter months in Chicago. Our Chicago Opera Theater For Teens will have a Masterclass with Nathan Gunn, a famous baritone on Saturday, March 10th at Gallery 37 on Randolph Street. Nathan Gunn met with the COT for Teens in the fall and talked about his life as a professional singer. The COT for Teens also went to see the touring Broadway production of South Pacific at the Cadillac Theater in preparation for their on performance of South Pacific coming up in April! Come see the COT for Teens at the Harris Theater at 7pm for the opening nights of Moscow, Cheryomushki and Teseo. The COT for Teens will perform music from South Pacific on the 2nd floor Lobby after the pre-opera lecture on Saturday, April 14th and 21st.
Our Opera For All students at Clinton, Reilly, and Hampton Elementary Schools have moved on from composing their own musical melodies to creating their own scenic backdrops, props, and costume pieces. The students have been thoroughly involved in the script-writing process which has been exciting for all the students and teachers alike. This process has really allowed everyone to share and get to know each other at a deeper level.
Our Reilly students just voted on their favorite student art-work for the t-shirt design contest which is an annual contest that provides strong school spirit & pride to be involved in the Opera Class! Two student art pieces tied, so we decided as a group that one design will be on the front of the shirt and the other design on the back. The remaining art work will be used in the Opera Program and Posters around the school and neighborhood.
The first two weeks in March are dedicated to ISAT testing. However, Reilly Elementary after school violin and opera programs continue, while the other schools have a two week break.
Our COT Education Programs have been really exciting during these warm winter months in Chicago. Our Chicago Opera Theater For Teens will have a Masterclass with Nathan Gunn, a famous baritone on Saturday, March 10th at Gallery 37 on Randolph Street. Nathan Gunn met with the COT for Teens in the fall and talked about his life as a professional singer. The COT for Teens also went to see the touring Broadway production of South Pacific at the Cadillac Theater in preparation for their on performance of South Pacific coming up in April! Come see the COT for Teens at the Harris Theater at 7pm for the opening nights of Moscow, Cheryomushki and Teseo. The COT for Teens will perform music from South Pacific on the 2nd floor Lobby after the pre-opera lecture on Saturday, April 14th and 21st.
Our Opera For All students at Clinton, Reilly, and Hampton Elementary Schools have moved on from composing their own musical melodies to creating their own scenic backdrops, props, and costume pieces. The students have been thoroughly involved in the script-writing process which has been exciting for all the students and teachers alike. This process has really allowed everyone to share and get to know each other at a deeper level.
Our Reilly students just voted on their favorite student art-work for the t-shirt design contest which is an annual contest that provides strong school spirit & pride to be involved in the Opera Class! Two student art pieces tied, so we decided as a group that one design will be on the front of the shirt and the other design on the back. The remaining art work will be used in the Opera Program and Posters around the school and neighborhood.
The first two weeks in March are dedicated to ISAT testing. However, Reilly Elementary after school violin and opera programs continue, while the other schools have a two week break.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Script Writing at Hampton & Clinton: When Ideas Attack!
Lisa Golda, COT Teaching Artist at Clinton & Hampton Elementary Schools
It’s amazing what we are able to accomplish at schools where we have been in residency with the Opera for All program for two years or more. I’m realizing this as I remember my first tough days at Clinton and Von Humboldt a few years ago. No one knew me, opera was still a new realm for the students, and it was a struggle to establish order in the classroom, much less play acting games and sing songs and write stories. We are now facilitating learning with the students that would not have been possible then, meeting the goals of our program at the very highest level, and it’s very exciting and rewarding for us all.
I’ve spent the past three weeks developing a script with the students at Clinton and Hampton schools for the opera they will perform. They have written song lyrics and melodies before, although that was a first for them last year. They made their own props for the first time last year, too. This year, I added the step of working with them on concepts of narrative and dialogue in order to write the script for the show WITH them, rather than writing it FOR them to tie their songs together. We have learned that the kids are more invested in rehearsing and performing material they themselves have created. Being a writer myself, I was interested in attempting this with them and complementing their classroom curriculums, since writing is a basic and vital skill.
But this was a challenging task, and involved a lot of reasoning and logic. We already had songs written by each class. First we had to come up with a story, a big picture plotline, based on this year’s field trips theme, that would tie the little sung stories together. Then I had to teach them the difference between narrative writing and dialogue; telling about action, which is usually very boring for an audience, vs. showing the action, which is more dynamic and involves no narration. This is a distinction that even adult scene and screen writers sometimes struggle to execute!
We also had to establish for the audience, in each scene, where the kids were, why they were there, what they were doing, and how this related to the previous song/scene, as well as the overall plot, in five minutes or less, which demanded that they be concise and logical in their ideas and dialogue, once we started writing it! I was asking a lot, but to my surprise, the kids were very engaged in the process, perhaps in part because I really did use their ideas, and partly because I think I was challenging them to be creatively academic.
Much of the song material we were piecing together was seemingly unrelated; a trip to outer space and new planets song, museum animals coming to life song, and a song about an imaginary kingdom of chocolate and mirrors at Hampton, for instance. (these were song themes created based on visits to the MCA and study of the solar system in place of an actual field trip to a planetarium). I first worked with the kids to brainstorm ideas that would answer the “W” questions.
Ms. Ochoa’s class decided to create a character who didn’t want to be on the field trip, touched the wall of chocolate in the museum because he was “bad”, and was thereby transported to the mirror realm in their song. Having learned his lesson about good vs. bad motives (the theme of the song), he decides to raise money for a field trip for another class at school, Mr. McFarland’s. That class had a less challenging task; how to get into outer space while at a space museum (discover new planets with a telescope there; find a space capsule there that works) and how to help the last class in their song about animals who come to life at a museum.
One of Mr. McFarland’s quieter students, whom I suspect is learning disabled, came up with the fantastic suggestion that we bring animals back from outer space. I did not want the animals killed, and so another often reticent, head-down-on-desk student said that they only appeared dead, but were actually frozen and would thaw out at the museum just in time to scare Ms. Paz’s students! “You know, global warming!” he said. This class has had opera before, so they knew why they were writing and came up with the most ideas. Then, Ms. Paz’s kids, the youngest, just had to get the animals onstage and end the opera. I was especially touched that some of the kids who often seem to be struggling with mood or learning issues were interested in participating in this creative process.
After having outlined these ideas in class discussions and journal entries at both schools (i.e., creating narratives, or what some of the CPS teachers called story maps), I taught the kids how to turn narrative into dialogue. They had to create conversations that communicated details about the characters and setting quickly and clearly while also giving themselves fun yet direct things to say! This was harder for some classes than others, but I ended up providing very little editorial help in terms of changing their material, doing most of the teaching work in helping them learn hierarchical thinking steps.
The students at Clinton were similarly engaged, coming up with more detailed ideas than we could accommodate in our brief opera. Many kids, when assigned, also wrote entire scenes with dialogue on their own for homework, one of which (written by a child who played a role in last year’s opera) I used almost verbatim because it was so clever, and so appropriate.
I marveled not only at their creativity, but also at how eager for new information and skills they were. I don’t think they would have accepted the thought problems I was tossing their way a few years ago. They have all seen operas now, even if they have not all themselves been in one yet; they know what they are working towards, so asking them to write scenes was not a totally abstract concept.
Just as importantly, judging by the smiles and waves I get from former and current students at these schools, I believe that they have come to associate our visits with exciting and fun learning, times during which their imaginations and ideas take center stage. They know us and trust us; something that in some neighborhoods is perhaps more valuable than we can know. It is so sad when kids appear defeated (by parents who are themselves defeated, by overworked teachers, by poverty and all the associated disadvantages) at such a young age. I see that discouragement sometimes in the faces of students who do not yet realize that all of their ideas, in this context, are truly valid and valuable, who self-silence themselves with half-hearted answers or tentative hand raising or “never minds”.
Even despite what appears to me to be in some cases an internalized expectation of failure, many students are still willing to visit outer space, risk walls of chocolate and mirror mazes and brave alien animal attacks, with us, as well as to attempt new intellectual challenges. Giving free rein to those imaginations, while also teaching them skills that will enable them to harness and communicate their ideas to others, and the confidence to do both, is what our program is all about.
It’s amazing what we are able to accomplish at schools where we have been in residency with the Opera for All program for two years or more. I’m realizing this as I remember my first tough days at Clinton and Von Humboldt a few years ago. No one knew me, opera was still a new realm for the students, and it was a struggle to establish order in the classroom, much less play acting games and sing songs and write stories. We are now facilitating learning with the students that would not have been possible then, meeting the goals of our program at the very highest level, and it’s very exciting and rewarding for us all.
I’ve spent the past three weeks developing a script with the students at Clinton and Hampton schools for the opera they will perform. They have written song lyrics and melodies before, although that was a first for them last year. They made their own props for the first time last year, too. This year, I added the step of working with them on concepts of narrative and dialogue in order to write the script for the show WITH them, rather than writing it FOR them to tie their songs together. We have learned that the kids are more invested in rehearsing and performing material they themselves have created. Being a writer myself, I was interested in attempting this with them and complementing their classroom curriculums, since writing is a basic and vital skill.
But this was a challenging task, and involved a lot of reasoning and logic. We already had songs written by each class. First we had to come up with a story, a big picture plotline, based on this year’s field trips theme, that would tie the little sung stories together. Then I had to teach them the difference between narrative writing and dialogue; telling about action, which is usually very boring for an audience, vs. showing the action, which is more dynamic and involves no narration. This is a distinction that even adult scene and screen writers sometimes struggle to execute!
We also had to establish for the audience, in each scene, where the kids were, why they were there, what they were doing, and how this related to the previous song/scene, as well as the overall plot, in five minutes or less, which demanded that they be concise and logical in their ideas and dialogue, once we started writing it! I was asking a lot, but to my surprise, the kids were very engaged in the process, perhaps in part because I really did use their ideas, and partly because I think I was challenging them to be creatively academic.
Much of the song material we were piecing together was seemingly unrelated; a trip to outer space and new planets song, museum animals coming to life song, and a song about an imaginary kingdom of chocolate and mirrors at Hampton, for instance. (these were song themes created based on visits to the MCA and study of the solar system in place of an actual field trip to a planetarium). I first worked with the kids to brainstorm ideas that would answer the “W” questions.
Ms. Ochoa’s class decided to create a character who didn’t want to be on the field trip, touched the wall of chocolate in the museum because he was “bad”, and was thereby transported to the mirror realm in their song. Having learned his lesson about good vs. bad motives (the theme of the song), he decides to raise money for a field trip for another class at school, Mr. McFarland’s. That class had a less challenging task; how to get into outer space while at a space museum (discover new planets with a telescope there; find a space capsule there that works) and how to help the last class in their song about animals who come to life at a museum.
One of Mr. McFarland’s quieter students, whom I suspect is learning disabled, came up with the fantastic suggestion that we bring animals back from outer space. I did not want the animals killed, and so another often reticent, head-down-on-desk student said that they only appeared dead, but were actually frozen and would thaw out at the museum just in time to scare Ms. Paz’s students! “You know, global warming!” he said. This class has had opera before, so they knew why they were writing and came up with the most ideas. Then, Ms. Paz’s kids, the youngest, just had to get the animals onstage and end the opera. I was especially touched that some of the kids who often seem to be struggling with mood or learning issues were interested in participating in this creative process.
After having outlined these ideas in class discussions and journal entries at both schools (i.e., creating narratives, or what some of the CPS teachers called story maps), I taught the kids how to turn narrative into dialogue. They had to create conversations that communicated details about the characters and setting quickly and clearly while also giving themselves fun yet direct things to say! This was harder for some classes than others, but I ended up providing very little editorial help in terms of changing their material, doing most of the teaching work in helping them learn hierarchical thinking steps.
The students at Clinton were similarly engaged, coming up with more detailed ideas than we could accommodate in our brief opera. Many kids, when assigned, also wrote entire scenes with dialogue on their own for homework, one of which (written by a child who played a role in last year’s opera) I used almost verbatim because it was so clever, and so appropriate.
I marveled not only at their creativity, but also at how eager for new information and skills they were. I don’t think they would have accepted the thought problems I was tossing their way a few years ago. They have all seen operas now, even if they have not all themselves been in one yet; they know what they are working towards, so asking them to write scenes was not a totally abstract concept.
Just as importantly, judging by the smiles and waves I get from former and current students at these schools, I believe that they have come to associate our visits with exciting and fun learning, times during which their imaginations and ideas take center stage. They know us and trust us; something that in some neighborhoods is perhaps more valuable than we can know. It is so sad when kids appear defeated (by parents who are themselves defeated, by overworked teachers, by poverty and all the associated disadvantages) at such a young age. I see that discouragement sometimes in the faces of students who do not yet realize that all of their ideas, in this context, are truly valid and valuable, who self-silence themselves with half-hearted answers or tentative hand raising or “never minds”.
Even despite what appears to me to be in some cases an internalized expectation of failure, many students are still willing to visit outer space, risk walls of chocolate and mirror mazes and brave alien animal attacks, with us, as well as to attempt new intellectual challenges. Giving free rein to those imaginations, while also teaching them skills that will enable them to harness and communicate their ideas to others, and the confidence to do both, is what our program is all about.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Some Enchanted Evening
Marta Johnson, COT for Teens Teaching Artist
Chicago Opera Theater for Teens is off to a great start this spring. With 32 kids enrolled, we are embarking on learning a trimmed version of South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein. This past Saturday we were fortunate enough to go see the touring Broadway production of South Pacific. This inspired a lot of conversation about script and director choices, voice types, opera versus music theater and many other interesting topics. Many students were inspired by seeing a professional production, live, of the very work we are just learning.
So far we have learned a choral version of Honey Bun and have created a “remix” of I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair, There is Nothing Like a Dame, Some Enchanted Evening, and Honey Bun. We have learned the music for the remix and are currently working on the choreography for our audition for Citywide Showcase. This is an event put on by After School Matters every spring. ASM picks ten performing groups from across the entire city, as well as having an art gallery and culinary treats made by the teen culinary programs. It is a real honor to be chosen to be a part of the Citywide Showcase and we are hopeful that we will be amongst the performing groups again this year.
Please come see us for our final performances of South Pacific!
April 19th and 20th
First United Methodist at the Chicago Temple
77 W Washington Street
6 pm both evenings.
Chicago Opera Theater for Teens is off to a great start this spring. With 32 kids enrolled, we are embarking on learning a trimmed version of South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein. This past Saturday we were fortunate enough to go see the touring Broadway production of South Pacific. This inspired a lot of conversation about script and director choices, voice types, opera versus music theater and many other interesting topics. Many students were inspired by seeing a professional production, live, of the very work we are just learning.
So far we have learned a choral version of Honey Bun and have created a “remix” of I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair, There is Nothing Like a Dame, Some Enchanted Evening, and Honey Bun. We have learned the music for the remix and are currently working on the choreography for our audition for Citywide Showcase. This is an event put on by After School Matters every spring. ASM picks ten performing groups from across the entire city, as well as having an art gallery and culinary treats made by the teen culinary programs. It is a real honor to be chosen to be a part of the Citywide Showcase and we are hopeful that we will be amongst the performing groups again this year.
Please come see us for our final performances of South Pacific!
April 19th and 20th
First United Methodist at the Chicago Temple
77 W Washington Street
6 pm both evenings.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Performing for the Students
Catheryne Shuman, Young Artist at Chicago Opera Theater
I was a bit nervous when I first found out Andrew and I were going to be singing at Lionel Hampton Elementary School. I felt like I was unprepared to talk to a whole group of kids about opera, and I had about a million questions. What should I sing that would be fun for the kids and wouldn’t bore them to death? What kinds of questions are they going to ask? Or worse, what if they’re completely disinterested and have no questions? ACK! The list went on and on.
However, when we got to the school, the students were immediately engaged. They had so many questions for us that the 45 minutes we had didn’t seem like enough time. I thought it was particularly funny that they kept trying to figure out how old we all are, and I found the kids’ energy and intelligent questions refreshing. One of my favorite moments was when they had Andrew hold a note for as long as he could (37 seconds!). I also thought it was really funny when they had me sing as high as I could. It was really encouraging to see so many young, interested faces, and I hope they took something from our performances. All I can say is, the next time I have to do outreach to an elementary school, I won’t be nearly as nervous.
I was a bit nervous when I first found out Andrew and I were going to be singing at Lionel Hampton Elementary School. I felt like I was unprepared to talk to a whole group of kids about opera, and I had about a million questions. What should I sing that would be fun for the kids and wouldn’t bore them to death? What kinds of questions are they going to ask? Or worse, what if they’re completely disinterested and have no questions? ACK! The list went on and on.
However, when we got to the school, the students were immediately engaged. They had so many questions for us that the 45 minutes we had didn’t seem like enough time. I thought it was particularly funny that they kept trying to figure out how old we all are, and I found the kids’ energy and intelligent questions refreshing. One of my favorite moments was when they had Andrew hold a note for as long as he could (37 seconds!). I also thought it was really funny when they had me sing as high as I could. It was really encouraging to see so many young, interested faces, and I hope they took something from our performances. All I can say is, the next time I have to do outreach to an elementary school, I won’t be nearly as nervous.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Music Inspires!
Check out this awesome video of our Three Way Collaboration with Chicago Opera Theater, Classical Kids Live and the Oistrach Orchestra at Hampton Elementary School. It was a joyous Mozart week and we hope to share this week with many more schools!
Music Inspires! from Hannah Goering on Vimeo.
Composing Wrap Up
Ben Hjertmann, COT Teaching Artist - Composer
It was my last day at Reilly Elementary with Opera for All. The kids seemed re-inspired today and we started out swinging with their song about being accepted to college. We tightened up what we already had and continued to add new material. Then we went back to the classic "Lost in New York," where the kids really let their R&B/Soul side come out. We ended the day composing a short riff for Emilia's Poem "New York City". With their eyes closed, the students voted on moods and came up with a short melody to introduce each new stanza.
It was a distinct pleasure to work with this organization and particularly with this group of students. They've got a lot of heart, and it comes through in their ideas. Their making a really high-quality show here! I would have loved this kind of thing when I was their age. I still do.
It was my last day at Reilly Elementary with Opera for All. The kids seemed re-inspired today and we started out swinging with their song about being accepted to college. We tightened up what we already had and continued to add new material. Then we went back to the classic "Lost in New York," where the kids really let their R&B/Soul side come out. We ended the day composing a short riff for Emilia's Poem "New York City". With their eyes closed, the students voted on moods and came up with a short melody to introduce each new stanza.
It was a distinct pleasure to work with this organization and particularly with this group of students. They've got a lot of heart, and it comes through in their ideas. Their making a really high-quality show here! I would have loved this kind of thing when I was their age. I still do.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Songwriting Superstars!
Lisa Golda, COT Teaching Artist at Clinton & Hampton Elementary Schools
This week was a very exciting one at both Clinton and Hampton schools!
The kids had their first taste of performance just before break, when we presented a “winter preview” at both schools. Because many of our students do not have music class, much less any previous experience presenting a fully staged and costumed performance, we have found it very helpful to give them a “dress rehearsal” w/audience at the end of their first semester. In the preview, which is for an audience of their parents, other opera students, and sometimes, other students from the school, they recite, with limited choreography and staging, the lyrics they have written thus far for their songs, all of which will eventually make up the opera.
This past week was our second week back, and with the memory of that preview experience fresh in their minds, the kids were focused and ready to work with Adam Busch, who helps the children to set their original lyrics to music (and who also assisted them in the lyric writing process, this year). We had several “a-ha!” moments throughout the day, both with students and with teachers.
At Hampton, one child in Mrs. Ochoa’s class remarked that what we were writing was “like opera.” Mrs. Ochoa pointed out that, a couple weeks before, the kids had enjoyed a concert and weeklong residency presented by Classical Kids that focused on the life of Mozart, particularly his childhood precocity. She thought that her student was comparing their composing process to the young Mozart’s!
Next, Mrs. Ochoa got out a silly poetry book that she been using with her students as part of their poetry week. She asked Adam and I to play and sing a silly song (her book provided hilarious new lyrics set to familiar tunes). She felt that the kids would make the connection between song lyrics and poetry, and how we were writing a song, especially since they had been working on it in class. They were fascinated and requested an encore, but unfortunately, we had to go to the next class! We love it when teachers use our curriculum to complement ours in that way, and vice versa.
Mr. McFarland’s class, who had Opera for All last year, had their lyrics set to music in no time, in part because a talented young student raised his hand and asked if he could sing the melody he had already composed for the verse portion of the song! Wow! The other students were so excited and impressed by his creativity, boldness, and lovely singing voice, and soon they too were raising their hands to offer suggestions for the doo-wop style song we came up with together for their “planet discovery” song.
It is so rewarding when students who have had our program before begin to express their gifts, both because they have a context for their talents, and also because they understand how to use them in application to the task at hand—composing! Where and when else would that student have the opportunity to discover and utilize those abilities, especially as a sixth grader!
At Clinton, the students were similarly engaged by the process, quickly learning and singing the songs they created with enthusiasm. Mrs. Lee’s class participated in the program last year, and I am enjoying asking them more challenging questions about the nature of music, composing, acting, etc. this year in my quest to give them a deeper understanding of the process.
We discussed the fact that, rather than just choosing random pitches for their songs, they needed to chose notes with intent as to the character they wished their song (Alone on a Submarine Floating Out to Sea) to have given the text. Many of them said they wanted the song to sound “like a rap”. We discussed what made rap sound like rap; limited pitch range, speech-like rhythms, medium tempo. Adam gave them some pianistic examples to choose from, and they chose a blues-influenced, slightly jazzy tonal palette given the fact that their song was humorous, and, while not happy, not really sad, either. Then the process took off.
I asked; what can we do to suggest the shark in the song? Both the kids and Adam came up with the JAWS motif at the same time, but Adam modified it with repetition and modulation. I asked—why does that sound scary and exciting? The kids were able to articulate that this rising half step pattern, magnified by modulation, emulated a circling shark and fright! Adam came up with some frenetic music for the “tossing and turning” hysterical lyrics in the song. I asked—why is this appropriate, if at all, to this portion of the song? “because everyone is going crazy right now” was the general student consensus. Then, a student asked if Adam could play a sustained note for the moment when the mother wakes the child up from their nightmare. They GET IT!!!!!
At this point, I was overwhelmed with more suggestions than we could handle, the kids completely immersed in the process, and then was asked by a kid if she could get “eaten” by the “shark”, which is about ten kids pantomiming jaws, fins, and a tail. We worked that out by having her step into the biting “jaws” created by two students, and having the body of the shark jump up and down to “digest” her after she was “swallowed”. It was hilarious! Several of my usually shy girls asked if they could audition to be the hapless heroine.
It was a fantastic day!
This week was a very exciting one at both Clinton and Hampton schools!
The kids had their first taste of performance just before break, when we presented a “winter preview” at both schools. Because many of our students do not have music class, much less any previous experience presenting a fully staged and costumed performance, we have found it very helpful to give them a “dress rehearsal” w/audience at the end of their first semester. In the preview, which is for an audience of their parents, other opera students, and sometimes, other students from the school, they recite, with limited choreography and staging, the lyrics they have written thus far for their songs, all of which will eventually make up the opera.
This past week was our second week back, and with the memory of that preview experience fresh in their minds, the kids were focused and ready to work with Adam Busch, who helps the children to set their original lyrics to music (and who also assisted them in the lyric writing process, this year). We had several “a-ha!” moments throughout the day, both with students and with teachers.
At Hampton, one child in Mrs. Ochoa’s class remarked that what we were writing was “like opera.” Mrs. Ochoa pointed out that, a couple weeks before, the kids had enjoyed a concert and weeklong residency presented by Classical Kids that focused on the life of Mozart, particularly his childhood precocity. She thought that her student was comparing their composing process to the young Mozart’s!
Next, Mrs. Ochoa got out a silly poetry book that she been using with her students as part of their poetry week. She asked Adam and I to play and sing a silly song (her book provided hilarious new lyrics set to familiar tunes). She felt that the kids would make the connection between song lyrics and poetry, and how we were writing a song, especially since they had been working on it in class. They were fascinated and requested an encore, but unfortunately, we had to go to the next class! We love it when teachers use our curriculum to complement ours in that way, and vice versa.
Mr. McFarland’s class, who had Opera for All last year, had their lyrics set to music in no time, in part because a talented young student raised his hand and asked if he could sing the melody he had already composed for the verse portion of the song! Wow! The other students were so excited and impressed by his creativity, boldness, and lovely singing voice, and soon they too were raising their hands to offer suggestions for the doo-wop style song we came up with together for their “planet discovery” song.
It is so rewarding when students who have had our program before begin to express their gifts, both because they have a context for their talents, and also because they understand how to use them in application to the task at hand—composing! Where and when else would that student have the opportunity to discover and utilize those abilities, especially as a sixth grader!
At Clinton, the students were similarly engaged by the process, quickly learning and singing the songs they created with enthusiasm. Mrs. Lee’s class participated in the program last year, and I am enjoying asking them more challenging questions about the nature of music, composing, acting, etc. this year in my quest to give them a deeper understanding of the process.
We discussed the fact that, rather than just choosing random pitches for their songs, they needed to chose notes with intent as to the character they wished their song (Alone on a Submarine Floating Out to Sea) to have given the text. Many of them said they wanted the song to sound “like a rap”. We discussed what made rap sound like rap; limited pitch range, speech-like rhythms, medium tempo. Adam gave them some pianistic examples to choose from, and they chose a blues-influenced, slightly jazzy tonal palette given the fact that their song was humorous, and, while not happy, not really sad, either. Then the process took off.
I asked; what can we do to suggest the shark in the song? Both the kids and Adam came up with the JAWS motif at the same time, but Adam modified it with repetition and modulation. I asked—why does that sound scary and exciting? The kids were able to articulate that this rising half step pattern, magnified by modulation, emulated a circling shark and fright! Adam came up with some frenetic music for the “tossing and turning” hysterical lyrics in the song. I asked—why is this appropriate, if at all, to this portion of the song? “because everyone is going crazy right now” was the general student consensus. Then, a student asked if Adam could play a sustained note for the moment when the mother wakes the child up from their nightmare. They GET IT!!!!!
At this point, I was overwhelmed with more suggestions than we could handle, the kids completely immersed in the process, and then was asked by a kid if she could get “eaten” by the “shark”, which is about ten kids pantomiming jaws, fins, and a tail. We worked that out by having her step into the biting “jaws” created by two students, and having the body of the shark jump up and down to “digest” her after she was “swallowed”. It was hilarious! Several of my usually shy girls asked if they could audition to be the hapless heroine.
It was a fantastic day!
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