Teaching to the Test, or Creative Initiative?

Lisa Golda, COT Teaching Artist

I’ll never forget the unexpected response we received last year after inviting Opera for All students to participate in a creative project intended to enhance their understanding of an opera plot.

We instructed students to make a collage of a scene from the opera, and showed them an example. We presented them with the materials creative dreams are made of: colorful construction paper, glitter, sticky “jewels”, patterned backgrounds, 64 Crayolas, magazines to cut . . .items my inner child found tantalizing, but which these kids found perplexing. “What do we do?” they said, confusion and very real anxiety evident in their faces and voices. “Is this right?” they asked, holding up forlorn, virtually naked pieces of paper or results that were exact copies of the example we provided.

The kids didn’t know how, were afraid to, create.

As many of us know, “teaching to the test” is now the MO of our school system. It’s a well-intentioned mindset, unavoidable in schools that are designated as failing. Of course, some standards are necessary so that teachers and students can assess their progress towards basic learning benchmarks, and tests are a traditional way of measuring mastery.

At the same time, arts curriculums, the impact of which is less easily quantified, are increasingly cut, viewed as fluff compared to reading, writing, and arithmetic, especially since many students are reaching high school age without competencies in those vital skills.

Nonetheless, that anxious, tragic response, coming from 5th and 6th graders, their need to be told exactly what to do, and, especially, their initially negative emotional reaction to what should have been a joyous activity, all led me to question their ultimate ability, basic skills notwithstanding, to participate as adults in an economy that has moved away from manufacturing and towards innovation.

Now more than ever, our kids need experience in creative, imaginative brain-work. How many job ads read: Wanted: someone who thinks inside the box? Wanted: workers who require constant and comprehensive direction?

This year, we asked Opera for All students to increase their involvement in the creative process. In cooperation with CAPE guest artists Adam Busch, Sonja Henderson, and the late great Mary Scruggs of Second City , we guided them through lyric writing, composing, staging/choreography, and props construction. We learned to ask kids at every step of the way; What do you think?

And at first, they didn’t have answers. How do I play with words in a way that leads to rhymed couplets? Why should one pitch be preferable to any other pitch in this line of a song? What gesture represents excitement? What is brainstorming?

The students eventually realized that there were no right answers; only exciting possibilities. They learned how to ask, not: “Is this right?”, but rather: “What if. . .?”

And then we could hardly keep up with the flow of enthusiastic creation.

Although it would often have been easier, and faster, to just tell the kids exactly what to do, allowing them to create the opera themselves has resulted in enthusiastic participation, a faster learning curve, and artistic authenticity and integrity in the resulting opera, "School Rules".

If creative initiative, our essential intellectual vitality, is repeatedly stifled (as I fear it may be by elimination of arts curriculum and “teaching to the test”), learning can be reduced to rote memorization and mandated drudgery, rather than independent discovery. Children may not learn how to learn, given that so much of learning comes either from asking: How? Why? What if?, from experimenting, or from the desire to have the ability to find one’s own answers through reading, writing, and arithmetic. Or physics, or philosophy, or history. . .

At this point in the school year, we have in the past sometimes had issues with memorization, failure to commit to the process, and an overall lack of enthusiasm perhaps not unlike that which leads students to fail in their regular academic courses. This year, we are experiencing the opposite.

“What if I do a slide to center on this line of the song?” we are asked. “How about I dress in disco clothes for this song?” a child suggests. “Can we all fall down when we are talking about tripping on our baggy pants?” the boys demand. “Can I make a poster with my sketches for the opera?” “Why don’t we add some music here?” “Can I do a solo?”

Telling, in a different way: “When is the opera, I want my grandma/dad/mom/aunt to come?”

We’re done, we have to tell them. Our opera has a due date determined by the performance and there comes a time when we have to “finish” our work of art. But we don’t have to be done creating and learning. In fact, it seems to me that once people of any age experience the sense of limitless possibility that comes from creativity, they return to it again and again; both through artistic activity and through applying that open-ended, exploration-oriented mentality to new learning frontiers in every discipline.

School, when it fosters independent initiative, creative thinking, and a love of discovery, can indeed, as our opera title suggests, “Rule”.

COT for Teens performs at the Gala

Chicago Opera Theater honored COT for Teens on Sunday, March 6th at their annual Gala at Carnivale. Over the last decade, Chicago Opera Theater has worked with hundreds of teenagers to provide an artistic outlet. The program originated through individual partnerships with two high schools, Curie on the south side and Schurz on the northwest side. Students from these two schools were integral to the creation and performance of COT’s annual Education and Outreach productions, notably Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood in 2001.

The program codified six years ago when COT entered into a partnership with the City of Chicago’s After School Matters initiative, now drawing in students from CPS high schools all over the city. Each year, students from diverse backgrounds and neighborhoods come together to study and create opera. For some, this marks the first experience with singing and opera as they attend schools with no music or art offerings. And for others, it is an extension on a young interest in singing. Regardless of background and experience, all of these students come to us with eagerness to explore a new art form and spread their wings. For three hours a day, three days a week, the COT for Teens students immerse themselves in what we love: opera.

The program culminates in the spring with their own production. This year COT For Teens will present a condensed version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, an excerpt from which you will hear shortly. This program instills artistry and appreciation in not only tomorrow’s opera-goers, but tomorrow’s opera stars, as well. 10 of the 30 COT for Teens students were featured at the Gala under the direction of Christopher Richard and Marta Johnson.

The transition that each student goes through from the beginning of the program- where some are completely unfamiliar with opera and singing- to performing in a production that would make even the toughest critic get on their feet, is astounding. And interpersonally, the students grow, too. Our students gain confidence in themselves and take great pride in being part of such a special team. The typical after school ritual of TV is replaced with this incredible creative outlet that is inspirational.

Every year a handful of our students decide to pursue careers in music. Our alumni have gone on to schools such as the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, DePaul University and even Eastman School of Music in New York. And regardless if they pursue music as a career, each of these amazing students come out of our program with greater self-respect and confidence--qualities that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

One of the high school performers texted this message that night to director, Chris Richard. "Thank you so much for tonight!!!! It was truly an inspiration and a reminder as to why I want to be a musician! This is a night I will never forget and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity! Tonight truly was the greatest experience I've ever had!"

Advice to Artists

Lisa Golda, COT Teaching Artist

Artists often hear the refrain: write/paint/act what you know. The theory behind the admonition is that it takes a gifted performer or other artist to interpret and translate a life experience that they themselves have never had.

This year, Opera for All students are proving this sage artistic advice to be correct with their incredible investment in this year's process and the authenticity of the piece they have created. Our students have written the words and music for their own opera, "School Rules", as well as created large props for the production. In the past, we've taught them excerpts from classic operas and classical songs which were set in a script that retold an operatic libretto at a kid level. They enjoyed this, but we spent a lot of time making connections for them between historic material and its context in the opera we were studying, and how this might be relevant to them, today. This was sometimes difficult for our younger students. Our new approach has made so much difference in the way the students approach the project! Their enthusiasm and excitement is positively amazing.

To begin, the late great Mary Scruggs of Second City worked with our students and teaching artists to create lyrics to songs based on our central themes: legacy, culture, and heritage. One of COT's mainstage operas this season, Machover's Death and the Powers, addresses these concepts by telling the story of a man who immortalizes himself after death by placing his consciousness in a machine.

Our students made these heady themes their own by translating them (with help of inquiry questions) into situations and lyrics they could understand: treasures and heirlooms brought from home; foods and clothing, which can be a part of cultural heritage; and things that happen in school, such as lending advice to younger classmates, disobeying the rules, and other interactions that can contribute to the legacy one leaves behind. The theme of legacy has been especially poignant given that Mary passed away suddenly. The children seem to understand that her legacy to them is, in part, the lyrics they wrote with her.

These charming songs, which include an ode to pizza, a chocolate milk group number, and groovy tune about trendy clothes, were then set to music by the kids with the help of talented teaching artist and composer Adam Busch. Next, they created props; in this case, giant costumes of food and family treasures designed by visiting artist Sonja Henderson. Their excitement as they made connections between the props and their song lyrics was wonderful! Building their opera from the ground up has made them incredibly invested in the project.

We're almost done teaching all the students the songs from other schools; each class has contributed about two songs to the project, which means that they then have to learn six more that students at other schools wrote (four schools are participating in writing the opera). Their curiosity about the other students' work is evidenced by their focus when we are teaching them the songs; they really appreciate that the music and words they are learning are a "work of art" because they have put in that work themselves. They respect the process accordingly.

As we've taught the rest of the songs, we've let the students know the context for their work in the opera libretto, which was conceptualized by teaching artists Kim Chin, Linden Christ, and Lisa Golda, with input from our intern Anna Solomon. Based on this discussion, Lisa wrote a few short dialogue scenes to tie all the students' songs together into a "day in the life" of a student following a TA brainstorming session, using ideas from cut songs when possible. Now we will complete the process by staging and directing the opera with our young performers, who can hardly contain their excitement about this final step. The kids will also learn two dances.

The kids are overcoming natural shyness and clamoring to audition for solos. They are suggesting staging ideas to us. They are creating artwork to be used as a t-shirt design for the show. The more we allow them to direct the process, the more initiative they seem to take. Their whole-hearted participation, demonstrated with classroom focus, laughter, joyful singing, questions about teaching artists who are not present that day, and devotion to the tasks we are presenting them with, is a joy. They are writing/acting/singing/drawing/dancing what they know, and in the process, learning that opera can be a relevant and accessible art form, which is one of our curriculum goals. I can't wait for the day that "School Rules" opens!

From the Composer

Adam Busch, COT Teaching Artist - Composer

What a FUN-tastic time we had at Calmeca, Clinton and Hampton schools!! We laughed...a TON, and learned even more!!!

Using our 'music meter' (an octave scale)--the kids were able to select notes, 1 through 8, to create AMAZING melodies. Their thought process was very clear. They identified the story each lyric was telling, then matched the rise and fall of the notes with the emotions and key words of the lyric--even making edits for meter where neccessary.

Unbelievably, through all of our laughing, we completed the songs and all are strikingly unique. In just 3 short sessions of 45 minutes the students created a total of seven songs. From the funky "Clothes were Groovy" disco, to the demanding "Chocolate Milk song", to the cravings of "I Can't Wait for Dessert", and the joys of "Pizza Day".

What a great program! It will be exciting now for these kids to learn and share their songs AND perform them in May!!

Cheers to all the participants!!!!

Back with the violin class at Reilly

Julie Davis, Education Intern at Chicago Opera Theater & Violinist, substituting for Iris Wei

Last Thursday, December 2nd, was my third visit with the violin group class at Reilly, but the first time as the only teacher present in the room. I was excited to see how the students' had matured and what new skills they learned.

Seeing that they had just began to learn music notation, I put 8 measures of music on the board, using letter names instead of a full staff. The song went something like this: A A | A A | D D | D D | A A | A A | D D | D D | . As they also wrote this in their own notebooks, I explained the concepts of measure, bar lines, and 'the beat.' Then we sang this song several times, first all together, than the girls sang A and boys D, etc. We then assigned dance motions to each letter, as A was hands in the air and D was touching the floor. I like this exercise because young students can really feel the beat and hear the difference between high and low. Then we discussed how we could play this piece on the violin, as the violin has both A and D strings.

Then, I introduced a small composition exercise. I erased all the notes and left the bar lines. Reviewing the strings of the violin, I asked students to raise their hands and give suggest notes (E, A, D, G) to fill the 8 measure song. Then we sang the song (although our pitches were not accurate) with specific body motions for each letter. I introduced the concept of composition, and told them that they had all been composers that day. This new vocab word was recorded in their journals.

After this exercise, we unpacked the violins, and reviewed correct playing position. Next we played the song Ants, a simple song of just open strings. I asked students to write in their notebooks how this song would be written using bar lines and letter names. We then drew this together on the board and played it once more. To conclude the lesson, I rewrote the first song we worked/sang and we practiced playing this with our violins. Some students really got the concept of pizzing different strings for different notes, but I think others had a hard time physically understanding how plucking the strings to the left are lower in pitch.

My biggest surprise upon returning the the classes was the difference between the first group (3rd graders) and the second (I believe 4th grade?). The first group was really into the singing/dancing activity. They were laughing and suggesting goofy dance moves. The second class however was more reluctant to try the activity. They were also more inclined to goof off. I made a rule that if someone's back turned away from me, they lost their violins and had to sit quietly. I was very firm, calling individuals out and asking them why they would misbehave the one day a week they had to learn violin. I think because this class was after school, and they had they day off the next day, that they were naturally a little more rowdy.

Also, I realized how hard and time consuming it is to tune all those violins! If I sub again, I think I'd try to tune the violins before the class begins to save time.

I had a lot of fun at Reilly because the kids are naturally eager to learn and excited to play!

Practice What You Teach: Teaching Artists Perform with Opera For All Students

Lisa Golda, COT Teaching Artist

COT recently sponsored a series of in-school performances by Chicago Opera Play House of a children's opera, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. COT Education Manager Linden Christ, who runs Chicago Opera Play House, was Goldilocks, and I, Lisa Golda was Mama Bear. Baby Bear was played by Matthew Newlin, COT’s Young Artist Singer, Papa Bear by Justin Adair, and COT’s education pianist, Marta Johnson accompanied. Composed by Jonthan Stinson, the opera addresses themes of homelessness, family intimacy and love, trespassing, and forgiveness through this familiar fairy tale. The music itself is sophisticated yet engaging and accessible; a treat for singers and audiences alike!

We presented the opera at schools where we teach: Reilly, Clinton, Calmeca, and Hampton. Students (4th-5th graders) at all four schools had been taught the finale chorus and sang with us at the close of the show. Other students from the schools were present just to enjoy the opera.

The children were SO excited to see the performance and to participate with their grown-up counterparts! We heard a lot of positive feedback the next day during regular classes. At one school, Reilly, the entire audience (about five hundred children) got involved to tell us that Goldilocks was NOT on the stage in the bed where the Bears were searching for her, but in the auditorium! They all pointed and yelled "She's gone, she's gone! She's over here!" They were quite involved in the story. It was one of the most rewarding and delightful performing experiences I have ever had. And I would venture to say that the children present will remember that magical, musical day for a long time to come.

I think that it is vital for our students to enjoy exposure to art of all kinds. But it is especially important for them to see an opera, given our program; and to see one early in the year, so that they have a concrete idea of what they are working towards. Our students have spent this semester writing their own lyrics for songs with Mary Scruggs of Second City. Next semester, music and staging will be added and the children will present their very own opera! But last year we heard from some of our partner CPS teachers that many children had never even been in a choir concert, much less a staged performance, and that the end-of-the-year rehearsal process took them by surprise.

This year, our students were able to actively experience the art form that they themselves will be presenting in the spring; both as audience members and as performers themselves. The Goldilocks and the Three Bears performances were scheduled in the same week as the students' "Winter Preview", a semi-staged performance of their written lyrics.

They now have had a taste of excitement, stage fright, rehearsal, and of the finished product they will eventually present. The students will better understand the lessons of teamwork, delayed gratification, and daily practice that are a practical component of the artistic process. They also, I think, have even more respect for us as their artist-teachers. We can actually practice what we teach!

I think that these in-school performances will make such a big difference in the kids' experiences and ability to meaningfully participate in OFA, both in terms of their understanding of what they are working towards, and in their rapport with and respect for us, their Teaching Artists. Mama Bear has already made an in-class appearance (out of costume) to ask for quiet with a gentle "Rahhhhhhhhhrrrrrr!"