Chicago Opera Theater - Education: Opera for All

Opera 4 All at Von Humboldt

Video: Teaching Artist, Kim Chin is warming up Von Humboldt students with a song.

Lisa Golda, Teaching Artist

   Opera for All is off to a wonderful start at Von Humboldt School! Our students in Mrs. Tate and Mr. Grunstad's classes have been excited, attentive, and full of enthusiasm. We took the advice of last year's partner teachers and made building a rapport with our students a top priority for the first few weeks. That may sound like a given--and it should be--but last year our curriculum goals were so ambitious, and the school so comparatively chaotic, that time for "get-to-know you" games seemed an impossible luxury. This year, thanks in part to VHB's new principal and our superstar partner teachers, the atmosphere in class has been much calmer. We also changed our COT curriculum to address fewer themes, but in greater depth. Those variables combined made it possible for us to take time to get things off to a collegial start.

      We started the first two sessions in each class with name game-ice breakers like "hot seat". Each student had about 20 seconds in which to introduce themselves, then answer questions posed by the class, such as "If you could take anything to a desert island, what would it be?" Teachers also participated!  This helped us to learn students' names and also a little bit about them, and vice versa. In order to integrate singing and opera in that activity, we also sang personal introductions in the form of a repeated simple group song. Braver souls could volunteer to sing a solo "recitative."  Next came acting, singing, and rhythm-based activities that helped to establish students' expectations for the fun and novel arts-integrated curriculum Opera for All offers, and question-and-answer sessions focused on opera/music in general, or themes from this year's opera. 

      Taking the time to make a personal and fun connection with our most important partners--the students---has made a huge difference in the classroom atmosphere and level of participation, making our subsequent lessons much more focused and fun!. The students are cooperative, attentive, and positive. It is also helpful that we do know some of the students from last year's classes at Von Humboldt; they are eager to share the knowledge they already have about opera with their classmates!  Students also seem very intrigued by the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts, which is the thematic material upon which our featured opera, Cavalli's Giasone, was based. The fire-breathing bulls, WWF-style heroes like Hercules, romantic intrigue, magic, and marvelous globe-trotting journeys of the myth have captured the students' imaginations. It's going to be---dare I say, in the spirit of the Argonauts---an epic year!

First class at McKinley Park, Opera 4 All

Danielle McCormick-Knox, Teaching Artist


    Teaching Artists Linden and Danielle started the year off at McKinley with a bang! There are always feelings of excitement and nervousness before the first class at any school. We don't know what to expect from the students, whether they will be open to the idea of singing opera or even know what it is for that matter.  How will they react to our partner teaching style? Will they want to sing their name in the name game? All these questions seemed to float away after 5 minutes of being in Mrs. Vidro's 5th grade class and Ms. Rodarte's 4th grade class at McKinley Elementary. 
    Linden and Danielle were happy to see that Mrs. Vidro's class was the same fourth grade class from last year's Opera for All production of La Clemenza di Mozart.  We remembered how excited they were last year to be a part of the production. When asked this year at the first class,"What is Opera?," the classroom was flooded with raised hands and students squirming in their seats to answer.  One student said " Opera is a play set to music with lots of loud singing," another student answered, "Opera is about drama and emotions and feelings and stuff."  "Opera is when you sing dance, act, and wear costumes from history."  The answers kept coming and it was a race to write them all down on the board.  Linden and Danielle were thrilled to see how much the students had retained from last year. Many of the students wanted to share words that they remembered from last year such as: conductor, librettist, and composer. All the excitement and eagerness to learn about opera made Mrs. Vidro's first class a huge success.
    Ms. Rodarte's 4th grade class was next on the agenda.  This program is new to the fourth graders so we were expecting a little less enthusiasm.  Lesson one for the teachers....the students always prove you wrong. Ms. Rodarte's class was filled with enthusiasm, open-mindedness and most of all a thirst to learn about this colorful world of opera. Ms. Rodarte read the myth, "Jason and the Golden Fleece," to the students prior to our first class.  The opera we are studying this year is, Il Giasone by Cavalli which is based on the myth of "Jason and the Golden Fleece".  This myth is filled with gods, monsters, heroes, witches, and many twists and turns. At times it can be confusing to keep track of all the trials that Jason endures, but for Ms. Rodarte's class it was a walk in the park.  One student proceeded to explain the entire story of Jason and the Golden Fleece.  When he forgot one detail about the moving rocks, another student chimed in with "don't forget about the moving rocks and the dove."  Ms. Rodarte did a fabulous job in preparing the students for the first class.  They proved that they have a tremendous grasp on the myth and that is half the battle.  What a thrilling start to our year!  Linden and Danielle are so excited to take the students deeper in the world of opera, singing, and of course the mythological world of Il Giasone. 

After School Matters Fall of 2009

AJ Wester, ASM teacher

This is our 4^th year with Maggie Daley’s highly successful After-School-Matters program.  This year we have 26 talented teens as part of our Chicago Opera Theater for Teens program.  It is a very new group with most of our group last year moving on to college.  Last year, our students were accepted into some of the more prestigious undergraduate programs in voice and theater.

 

But it is a new year and an exciting new group.  The students come from all over the city of Chicago.  In this present group the following high schools are represented: Michelle Clark High School, John Hope College Prep, Lincoln Park High School, Jones College Prep, Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Whitney Young High School, Kenwood Academy, Hubbard High School, Lane Tech High School, Von Steuben, North Grand High School and Northside College Prep.

 

The first semester we focus on the basics: Breathing, Diction, posture, Basic vocal technique, movement, improv exercises for acting, etc.  Our second focus is applying for college.  We spend a lot of time practicing auditioning techniques.  We do this mainly because the techniques used in auditions are transferable to interviewing for jobs or for colleges.  The skills learned in these workshops have translated well into ‘soft skills’ that prepare for a challenging job market.  The question of marketing yourself – what is too much and what is simply not enough.  Multiple guest artists will visit this semester including: Ashley Hargrave, Assistant Director of Admission, CCPA; Dr. Cheryl Frazier Hill, Director of Choral Programs CCPA; Karen Bauer, Head of the Voice Department North Park University; and Sasha Gerritson from Northeastern University. 

 

We are also busy preparing our scenes concert which will be December 8, 2009 at 6:30 pm at Gallery 37.  We are planning scenes from: The Mikado, West Side Story, Hansel and Gretel, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Dido and Aeneas.  There’s a strong group of guys this year…we might be taking a ‘trip east’ for our final show next year…but that is not official yet…but should still be interesting.  We’ll keep you all posted!!!

 

So there is a lot going on at Chicago Opera Theater for Teens…Keep up with us on FACEBOOK…I should get pictures up there soon!!!!!

Reilly Elementary, the action begins!

New Teaching Artist, Matthew Newlin reports:

In only a few weeks, Linden and I have seen some positive changes happening in our 4th and 5th grade students at Reilly Elementary.  4th graders in Mr. Laz's class are becoming more outgoing and confident.  They're becoming more comfortable making sounds and singing especially with a call and response song called "Yonder come day."  Introduced by Linden, this song is being asked for by name, rapidly becoming more popular than my scales and warm-ups!  This song is helping them learn to keep a beat and match pitch.  In the coming weeks, Linden and I will add clapping, foot stomps, and possibly some harmony to the little tune.  We're anxious to see how far this song will go.

The 5th graders of Mr. Beck's class are quite conscientious and detail-oriented.  Their recounting of the story of Jason and the Argonauts was amazingly event specific and filled with an unexpected amount of subtext.  Most of the class sings without much fear, and almost everyone readily participates.  The willingness and excitedness to learn is astounding.

Our goals for the first few weeks were simple:  Get to know the stuents through ice-breaking games, get them singing, and get them thinking about opera and the story of Jason.  Now, we're ready to start tacking more specific lesson plans, like rhythm, mapping, and learning and singing the songs that will most likely be used in the end of the year performance.  Based on the creativeness of their journals and the excitedness in the classroom, I'm sure the next few weeks will be full of great fun and great learning.

Von Humboldt's Final Performance & Recapitulation

Blog by Teaching Artist, Lisa Golda

After roughly eight months of learning, creating, rehearsing, and struggling, Von Humboldt School students have presented their own version of Mozart’s opera La clemenza di Tito, entitled “La clemenza di Mozart.”  And we are so very proud of all the students who contributed their talents and enthusiasm.

 

The performance was in many ways miraculous, given the practical roadblocks teachers and students were dealing with all year long. The school itself, overtaxed and underfunded, is located in a neighborhood full of boarded-up buildings and sidewalks strewn with garbage. The classrooms are jammed full-- too full--with desks and kids, with little to no room for a keyboard. We often had to bring our own dry erase markers to the school for writing on the already crowded boards. CD players did and didn’t work.

 

Kids did and didn’t want to participate on any given day—maybe sometimes because school, whatever the subject, seemed unimportant compared to what some of them may be dealing with in their personal lives.

 

Despite these obstacles (and others, no doubt, about which we were clueless), the students’ creativity and spirit stubbornly shone through, finally coming to fruition during the last days of preparation and performance. Some kids blossomed into actors, musicians, and dancers. Some created vibrant, colorful pictures for the set. Some children became leaders; modeling the minuet for their classmates, offering to learn additional parts when their peers backed out, and assisting with set changes and music cues in addition to playing their parts.

 

For a few, just sticking with their commitment to participate was their victory. Ours was watching so many students grow and change; not only in their appreciation of opera and the associated performance and creative skills, but also in their ability to articulate the qualities that make good (Enlightened) leaders; among them, the mercy and rational judgement demonstrated by Mozart's Emperor Tito. And all of this took place with President Obama's historic election as both a real-life backdrop and a scripted plot device.

 

Tito, Mozart, Obama = Mercy, Creativity, Hope. Indispensable lifetime tools, the simple seeds of which were presented to and, we hope, internalized by the students through the not-so-simple process of putting on an opera. If the kids’ performance this week was any indication, a few of those seeds have already begun to grow.

VH Dress Rehearsal

Blog from Linden at Von Humboldt

 It is a treat to see the Von Humboldt students taking pride in their work. They are eager to show us their own efforts and to prove their capability in front of their peers. The fourth graders wait patiently for their chance to shine as they represent the chorus and provide the loudest vocal interjections in the opera script. The fourth graders have proven to have a high maturity level based on their ability to dance the minuet with their partner. They take their dance seriously and are quick to correct others that might forget a step including myself!

The sixth and seventh graders have their roles memorized, but now they are discovering that they must spend more time memorizing the lines before and after them so that they will continue the flow of the plot. Our Sesto apologized for wasting our time at the end of the rehearsal, which was a big step for this student to recognize that he could improve his behavior. The students loved getting into costume and having specific props that were designated to their role. They took pride in this and had fun getting into character. Whenever you add an element such as props or costume the action, concentration, and memorization falter. This happens with any performing troupe.

Lisa and I surprised the students with a special treat. We will give them an extra rehearsal on Monday to help them solidify before their performances on Tuesday, May 5th!

Reilly student's do a 180

Danielles blog from Reilly Elementary  School   April 24, 2009

It is beginning to be crunch time here at Reilly Elementary School.  Both fourth and sixth graders are less then a month away from their Class Performances of “La Clemenza di Mozart.”   It is amazing the progress we have seen not only in their class participation but also in their attitudes within the last couple of weeks.  The Fourth Graders especially have begun to shine in ways that didn’t seem possible in the beginning of the year.
Mr. Laz’s class has been a challenge since day one. There have been a few behavioral problems within the class that has disrupted many a session.  In the beginning, Linden and I were worried that they weren’t going to be able to grasp all the information that was needed  with so many distractions occurring in the classroom.  Boy, were we wrong. This time the students taught the teacher.  
Mr. Laz’s class has become the thread that keeps our Production of “La Clemenza di Mozart” together. They have all the music memorized and ready to share with an audience.  Their commitment to the text and drama is astounding.  On the bus for their trip to Harris Theater, Mr. Laz’s class decided  to sing all the music they have learned thus far in Opera Class without prompting from any teacher. Mr. Laz couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was so thrilled to hear his students so engaged and excited about what they were learning. 
Friday’s class was a great example of how far the fourth graders  have come.  Linden and I decided to have the students begin class with their Minuet dance.  While finding their partners,  the boys transformed themselves into 17th Century gentleman with correct posture and attitude and the girls coursteyed with grace and beauty.  They all finished the dance without breaking into laughter or  tripping over their own feet.  What an accomplishment! 
As a reward for their superb dancing, we  decided to have the students participate in a few acting games.  Acting games can get out of hand sometimes even for older performers so Linden and I were interested to see how they would adjust.  First we described the “Mirror game” with the students. Since they were already coupled together, we had the students face each other and put up their hands as though they were looking in to a mirror.  One of the students was the “controller” of the mirror and the other student had to be the reflection and mirror the other students movements.  The key to the game is to have controlled, fluid movements while staying  connected to the other person.  Linden, Mr. Laz, and I were so surprised at how focused each pair of students were. One of the pairs of students even used their legs in the mirror and it didn’t even phase their partner!
The next game we showed them was the “Snap Shot” game.  The students were given a scenario and they had to think of what their reaction to the scenario might be.   At the end of the 5 seconds, they had to freeze in their chosen reaction as if in a photo.  The students came up with the funniest reactions to some of the scenarios.  For example, one of the scenarios was “You just finished a huge meal at a fancy french restaurant and you are stuffed. The waiter comes over and clears your empty plate and says “How did you like your alligator tongues?”.    Some of the students gave the most hysterical face in their snap shot while others rubbed their tummies as if it was the best meal ever!  
The fourth graders at Reilly have done a complete turn around in their attitude in opera class. The students have taught us that music can do more things than just delight the listener. It can open up attitudes and emotions within ourselves.

Mozart, Minuets, and Multiple Modalities

Blog from Lisa at Von Humboldt:

    Because opera often incorporates dance elements, students at VHB are learning both a period-appropriate minuet and a contemporary hip-hop dance to include in their upcoming opera performance. The minuet is set to Mozart's music, while the hip-hop piece utilizes a sampled beat from Lil Mama's hit "Lip Gloss." Lyrics to the song were rewritten for the character Vitellia and will be sung by the students. Choreography was created and taught by a wonderful guest artist, Devery McCoy.

    Using a contemporary hit as the rhythmic backbone for one of the main character's "arias" and a dance in their opera will help students to better appreciate the way music can convey emotion and situation in a dramatic context. They will hopefully also draw parallels between the minuet of Mozart's time and contemporary choreography.

      Most exciting of all, however, was the way this activity engaged the students--including some who have struggled to stay on task in a more traditionally sedentary classroom setting. Because opera is a
multi-disciplinary art form, preparation to present it provides opportunities for all kinds of learners. Kinesthetic kids can dance, act, and sing. Auditory learners respond well to the pairing of music with other elements. Visual students will watch the drama and can also contribute to set and costume design and creation. Everyone involved will end up taking a crack at learning outside their comfort zone--and some students might discover talents they didn't know they had.

Click on link below to view videos from Von Humboldt

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/4580f674415c1ea2a6bfd747c040c7ae/video/3488854

McKinley Park's Opera Idol

Blog from Danielle:

The past couple of weeks at McKinley Park Elementary have been a whirlwind.  The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth graders have been learning music from our show "La Clemenza di Mozart" as well as memorizing their lines and blocking for the performances in May.  They have been thrown in to the life of an opera singer and have faced the challenge with grace and determination! The last two weeks we have focused on one of the longest songs in our opera, "Serbate o Dei custodi."  The teaching artist team has rewritten the words so they make sense in our story line.  The song encompasses many terms related to enlightenment.  The students in the Fourth Grade class raised their hands every time they sang a word related to enlightenment.  I was excited to see how much they remembered from their previous lesson on the Enlightenment Period. 

In our Fifth Grade class, a student named Cassandra volunteered to sing the entire piece of music by herself in front of the whole class to demonstrate proper performance technique. Wow! Were we in for a treat!  Cassandra  had the voice of an angel and successfully tackled the tricky rhythms in the music. She memorized all the words and sang with a clear tone and beautiful diction. Linden and I were so impressed and thrilled that she could demonstrate such talent in front of her peers.  We asked her after class how it felt to sing in front of everyone and she said :
"When I sang it by myself I felt shy and scared with butterflies but I had so much fun."
Well, the nerves didn't seem to stop her from a successful performance!  What a great treat for the rest of the class to see one of their friends shine. I think it is wonderful inspiration for her peers. Move over American Idol! Here comes McKinley Park Opera Idol!

 

The Onion

Blog from Olga teaching violin at McKinley Park

The greatest challenge in a group violin class is surprisingly, not the violin, but upholding discipline for long enough to practice the violin. Thus, when our usual room was unavailable, and we had to hold class in the little space attached to the gym, I figured the distraction would be too great to have a productive study. In desperation, I looked around me for any tools that would help me maintain quiet, and all I saw was a large white onion and a jacket.

"Ok, class," I said to the 3rd graders. "Whoever dares to even peak at the gym people, will have to eat this raw onion." I looked them sternly in the eyes; "all of it... and with the peel." "Eeew!" A few voices called. I looked around with an exaggerated frown, and they met it with big solemn smiles on their faces; they were in on the joke. For the rest of the class, not even one child peaked at the gym kids. They managed to concentrate and learn the whole song, while basketballs were thumping and the gym kids were staring at them. After class, we had a discussion whose mom makes a better onion soup.