Music! Words! Opera!
Music! Words! Opera! is an opera education curriculum written by classroom music teachers, curriculum specialists, composers and opera professionals. Through the study of opera and music-theatre masterpieces, this multi-disciplinary curriculum presents the conventions of opera and allows students to compose and perform an original work.
Boston Lyric Opera is in its second year of adding the Music! Words! Opera! program! In the 2012/2013 season participating schools are studying Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and applying what they learn to the creation of original operas in their classrooms.
For more information contact Megan Cooper, Manager of Community Engagement at education@blo.org
Any school can join Music! Words! Opera! and teams of teachers are encouraged to get involved together. Participation traditionally begins with attendance at a FREE summer workshop hosted by BLO, but you can still fully participate in the program with your students if you’re not able to attend the workshop. Teachers attending the workshop can Professional Development Points (PDPs).
M!W!O! materials are available for purchase from Opera America. The Level I and Level II manuals contain different operas for study in the Listen and Discover part of the curriculum, but all of the activities are adaptable to a variety of grade levels. All three manuals contain the sequential lesson plans to Create and Produce your own opera as a class. How you use the material is up to you. BLO can provide suggestions and assistance and will schedule special events for you to take advantage of throughout the school year. (Check out the Important Dates tab for a few examples.)
To get involved, email the Community Engagement Department at education@blo.org or call 617.542.4912 x242.
Teacher Workshop
August 13-17, 2012
Enroll Now: Email the Community Engagement Department at education@blo.org or call 617.542.4912 x242.
2012/2013 School Year Events for Music! Words! Opera! Classrooms will include:
Classroom visits by a BLO singer
These are available for Create and Produce classrooms only
Attend a rehearsal
All M!W!O! classrooms are welcome
Festival of Classroom Operas
This event is for Create and Produce classrooms only
What is Music! Words! Opera!?
At its heart, M!W!O! is a multi-faceted program that provides educators with the resources to teach their students about opera. It all begins with a five-day summer workshop for which teachers can earn PDP’s. During this workshop, which is led by skilled facilitators from OPERA America, the national service organization for the field of opera, participants will be led through the content of the M!W!O! textbooks. There are three levels of textbooks designed for children in grades K-12. It was written by a team of authors, including classroom and music teachers, curriculum specialists, composers and opera professionals. Through the study of opera and music-theater masterpieces, this multi-disciplinary curriculum presents the conventions of opera and allows students to compose and perform original music-theater works.
What is in the textbooks?
M!W!O! offers two approaches to learning — Listen and Discover and Create and Produce. Listen and Discover introduces students to the operatic art form and explores how and why specific operas were written. With Create and Produce, students produce their own original opera. Levels I and II (for elementary and middle schools) each include “What to Listen For” CDs with music excerpts that accompany the lesson plans, a Teacher’s Manual and Student Studybooks. Level III (for high schools) includes a Teacher’s Manual and complete recordings of the play Othello and the opera Otello.
Why Music! Words! Opera!?
Boston Lyric Opera knows that your classroom time is precious, but that including arts in the school day is vital for a well-rounded education. M!W!O! was developed to reflect the highly interdisciplinary nature of opera and to promote the art form as an excellent tool to aid students and teachers in their explorations of history, language, literature and music. M!W!O! places students at the center of their learning as they work in partnership with teachers and artists to find new creative means of self-expression through the study of opera.
What are teachers saying about BLO’s M!W!O! workshop?
The instructors were wonderful. The fact that music teachers could work together with classroom teachers to complete a piece of work was amazing, fun, and I learned a lot! - 4th Grade Teacher
Many of the activities would work for any class! - 2nd Grade Teacher
My dream is to create an after school opera club with 5th grade students and help them create a fabulous production! - K-5 Music Teacher
Great workshop – I will definitely spread the word at my school! - 4thGrade
How much does the workshop cost?
There is NO COST for teachers to attend the workshop. You will just need to purchase a Level II Teacher’s Guide and Puccini’s Madam Butterfly student workbook in advance (see below for details on pricing and ordering).
Where will it be held?
The workshop will be held at 11 Avenue de Lafayette in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood. The building is the home of BLO’s new offices and easily accessible from Green, Red, and Orange T lines and South Station on the commuter rail. Parking lots are also nearby.
How do you order the textbooks?
Textbooks for the workshop should be purchased through Boston Lyric Opera at the time of registration. Textbooks are $44.97 + $5 shipping; Student Workbooks for Madame Butterfly are $2.95.
Does the workshop go all day?
Yes. Plan to arrive by 8:30am and finish at 4:00pm each day.
Will there be an opportunity to have guests come to speak with the kids?
Yes. Classrooms participating in the Create and Produce portion of Music! Words! Opera! will have the option of hosting a singer, director and designer from Boston Lyric Opera. You will also be matched with a composer who will help write melodies for your original opera!
What are the resources that BLO provides?
We know that every classroom teacher is not an opera expert and that in some cases you will be learning and growing right along with your students. However, you will have access to the Education Department staff at BLO who can help you answer questions, gain clarity, and generate ideas. In addition, classrooms participating in Create and Produce will have the option of hosting a BLO artist, director and/or designer.
When is the deadline to sign up for the workshop?
The deadline for workshop signup is August 1, 2012.
If I cannot come to the workshop, can I still use the curriculum for the upcoming year?
Absolutely! Although you will not earn PDP’s, BLO is still happy to support your use of the curriculum.
When is the classroom performance festival day for the Create and Produce program?
The Festival of Classroom Operas for the 2011/2012 school year will take place on June 1, 2012 at Wheelock Family Theatre. If you are an educator interested in adopting the Music! Words! Opera! curriculum at your school, and would like to check out the work of this year’s participants, please contact Megan Cooper at 617-542-4912 x242 for more information.
Informational Webinar
Scheduled for Wednesday, May 30 at 4pm. Please contact Megan Cooper, education@blo.org for more information.
