Opera Creation Boot Camp: A Professional Development Intensive for Educators
Open to ALL K-12 Classroom Teachers, Pre-Service Teachers, Arts Specialists, & Teaching Artists
No Arts Experience Needed, only a Curiosity to Create
This Boot Camp will be held Monday, August 14 – Friday, August 18, 9am-4pm, at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.
Registration and Materials Fee: $100 per Educator
Professional Development Points from Massachusetts DESE available at no extra cost.
Build an inclusive opera company in your classroom for dynamic arts-integrated project-based learning. No arts expertise necessary. Based in the Music! Words! Opera! national curriculum, dive deep into how to facilitate the opera creation process with your students and learn new tools and techniques that support your existing teaching practice.
Recommended that a teaching team of at least two attend from the same school to construct a supportive co-teaching curriculum customized to meet students’ teaching and learning goals.
Sessions focus on:
- Arts-Integrated Project-Based Learning
- Collaborative teaching and learning
- Differentiated Learning Strategies
- Social Emotional Learning outcomes
- STEAM Lessons in technical theater
- Built-in Practicum: Practice teaching each day mentored by Master Teaching Artists
After invigorating morning sessions with Master Teaching Artists, educator-participants have the opportunity to apply their new skills immediately. Each afternoon, we will welcome a group of elementary-aged students in our Opera Camp for a week-long creative opera project, providing a hands-on teaching experience for educators.
Deadline for registration – August 1
TESTIMONIALS FROM PARTICIPANTS
- “It’s just more fun and creative than your average [professional development]”
2022 Classroom Teacher participant
- “The workshop included a wealth of information for teaching artists to use in a residency, and it was interesting and fun.”
2022 Teaching Artist participant
- “[The Master Teaching Artists] gave me a new bag of tools for inspiring creativity in my students. I’ve found myself utilizing their techniques in other aspects of my teaching, beyond opera creation. They also stretched me as an artist. I loved the fact that my teacher-peers and I could work to create our own opera, while at the same time using our new-found skills with actual students each afternoon.”
Classroom Teacher participant
MASTER TEACHING ARTIST BIOS
Lydia Jane Graeff is a Resident Teaching Artist for Boston Lyric Opera as well as the Theatre Teacher at Boston Adult Technical Academy. She specializes in devised theatre and arts integration for English Language Learners. Lydia has been a Teaching Artist for many theatre companies and arts organizations in the Greater Boston Area and continues to direct youth productions at Wellesley Theatre Project.
Joel is a composer, lyricist and educator living in New York City. His artistic background is dually rooted in writing and performing traditional Musical Theater as well as music directing and accompanying experimental musical improv and sketch comedy, and these two perhaps opposing forces have shaped his particularly kinesthetic, enthusiastic and open-minded approach to teaching artistry. He is a resident teaching artist and music consultant for Trinity Wall Street, Dreamyard Project, and Little Orchestra Society, and has also collaborated in this capacity with The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Disney Theatrical Group, Carnegie Hall, Muse Machine, 92Y and others in his 10+ years as a professional, boots-on-the-ground NYC teaching artist. Writing Credits – Off-Broadway: music and additional lyrics, PharmaBro, collaborati