Presents over 30 activities designed to introduce elementary school children to opera. Also provides a synopsis of and student activities for three specific operas ("Hansel and Gretel,""The Mikado,""Aida") and a short article about opera star Luciano Pavarotti. (SJL)

Describes the creation of an opera based on Aesop's Fables which was written, composed and performed by middle school students. Student groups created scenes based on the fables and devised methods for realizing them musically. Activity organization and student evaluation methods are discussed. (AM)

Describes the Viva Kids! Program, in an inner-city elementary school in Florida, in which students create and produce their own opera, engendering great enthusiasm and giving students a new sense of responsibility. (SR)

Describes class activities for incorporating and teaching about opera into the Italian language instruction classroom, focusing on the enhancement of cultural knowledge and understanding that opera offers. (CB)

Urges the use of marionettes and puppet theater to introduce opera to elementary school students. Demonstrates methods for immersing students in opera throughout the school year by designing sets, creating marionettes, painting backdrops, and discussing story and music. (LS)

A guide for teaching the essential musical elements of opera to undergraduate students is provided. The course centers around "The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart. It is presented in four sections. In section I, students investigate type casting of opera singers in terms of the ranges of their voices. Students learn to differentiate coloratura,…

Create Your Own is a month-long artist residency that introduces children to opera as a method of spinning a tale rather than as elitist, high-brow art. Students create their own opera company and are involved in every stage of the process from writing the story and music to building the set and making the costumes. (TD)

Prison library programming has positively affected inmate rehabilitation by providing a venue for learning and literacy education. Describes programs where inmates read and performed operas and participated in essay contests. Highlights San Quentin's Fathers as Teachers: Helping, Encouraging, Reading, Supporting (FATHERS) program and Cook County…

Provides lesson plans for a music lesson on operas, operettas, and musicals; a reading/language arts lesson on using newspapers; and social studies lessons on Chinese folk tales and African American history. Lists print and nonprint resources; and discusses instructional roles, activities, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up. (PEN)

Describes a hypermedia/compact disk program designed to provide beginning and advanced music listeners with a tool for learning about an opera, i.e., "The Magic Flute." Hardware and software requirements for accessing the multimedia program are described, and it is suggested that the program can be used to study the opera's music,…

Presents study results comparing attitudes of elementary school students who did or did not attend an in-school opera performance. Explains that students completed questionnaires measuring attitudes toward opera. Reports that fifth- and sixth-grade students experienced a positive effect from attending the opera. Suggests that fourth grade may be a…

Provides a rationale for using classical music as the basis of interdisciplinary units in elementary social studies. Recommends beginning with a series of humorous pieces to familiarize students with classical music. Includes many examples for utilizing pieces related to geography and history. (MJP)