“The 5th graders are going to do what??” Ms. Crawford, the Lower School’s new music teacher, tried to visualize how three classes of 5th graders were going to write, compose, design, produce, and perform their own original operas. It seemed like an enormous task. And it is. This is the 36th year that D-E has taken on the ambitious ‘Creating Original Opera’ program from the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
Starting with a blank whiteboard and the theme of ‘Courage’, each 5th grade class worked together to create a thesis statement, a setting, and characters for their script. From there, each class divided into two groups, with writers crafting an outline and dialogue, and composers developing musical motifs. The whole group explored how each job of the opera company would help bring their script to life and a special visit to the Metropolitan Opera House to see The Magic Flute allowed students to see how these jobs came together in a production.
Once the original scripts and motifs were finished, 5th graders were given the opportunity to audition for new jobs, including performer, costume/make up or set designer, stage manager, and production manager. Mr. Tines, the Interim Head of Theatre at D-E, graciously joined Ms. Crawford and Ms. Dove to take on the staging, and each class production began to take shape.
Then came ‘Opera Week’, where everything was moved to Hajjar Auditorium with help from Ms. Jackie and the Facilities staff. This was the first time students worked with moving sets and lights. “We had to cooperate with each other a lot,” a student shared. “And we also had to cooperate with lighting tech and with each other -moving tables, sets, chairs…” Another student explained some of the pitfalls: “Something super-unexpected that happened is probably that most black costumes cannot be seen in a blackout. So you have to remember to save everything to one spot and know where to go. Kevin’s mask almost got lost.” A fifth grader chimed in: “I’m surprised that we didn’t mess up on any of the lines, or that no one fell off the stage or anything like that.”
By the final performances on April 27, 5th graders had grown close as a company, supporting each other and encouraging fellow classmates with thumbs up from the back of the auditorium. As one teacher noted, “I noticed that the making of the opera creates a very intense community, but it’s very visible after the opera, when they’ve all collectively been through it; there’s like a regard, there’s a lot of positive feedback they give each other, and there’s a more natural sort of relating that I’m seeing. It’s so valuable, and I hope that will take them through the rest of the year, this commitment to each other.”
But was all the work worth it? When asked, the 5th graders gave a resounding ‘YES.’
“I loved doing the opera. I’ve been waiting to do the opera since I was in Preschool 4. I got to create things with people I love and teachers I enjoy … we really came together as a group by working together”.
“I’m glad that I chose to be an actor, and I’m glad I got the part I did,” agreed another fifth grader.
‘I’m surprised, really, that we could all do it. At first I thought, ‘we cannot do it.’ But it turns out we can do it,” said an actor. “And it makes me feel that we have what it takes to achieve our goals. We had to have good memories, we had to have a lot of perseverance. We had to have the guts to go up there and actually stun the crowd.”
One student summed it all up in four words: “I’m proud of us.”
