Performance at the Met Provides Inspiration for Fifth Grade Puppet Operas

It was a fitting finale to an opera-filled fall. 

As part of their year-long study of opera, the fifth grade class visited The ‪Metropolitan Opera at New York City’s Lincoln Center on Monday, December 17. There, they attended the final dress rehearsal of Mozart’s time-honored classic, The Magic Flute.

Students have studied, listened to and sung operatic selections this year to prepare for this memorable experience. They not only had the opportunity to see The Magic Flute; they also explored Lincoln Center and learned the history of the institution. “This is one of my favorite learning experiences during the fifth grade year,” said music teacher Katie Meadows. “After our deep dive into opera history, vocal technique and music composition this fall, students have the opportunity to attend a professional production at a world-famous opera house only 30 minutes from our campus.”

Following the production, the students reflected in small groups on the various dimensions of performance such as lighting, scenery, puppetry, instrumentation and costumes, and then shared their reflections with the group at large.

The class will have the opportunity to revisit the music of The Magic Flute when they perform one of the opera's famous duets, “Papageno, Papagena,” at the Middle School winter concert on Friday, January 11, 2019 at 2:00 PM.

This newly-found operatic knowledge and expertise will also come in handy as the students compose the music for their original puppet operas in the spring. The annual fifth grade puppet operas will take place on Thursday, May 30, 2019, at 2:30 PM in the Doc Wilson Hall.
 

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