Fifth Grade Heads to the Opera

As part of their yearlong study of opera, fifth grade students attended a final dress rehearsal of Puccini's time-honored classic “La Bohème” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on Tuesday, October 22.

The students also toured Lincoln Center, where they learned about the rich history of the cultural institution and viewed some of the artwork in the complex. 

Fifth grade teacher Michaela Boller said that when students returned to campus they spent time in small groups discussing various aspects of the experience, including “their favorite part of the overall experience, something that made them curious, the dimension of performance that was the most impressive to them, the pit orchestra, how the sound and feel of the music impacted the emotions expressed in the opera.” Their reflections will help guide them when they are working on their own opera: a puppet opera staring Egyptian gods and goddesses, which will make its world debut in May 2020. 

The curriculum asks students to study opera from “every possible angle,” middle school music coordinator Katie Meadows explained, including its history, stories, composition, rehearsal process, notation and composition. And with the Met Opera house just a short trip away, “La Bohème” is the first of several performances students will attend this year. 

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