Opera goes interactive
Many students see opera and ballet as out of bounds, confined to the haut monde of the opera house and theatre when they would much rather surrender to the latest interactive entertainment.
But Royal Opera House Education has a series of free interactive whiteboard resources that bring these art forms alive in the classroom in a format designed to appeal to young learners. They include images, audio, video, and exercises for key stage 3 students related to the national curriculum.
The resources are downloadable at Promethean Planet and feature four lessons on ballet and opera. Students can build a glossary, establish characters and storylines through interactive tasks and learn about the significance of gesture in performance.
Step-by-step lesson plans and guides are included, as well as interviews with choreographers, composers, dancers and opera singers (also available from iTunes U) alongside footage from rehearsals, and costume and set designs.
What else?
- Bashstreetboy has shared a creative activity that helps to demystify the opera for KS3 students.
- Inspire opera appreciation with dsoggiu’s resource on Gianni Schicchi.
- bexta2uk has shared a complete scheme of work for teaching ballet and contemporary dance.
For all links and resources visit www.tes.co.ukresources021.
