Opera is a synthesis of the arts that combines music,
singing, theatre, fine arts and dance. The expressiveness and beauty of the operatic art form is a result of the
combination of these elements that work together in turning the viewing of an opera
into a unique experience that stimulates the senses of the audience and allows human emotions and
stories to unfold.
Finite and diminishing natural rescources,climate change
and the currently rising population are threathening our continent of Europe. Getting to know and
understand people plays a central role in working against theses processes and is a requirement for
a united Europe. Networks between teachers, as well as friendships between many children
and adults in Europe, were created through Comenius and ERASMUS school partnerships.
The collaboration with the English musician and former head teacher John C. Murray began in 2010. The idea to write a children’s opera stems from a true story. A girl spent a summer of her childhood at a pond filled with tadpoles. One morning construction machinery arrived to drain the pond and build a shopping center in its place. The girl tried to save the tadpoles. She did not manage to. The tadpoles died and the center was built.
This is where the project starts. We want to discuss this
story with the children, find solutions and perform an opera about it. We think that presenting the
protection of our threatened planet, and the highlighting the necessary sustainable actions of Europe’s
coming generations in theatrical scenes in an opera will work very well.
We made a conscious decision to use opera as the medium for broadcsating our message because everyone has experienced the encouraging and educative power of music.
a) We want to rehearse a children’s opera in different European countries and perform it in 2020.
b) We want to show that performing an opera can lead to integral learning
because through it we can experience and teach artistic, linguistic and scientific
concepts in a project-oriented and motivational way. Through the medium of opera it is hoped
that students and teachers will learn key competences and skills.
c) Through the opera we want to point out the necessity of protecting
rescources and the vital importance of the concept of sustainability.
d) We want to show that rehearsing a opera is a great method to easily
overcome existing borders and prejudice and that it can lead to paths for future
development.
e) We want to visit each other, get to know each other and exchange
experiences about the process of the project as well as get to know our own cultural
heritage as well as the cultural heritage of others.
f) We want to use the digital means of our time to document and execute our
project’s objectives.
g) We want to show that students and teachers can develop skills and
abilities through the music project, which they can apply to other projects of their
school’s curriculum.
h) We want to show that learning is a lifelong process and that students and teachers are constantly learning.
Milestones of the projects are:
a) Book Day – creation of a
children’s book about the story of the opera in different
languages.
By writing the story of the children’s book the children will be introduced to the
opera and can work on their language and artistic skills. The children’s
book will be created in several languages.
On Opera Day we will present operas and composers of our countries. The
children will present the plot and highlights of a chosen opera. The partner
schools will share the results. By doing that we hope to be able to develop a greater
appreciation of the European cultural heritage.
Different possibilities of democratic participation will be shown in the
opera. For the day of democracy, the children will present their possibilities
to participate in protecting our resources and living our lives in a more eco-friendly and
sustainable way. We want to highlight the similarities between the democracies of
the partner countries.
The diversity of nature is a condition for the survival of humankind. You
can only protect nature if you are familiar with it. We will experience the beauty of
nature in the different countries, examine the biodiversity of a pond and present possibilities
to protect nature.
We will need a stage and costumes for the opera. The partner schools will
create this. On the day of the arts we will present our results.
The performance of the opera will be our project’s
highlight. Here we will be able to see the integral work and the acquired
skills and key competencies.
