Waltham 4th Graders Performed Their Own Opera - On Immigration

WALTHAM, MA — Several fourth-grade classes at the MacArthur school took the stage this week and performed an original, student-created opera on June 5.

Though they didn't sing it in the classic Italian, they did bring down the house.

"When kids get the chance to create something on their own and it belongs to them it's really a powerful thing," said Eric Ritter a visiting teaching artist and music teacher who worked with the students.

Several teachers took to twitter to agree that the performance was amazing.

The opera's central theme was immigration, a topic chosen by the some five dozen Waltham fourth graders who participated in creating the opera through a new program with Boston Lyric Opera. "Feeling American: The 1912 immigration," was entirely chosen by the students he said.

Although this is the fifth year the Boston Lyric Opera has offered the program in which trained artists from the opera worked with local music teachers, this was the first time a Waltham school had participated and it was one of eight regional schools creating original performances with the opera company.

Schools from Boston to Peabody, Raldolph to Somerville begin the process each January with visits from opera artists who give basic instruction about music, story-telling and lyrics. Artists then work with teachers and students throughout the spring to develop ideas for the opera and create original music and lyrics.

Teachers who participate in the program report that their students gain empathy for other people and cultures, have deeper understanding of the chosen opera topics, and attain an overall confidence in expressing themselves, according to John Michael Kennedy a spokesperson for the Boston Lyric Opera.

For the past few months four McArther classes of 4th graders (about 68 children) participated in putting the opera together including one pianist who came in with her own score composed already. Her's became the main overture in the opera.

"It's timely and focused about what the kids are thinking about," said John Michael Kennedy a spokes person for the BLO.

"It shows that people can express their feeling about what's going on in their community through this art form and also prove to people who are new to opera that it's a very relevant form of art, despite the fact that it's been around for hundreds of years."

Ritter said he'd worked with the BLO before on a project at a school in Brighton but the main difference with the students in Waltham was that these students had a solid musical foundation thanks to teacher Judy Zuckerman.

"It was a really broad cross curricular under taking," said Ritter. The drama teacher worked on the story and acting in the drama class during that period. And during the music period the students focused on the musical elements of the opera.

And there were many.

"In the end we had 11 or 12 unique compositions and some repeated. It was incredible how much they pulled off musically in particular," said Ritter who only met with each class twice beginning early-mid May.

Ritter worked with students on song composition and expression.

"We talked about how acting for opera is unique in that you might not be moving around as much but you have to put a lot of expression into voice," he said.

He helped them learn and sing a really simple Irish tune called Cheerio and tried doing a variety of ways, pretending to be someone super happy about a new toy or pretending to sing it the way a cowboy would to help make expressions really clear, he said.

Then they took what they learned about expression, tempo and articulation to put them into the composition.

A number of students came in with their own pre-made compositions. The opening theme was a piano composition that was totally conceived by one student.

"She came in with this fully developed thing. That turned into the overture and opening and closing song and chorus that everyone ended up contributing to," said Ritter.

Other students contributed large chunks of arias.

Ritter credited Zuckerman, who was in charge of the whole event, with opening up the program for all of the students to contribute in the way that felt good to them, he said.

"There were things that happened with the kids in terms of vocals and delivery that we had never seen before. when you consider how really little time they had to refine and rehearse, they did amazing," said Ritter

The students created their original pieces, learned and internalized and practiced on their own and then put them on the stage in a matter of weeks. No one forgot lines or had to stop the show, according to organizers.

"This sort of program is a glimpse into what music education can be," said Ritter. "This is an opportunity for that music to be a genuine artistic expression that the kids bring to the classroom."

There is no cost to schools to implement this program -- the costs are paid by BLO through grants and individual donors. Though there's a $100 fee for the teacher training Opera Boot Camp program that teachers have to participate in before they can run the program.

4th grade did an AMAZING job during their opera today, like truly amazing! So proud of these kids! Great work Mrs. Zuckerman, Mr. K and all the 4th grade teachers and students! pic.twitter.com/Z8h5U5OFFm
— MrsB (@MacAScience) June 6, 2018

Did you go? What'd you think? Send us a photo and we'll include it here. Jenna.Fisher@Patch.com

Photo up top: screen shot via Mrs.B's video