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KIDS LOVE OPERA (and they do!)
As part of our Community Out reach Program, Career Bridges is committed to introducing opera to children from K-6 in a way that is exciting, entertaining, leaving the students exhilarated, and enriched with a music form that many have not had the opportunity to hear and see. We have already performed in 24 schools reaching some 4000 school children, and are overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response.
Career Bridges' Program.
One of the strengths of our program is the animated participation of the students:
Working together with the music teachers in each school, we design a unique program of selections from opera based on repertory of the selected singers. (we have over 20 Award winners) Through their teachers, the students learn short selections from the music being performed and join with the singers during the program.
Quote: "I must admit to being somewhat concerned when I learned that opera singers would be performing for us. Well, I have to tell you that I could not have been more pleased and amazed by the end of the three assemblies. Our children were rapt!
I have been working in elementary schools for several years and this was one of the best musical experiences that I've seen children exposed to." — Greg Middleton, Assistant Principal, Mamaroneck Avenue School, White Plains New York.
Content
In the weeks before the performance, the teachers introduce the selected music to their students through recordings and/or video, teaching the students to sing the key melodies; for instance, the first few lines from the Toreador Song from the opera Carmen.
At the assembly, the singers are introduced and explain the material they will be singing using the same gestures, emotions and movements that they will use when singing the song. The audience is then able to understand and take pleasure, as the performers sing in the original language; French, German or Italian. At certain points in the performance the students are invited to participate with the singers such as in the "Toreador Song" from Carmen.
Through this program:
- We give performance opportunities and income to our singers
- We enrich the lives of our school children
- we create new audiences for opera.
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