Introducing opera to sixth-graders may sound like a recipe for disaster, but a New Jersey music teacher has discovered how to get his students excited about "Aida": by making it the basis of a class video. This article presents a no-nonsense, seven-contact-period approach that's incredibly effective, fun, and as free as a couple of mouse…

In 1993 Lake Agassiz School in North Dakota received a Knight Foundation grant so teachers and students could participate in a program to learn how to create an opera. The program instructed teachers on how students could maximize their understanding about producing an opera. The school formed a partnership with the Metropolitan Opera Guild of New…

Describes a two-week arts appreciation unit implemented by a sixth-grade teacher at Graham Elementary School in Los Angeles. The unit introduces the students to Parisian art and architecture, the music of Wagner and Stravinsky, and the paintings of Monet and Chagall. Visual and aural exposure to art and music, group discussions, and hands-on art…

Presents study results comparing attitudes of elementary school students who did or did not attend an in-school opera performance. Explains that students completed questionnaires measuring attitudes toward opera. Reports that fifth- and sixth-grade students experienced a positive effect from attending the opera. Suggests that fourth grade may be a…