Is anything cuter than 9 year olds singing opera?

Welcome to Opera Workshop!  This week you will create, design and perform your own Opera. Participants should be ready to sit both in the directors chair and sing under the lights.  This extremely hands-on camp teaches kids about opera, stage direction, sets, costumes and singing! Open to children ages 8-10. 

If you saw an add like that at your University's summer camp program would you send your kids?   You should.  It is a blast.  

I've taught a children's summer Opera Workshop at the University for 4 years. 

Don't let the word Opera scare you (an honestly if you say you hate opera have you ever actually seen a good opera?!?....exit soapbox...we can still be friends.) this camp is about learning to tell a story through song.  That is what Opera is - minus the romance, murder, sex, scandal and love.  This camp helps kids to learn to sing and develop confidence.  If they don't sing as children by the time they come to me in high school my job is much harder.  Music is so important for kids!

Here is the recipe for opera workshop class:

5-9 students
basic knowledge about opera
understanding of how young voices develop
Major motivating and cheer leading skills
Crazy costumes & Basic props
Lots of energy
Superior classroom management skills

Combine and cook for 2.5 hours a day Monday - Friday
End result:  A 10-15 minute performance of your kid singing their heart out on stage. 

This years class was particularly cute.  They chose Snow White as the basis for their Opera.  We talked about proper singing technique.  We talked about opera.  We talked about moving on stage.  We talked about props and costumes. They told me we needed to build a coffin for Snow White to rest in.  I explained that often times in theater we have to pretend....10 minutes later we found a coffin in the prop room.  They were ECSTATIC. 

To kiss or not to kiss.
That is the question.

With 9 year-olds infected on both sides with cooties kissing was out of the question.  Very different from my high school students...

Dialogue from this week:

Prince:  How will I wake up Snow White?

Snow White:  No!  NOT a kiss!


Me:  Maybe you could give her a hug?

Prince:  No...not a hug.  I think a hand shake.

A hand shake it was.  The prince came galloping up on his stuffed white horse to the coffin.  Borrowing the tune of Twinkle Twinkle he explained that he had been looking for a princess who wasn't selfish (TOTALLY his words)   He shook her hand and they all lived happily after.  I heart my summer job. THE END.

P.S. Sleepy and Sneezy sang a duet.  I kept calling them Sleazy.  Luckily no one asked who Sleezy was.