I have been having a really awesome time the past several weeks working with “Create An Opera” Camp at Frost Elementary School.  This is a special project of the Houston Grand Opera, and I am collaborating with Hannah Lu (also a colleague from “Opera to Go!”) to teach this class.

During our sessions with the children, we teach them the basics of opera (aria, recitative, libretto, etc) and then teach them how to create an opera.  It starts with choosing a story, then writing the words for the choruses, arias, ensembles, etc.  Then the children make up their own melodies for the words.  Once the opera is written, we cast the roles, rehearse and stage the show , then perform it on the last day, using costumes and sets that the children also made themselves.

Our students at Forst Elementary chose the story “Peter Rabbit” to write their opera.  At this point, we have written all the words and music, and we have also cast the characters.  We are just rehearsing and making costumes until our final performance on May 19.

Here’s a little excerpt of the music.  This is “Mr. McGregor’s Aria” during which he discovers that he has a bunny in his garden, written in a jazzy musical idiom!  (It’s just a little demo recording with me playing piano and Hannah singing.)

And just so you can follow along, here’s the lyrics the children wrote:

Look there’s a bunny in here,
I think that he’s in fear.
He hides behind the wheat;
He wants some food to eat.

I’m gonna get that bunny,
And it’s not gonna look funny.
I teach that bunny a lesson
For messin’ with my dressin’.