Education Brochure (PDF) - San Francisco Opera

Book to Bravo!
Creating Opera in the Classroom
Grades 5-8
This exciting program, offered in the fall or spring, is a seasonal residency in which a team of teaching artists
comes to your classroom and help students create an original opera based on a myth or folk tale rooted in
the curriculum of the class. Our artists will teach the basics of performance storytelling, libretto writing, and
simple musical composition. The opera will then be cast, rehearsed, and performed in front of the school!
Students will have the chance to experience how a story becomes and opera and how a written piece
comes alive on stage!
SPACE AND TIME
Book to Bravo! is a ten week residency in which a team of teaching artists visit your class for one 90 minute
session each week. The artists team with the classroom teacher to augment the standard curriculum and
move the project forward along with weekly assignments that must be completed between artist visits.
While some of the work can take place in the classroom, access to performance space is necessary for much
of the instruction, as well as a piano or full-size keyboard in good working order.
CASTING
Book to Bravo! is available to grades 5-8
SCHEDULE
Book to Bravo! is available
September 30, 2012 to May 24, 2013
INVESTMENT
There is a participation fee of $1000 for each participating classroom.
Financial aid is available for needy schools..
This program is made
possible by a generous
grant from the Cohen
Family Fund.
Voices for Social Justice
Grades 6-8
Throughout historical reform and revolution, music has been a steady force and conveyor of ideals, opinion,
rebellion, and affirmation. In this course our teaching artist teams up with your classroom teacher to
introduce how art and particularly song has been an instrumental element in shaping and encouraging
societal change. Students are introduced to social and political art and music from the period they are
studying, giving attention to both conventional and non-conventional artists of the time and how they
served as both products of and contributors to change in their cultures. Next we examine means of
expression closer to home and look at how music, particularly songwriting, can be a non-violent force in
conflict resolution in the school, in the neighborhood, in the city. Ultimately students have an opportunity
to identify social and political conflicts in their communities and learn how informed opinions, clarity of
speech, and artistic expression can be a progressive and powerful statement to bring about consciousness
and change.
SPACE AND TIME
Voices for Social Justice takes place once a week in the classroom and requires active teacher participation
as well as some completion of assignments between artist visits.
SCHEDULE
This is a year long residency and meets approximately 20 times during
the school year. During the first half of the year, we study music in
the historical time period studied by the class. In the second half we
create original pieces of our own.
CASTING
Voices for Social Justice is available
to grades 6-8. Ideal for history, social
studies, literature, or cross-curricular
humanities classes.
INVESTMENT
The fee for program participation is
$1,000. As this program is specifically
designed for inner city schools, we are
happy to work with you to find a sponsor for your school.
This program is made
possible, in part, by
generous contributions
from Marci Flanery and
Karen Bruehl.