Mr. Knight's third grade classroom appears normal; there are math worksheets in the basket, vocab words on the board, and spelling tests every week. However, if you peek your head in during music time, you will see a group of quiet children transformed into budding singers and actors. For the past few years, Mr. Knight's class has written and performed an opera with an original story, lyrics, tunes, costumes, and stage set.

As the Arts Bridge Representative in Mr. Knight's classroom, I have the wonderful opportunity to help the children prepare for their operatic experience. The theme for their opera this year is Living vs. Non-living things (Science Standard 2).

My goals for the class are that the children will...
1) Develop basic vocal technique, sing in tune, and sing out.
2) Build confidence in their own singing.
3) Write a good opera that encorporates the science core.
4) Understand the structure of an opera and important opera vocabulary.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

LIBRETTO

This is the libretto that the children came up with during our time together. Mr. Knight will continue working on it next semester until it is ready to perform!



Sentence #1
The college students are planning to go on a trip to Hawaii, but they crash into an island of Dinosaurs because of a storm.

Action: College students in NYC planning their vacation.
Song:
College students: “We’re going on vacation. We’re going on vacation. We’re going to Hawaii.”

Action: Four college students get in an airplane and fly over the ocean.
Song:
College students: We are in the air. We are going around the world.

Action: The plane begins to crash.
Song:

1.    Oh no we’re crashing, we’re crashing, down down down. How are going to get back? We’re going down for real.
a.    CCCDD DEE FFFFFFF GFEDC

Sentence #2:
They are wandering around the island when they sit on a rock, which is actually a Dinosaur.

Action: The students get out of the plane and begin wandering around the island. They see many living things that are singing.

Song:
2.    “Come and see my blueberries, take one if you want one.” (Megan)
a.    CAAGGA FFGGAF

3.    “I’m just a little bush, come smell my flowers. I’m just a little bush” (Lilly)
a.    CAAGGF  FGGAG  CAAGGF

4.    “I’m growing up up up growing up.” (Natalie)


Action: One student sits on what looks like a rock (non-living thing). It begins to move.

Song: 
College student: The rock is moving! But this can’t be, it’s not living.

Dinosaur: We are Dinos, we are dinos. Why are you on my head?

College Students: It’s a dinosaur!

Action: The Dinosaur tips the students off.

Song:
Dinosaur: Get off of me whatever you are!
Song:
Student #1: What’s that? What’s that?
Student #2: Tornado, Tornado!
All college students: Help! Help! Run!

Dinosuar: “Arggg! Go away!”

Sentence #3:
Elsa creates a snowstorm and tornado that spits out zombies.

Action: Elsa comes on stage looking for her lost pet. She cannot find him and is getting angry.

Song:
Elsa: I need a pet. I’m going to freeze everything until I find one.

Action: Elsa creates a snowstorm. The snowflakes come out and begin forming a circle. The whole circle spins and begins moving towards the college students.

Song:
Snowflakes: We’re pretty white snowflakes so white and pure.

Action: Elsa tells the snowflakes to sing “Let it go.”

Action: Zombies come out of the snowstorm. They walk as if they are about to fall. The snowflakes create a wall to protect the college students.

Song:
Zombies: Eat, Brain, Ehhhh….(repeat)

“Here’s Zombie”

College Students: Oh no it’s a tornado, zombies are popping out,
            Oh no we are scared. What are we going to do?

Sentence #4:
The students hide in a cave where they meet Billy, Bob, and Joe, and they find a radio that starts playing Whip Nae Nae. This gets rid of the Zombies.

Action: The college students go into a cave to get away from the Zombies. They see their broken down plane.
Song:
College Student #1: My plane! On my poor plane!
College Student #2: There goes a million dollars.
College Student #1: My dad is going to be so mad at me. I’m going to be grounded for a year!

Action: They suddenly see a baby dinosaur, a dog, and a crocodile working on their broken down plane. The three are singing a song.
Song:
Billy, Bob, and Joe: We are working on this plane. We don’t know who it belongs to.

College Student #3: What?! A dog, dino, and crocodile working on a plane?
Billy: I’m Billy.
Bob: I’m Bob.
Joe: I’m Joe.

Billy: Who               **Billy, Bob, and Joe will always talk like this with alternating dialogue.
Bob: are
Joe: you?

Billy: We are working on this plane.
Bob: We need help building this plane.
Billy, Bob, and Joe: We are done. Now you can go home.

Song:
Billy: Ruffing
Bob: snapping
Joe: RRRR
College student: can they come home with us?

Sentence #5

Action: The college students fly home while playing Whip Nae Nae all the way.

Song:
College students: We are going home after almost being eaten by zombies.
College student: My mom and dad maybe will be mad.

Action: They get home and see their parents. They explain to them what they have learned, seen, and done.

Song:
Parents: Where have you been?!





Other Ideas for the ending
·      The radio is their secret weapon.
·      How does the storm stop?
o   Global warming?
o   The children give Elsa a new pet to make her happy.
·      Elsa is angry that her dinosaur is gone. That is why she creates the storm.
·      Billy is the leader of the three animals.
·      The radio could be a box with someone inside of it playing an ipod.
·      The children take the baby dino, dog, and crocodile home with them. Then the parents say…

o   Song: Parents: Oh my, oh dear, is that a dino here? It couldn’t be, it shouldn’t be, they don’t live any more.
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1 comment:

  1. Kyra Lyn McClellanFebruary 4, 2016 at 8:08 AM

    Laurann,

    This is such an adorable libretto! I love how imaginative young children are and I think it is beautiful that you have tapped into their creativity like this! I have really enjoyed reading your blog these past few months and I can't wait to see your presentation in March! Thank you for all you have done for Mr. Knight's students and for the Arts Bridge program!

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