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BACK TO: Using Idomeneo to Teach Music
About the Author

How To Use This Study Guide

The goal of this link is to provide educators with a tool to open the world of opera to their students. Each opera will be presented with a starting point, a motivation, a hook, which is designed to tap into the experiences and imaginations of toady's youngsters. Some of these motivations will arouse the curiosity of these students, while others will challenge their creativity. Many of these motivations will involve a gimmick, but each type of gimmick is designed to involve the students and draw them in to the world of opera. Although not every scene of every opera will be discussed, those that are chosen are designed to give the musical highlights. Musical elements will be discussed by category such as recurring motifs or rhythm. Hopefully, the students will become engaged with the characters, plot and music. It is then up to the teacher to decide how much and how deeply to involve a particular class. One final note: when listening to a recording of an operatic excerpt in class, it is suggested that students have copy of the words of the aria, duet or scene that is being played. Every five lines should be numbered in both the original language and the English translation. This will lead to more active listening and the students will become more absorbed in the drama and the music.

Note: In using this guide, the following New York State Arts Standards will be used:

1. Creating, performing and participating in the arts. By getting students involved in acting out some of the scenes, they are expressing themselves creatively as well as performing and participating.

2. Using arts materials and resources. Recordings, libretti, Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts and the resources of the internet are used to access material about the opera.

3. Responding to and analyzing works of art. Students are listening and responding to opera in general and a specific opera in particular.

4. Understanding the cultural dimensions and contributions of the arts. By using the humanities, visual and musical connections of the Texaco Opera Learning Center, the multi-dimensional and cultural aspects of opera can be approached as a combination of many art forms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jonathan F. Dzik received his M.A. in musicology from the City University of New York (Queen's College). His thesis was on the operatic choruses of Verdi. He received his doctorate in music education from N.Y.U. His dissertation focused on how to teach opera appreciation to high school students. Dr. Dzik saw his first opera performance at the Metropolitan Opera (The Barber of Seville) at the age of 14 and was hooked for life. He announced an opera program on the radio for his college radio station at N.Y.U. and was rehearsal pianist for the Bronx Opera Company. He has written and edited 6 filmstrips on opera and musical theater. He has been the musical director for 27 different musical productions in schools and community theaters. He has given workshops on general and choral music for the New York City Board of Education. For the past 25 years, he has prepared his students to attend opera performances at the Met, and has given teacher workshops for the Metropolitan Opera Guild on how to present opera to students. He believes that almost any student can learn to appreciate opera if first given the proper motivation or hook to grab them and draw them in to the story, characters, setting and music.