OPERA FESTIVAL

OPERA FESTIVAL
Since 1998, the Utah Festival Opera has presented a festival of these original operas by children in a beautifully restored theatre in Logan, Utah each spring. Most recently the opera company completed and presented 44 original operas by children from the ages of kindergarten to middle school. The results have been astonishing on so many levels. Not only has it caused the children to want to attend school more regularly as a result of creating their own works, but their interest and proficiency in other academic areas have been enhanced. Teachers have remarked about the core curriculum being easier to present and better retained when the children are involved in creative activity. The atmosphere in the class room has improved, discipline problems have lessened and participation in all areas of school have been enhanced. Some truly remarkable things have occurred from autistic children, who for the first time have participated and communicated as well, to children in middle grades having no reading skills all of a sudden finding the means to catch up with their classmates in reading. We have seen self esteem grow causing painfully shy children to open up and communicate with their peers and teachers. Some children have broken through learning plateaus and subject phobias to find success and joy in learning. I’m not sure I can articulate all of the reasons such wonderful ansillary things have occured through this work, but surely some of the reasons are enhanced self esteem (confidence), the strength and understanding that comes from working and sharing together, the cognitive enhancement of using both hemispheres of the brain, the non-judgemental environment of the arts, the creative opportunities to communicate beyond verbal expression. What ever the reasons, the results are clear.