I have to admit that it is really good to be teaching after a month off. I like having time off, but it makes me lazy. I like to work; especially since I love my job.
Something that I have been thinking about a lot – and something that I am emphasizing to my students – is the fact that opera is supposed to be entertaining. I feel like so much of opera is treated with so much reverence and it’s really not supposed to be that way. I mean, there is respect for the performer, but going to the opera is not a solemn occasion; it’s supposed to be fun. In fact, it used to be that if performers were not to an audience’s liking, they used to throw rotten food at them. Aren’t you glad that custom is gone?
Think about this, though: Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, and others were the Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, and Lin-Manuel Miranda of their time. They made their living writing songs about love, heartbreak, joy, and death. Most of Mozart’s comic operas are about the peasants outsmarting the aristocracy (political satire, anyone?) The only difference is that their songs are written in Italian or German, but the ideas are the same. They even have that same repetitive nature that a lot of modern pop songs have. While it is difficult to understand history sometimes because we are trying to view it through a modern lens, we can see that people 200-300 years ago suffer the same emotional maladies that we do today. The music is something that we can all relate to if we take the time to understand what we’re singing about.
I will be writing more about my feelings on this subject but for now on to other news. I have already announced, but it’s worth mentioning again, that I will only be doing 30-minute musical in the summer. For the Fall and Spring, I am teaching the class through The Homeschool Experience. If you homeschool, this is a great way for your little songbird to take the class. I am teaching 2 classes and the 1st one is waitlist only right now. Also, for those older little songbirds, I am also teaching a high school choir with The Homeschool Experience. I would love to see this class fill up, so come and sign up. It’s going to be super fun.
And speaking of opera as entertainment, if you haven’t already, I invite you to check out my channel, Sewing Room Opera. It has been a source of great joy for me to make those videos and I want to share it with everybody. If you have seen it, please share it with your friends and family. Just don’t throw rotten food at the screen if you don’t like it 😉.
Until next time, songbirds!