Opera connect Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Opera connect Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Students and teachers and parents from Primary schools in Spain, Czech Republic, France, Greece and Germany are planning a sustainable project.
Opera is a synthesis of arts that combines music, singing, theatre, fine arts and dance. The expressiveness and beauty of the art form opera is a result of the combination of these elements that work together in turning the viewing of an opera into a unique experience that stimulates the senses of the audience and allows human emotions and stories to unfold.
Finite and diminishing natural rescources, climate change and the currently rising population are threathening our continent of Europe. Getting to know people plays a central role in working against these processes and is a requirement for a united Europe. Networks between teachers as well as friendships between many children and adults in Europe were created through Comenius and ERASMUS school partnerships. The collaboration with the English musician and former head teacher John C. Murray began in 2010. The idea to write a children’s opera stems from a true story. A girl spent a summer of her childhood playing with her friends near to a pond filled with tadpoles. One morning construction machinery arrived to drain the pond and build a shopping center in its place. The girl tried to save the tadpoles. She did not manage to achieve this. This is where the project starts. We want to discuss this story with the children, find solutions and perform an opera about it. We think that presenting the protection of our threatened planet and the mutually necessary sustainable actions of Europe’s coming generations in theatrical scenes in an opera will work very well. We made a conscious decision to express our concerns through the medium of opera because everyone has experienced the encouraging and educative power of music.
Objectives:
a)We want to rehearse a children’s opera in different countries and perform it in 2020.
b)Through the opera we want to point out the necessity of protecting resources and the sustainable development of our actions.
c)We want to show that rehearsing an opera is a great method to easily overcome existing borders and prejudice and that it can lead to paths for the future.
d)We want to visit each other, get to know each other and exchange experiences about the process of the project as well as get to know our cultural heritage.
e)We want to use the digital means of our time to document and execute our project’s objectives.
f)We want to show that students and teachers can develop skills and abilities through the music project, which they can apply to other projects of their school’s curriculum and also life outside of school!
We want to show that learning is a lifelong experience. We want to show that performing an opera can lead to integral learning because through it we can experience and teach artistic, linguistic and scientific learning content in an exciting and motivational way.
g)Through our reporting on eTwinning we will involve interested schools in the project.
h)Additionally, we would like to inform the UNESCO about our work and invite them to the performance.
Results:
a)Performance of the opera in 2020
b)Creation of a children’s book in several languages about the story of the opera
c)Introduction of operas and composers of operas from the participating countries
d)Examination of the biodiversity of a pond and a presentation on the results
e)Showing democratic means to protect nature
f)Showing sustainable strategies and presenting them
g)Making costumes for the opera
h)Creating scenery for the opera
i) Recording a CD and movie about the opera
During the project we will visit each other once. During the mobilities we will talk about our work results transparently. We will present the intermediate results and prepare for following project phases. We will acquire skills and abilities in project-related workshops lead by experts. Students and teachers will have some kind of responsibility here. The participating students will live with host families and take part in the lessons of the host school. We will introduce our schools as well as present and discuss our pedagogic concepts and successes. We will present our cultural heritage to each other, play music together and have discussions. At the last meeting the opera will be performed in Germany.
The involvement with the music, the rehearsing and performing of an opera written for children, the democratic and sustainable actions, the protection of nature and experiencing the cultural heritage of the partner countries will strengthen the school community. A new pedagogic network and friendships between children and adults will be created and strengthen the European concept. By overcoming this challenge, the partner schools acquire the means and skills to attempt bigger projects. Without doubt things will inevitably, at some point, go wrong because that is real life but we see mistakes as exciting opportunities from which we can learn.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 43034 Eur

Project Coordinator

IBIS-Grundschule “Maria Montessori” & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Zakladni skola a Materska skola Mozaika
• Organisme de Gestion EC école Saint Joseph
• 16th INTERCULTURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL OF CHANIA CRETE
• CPB Ciudad de Columbia