You might not necessarily associate the opera and asylum together. But Scottish Refugee Council has teamed up with the Scottish Opera on a fantastic musical project to give children in primary schools a chance to experience opera first-hand.
Refugee children able to relate to Hansel and Gretel
Based on the fairytale story of Hansel and Gretel, the musical workshops happen in schools that include a large number of children from refugee backgrounds. And what a perfect combination – because so many of these children can relate to this moving story about magic, poverty and triumph over adversity.
Workshops begin with a DVD of Hansel and Gretel in three different mediums: film, animation and opera. Each selected part of the fairytale has a positive and significant message to teach the children. Messages of triumph and hope despite difficulties, and of course to be wary of strangers.
The other aim of this exciting and interesting project is to teach children about opera and highlight the work, creativity and talent needed to produce a show. This project importantly allows children who might not otherwise have a chance to experience the wonders of opera to see it first-hand. And for some refugee children this is their first exposure to fairytales like Hansel and Gretel.
Learning about the opera – a totally engaging experience
It was absolutely refreshing to see how creative and engaged the kids were in all the activities. Dramatic hats from the opera costumes wardrobe were popular items and showed the children the big part costumes play in performance and character identity. In addition to getting into character, the children also learned how to actually sing an opera style song! By the end of the workshop the kids were able to perform beautifully, if I do say so myself.
Judging from the show of thumbs up of approval at the end of the workshop, the children had a fantastic time. And so did I because although an educational experience, I thought it was both interesting and enjoyable. I got insight into traditional fairytales, while learning the world of opera and got to see Hansel and Gretel for the first time!
