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| OPERA FOR SEVENTH GRADERS - Getting beyond "Yuck!" |
| February 2005 |
Dr. Sandra Nicolucci
of Wellesley, Massachusetts was one of the first winners of an AMEI grant, for Porgy and Bess: An American Opera. Sandi teaches grade 6-7 General Music in the Wellesley Public Schools, and is Wellesley?s K-12 Director of Performing Arts. In addition, she teaches music education and curriculum development at her alma mater, Boston University. Sandi has received the Lowell Mason Award and the Distinguished Service in Music Education Award from the Massachusetts Music Educators' Association, and the Peter Farrelly Leadership Award from the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
On top of it all, Sandi is also a warm, enthusiastic, innovative and inspiring teacher who has done what many thought was impossible: she made an American opera relevant to middle school students. We asked her how she did it, and this is what she said.
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?Teach an opera in Middle School? You need therapy!?
Such was the reaction of general music colleagues to a proposition made many years ago that a seventh grade unit on George Gershwin?s PORGY AND BESS be developed to complete the required series of K-7 general music courses in our school district.
?Their last memory of general music is going to be about something that they hate! Opera! You?re nuts!?
Eighteen years later, these comments are a source of mirth for the general music teachers of Wellesley (Massachusetts) Middle School. This unit has since been taught to thousands of seventh graders, each of whom has been changed in some significant way. Preceded by a study of the origins of jazz in American, this capstone unit ties together musical and cultural concepts within the context of a riveting story conveyed by remarkable American music. When kids start asking their parents to give them a recording of this opera as a holiday or birthday present, we know we?ve done our job! That?s the best therapy for music teachers!
PORGY AND BESS is an adult story with mature themes. Is it appropriate for thirteen-year-olds? Years of experience show us that kids appreciate our trust that they can handle the sophisticated musical and story material. The opera challenges their thinking beyond the obvious, and it calls them up short if they are personally harboring racial or gender stereotypes. Within the opera?s gorgeous and lush musical context, students are forced to deal with unsettling social issues such as racism, sexism, abusive relationships, and drug and alcohol addiction. Students visibly wince during scenes containing toxic racial bigotry, violence, or abuse. They become hushed and deeply disappointed when Bess falls out of recovery and resumes taking drugs. In spite of their efforts to appear outwardly stoical, they are moved. They are changed.
The reflections which students write and discuss throughout their study of the opera indicate that they are thinking deeply and personally. ?How would this music be different if it were composed by African-Americans?? ?What would YOU do if you found yourself in a situation where bigotry was being expressed?? ?What would YOU do if you were feeling pressure to take drugs?? ?How would YOU feel if you saw a friend being tempted to take drugs?? ?What moves you about this particular song by Gershwin??
This is challenging stuff. It?s not the usual bill of fare for middle school kids. Our administration has heartily endorsed this course of study because of its deep commitment to building bridges across cultural and racial divides. The power of this opera to show the ravages of drug and alcohol addiction has also been lauded as a strong preventative measure that works in conjunction with other drug resistance initiatives. Parents are proud that their kids can grapple with serious, real-life issues in a thoughtful way. And the kids actually admit that they enjoyed listening to the opera though unsurprisingly the love duets are not their favorite parts. That?s good enough for us.
This article is written as a public "thank you" to AMEI for its grant award that brought seventh grade general music into the public spotlight in our town. Not only is our department grateful for the national recognition and generous award provided by AMEI, but we also love the fact that our whole community began to see the ways in which general music helps kids experience American music and real life.
AMEI posts annual award-winning music units on the internet so that there can be a worldwide sharing of best practices. American music must be taught in a comprehensive music curriculum. We music teachers have to do our part in passing on American cultural and artistic traditions to the next generation -- if not us, then who? AMEI is our national support and advocate in this worthy endeavor. So take some risks and push the envelope in building a thought-provoking music curriculum that includes significant American music.
And don?t let anyone ever tell you that you?re nuts for stretching kids beyond their comfort zones! Go for it!
Click here for Sandi Niculocci's 'Porgy and Bess' AMEI lesson plan
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The Foundation would like to thank NAMM: The International Music Products Association for their generous support.
For more about NAMM, please click here to visit their web site.
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