THE MUSIC OF CINDERELLA

Objective:
Students will discuss the performance of Cinderella Stories and explore their impressions of the City Opera production. The students will examine the musical sound of Cinderella and how music reveals character. Students will learn musical excerpts from the performance and sing these melodies.

What teachers and students should do before the workshop:

• Play songs from the CD and sing along with selections from the Cinderella Stories songbook provided by New York City Opera.
• Incorporate activities related to Cinderella Stories into your core curriculum. There are many specific LESSON PLANS in this guide.
• Define what an opera is. Opera is words plus music plus staging and production values (lighting, makeup, scenic and costume design to create illusion). It is composed of melodies, ensembles, choreography and more. (SEE GLOSSARY)
• Review MEET THE WORKSHOP TROUPE with your students for an introduction to the artists visiting your school for Workshop II.

City Opera Personnel: Pianist, Soprano, Tenor

• Engage the students in improvisation exercises that explore the character motivations in the opera
• Teach students and teachers the musical excerpts from the performance
• Explore the vocabulary of musical theater as illustrated in Cinderella Stories

What students will do:

• Learn to sing selected excerpts from Cinderella Stories using the provided CD or sheet music.
• Learn staging as Cinderella, the Prince, Step Sisters or dancers at the ball and participate in a sung and staged scene
• Discuss the questions posed by the artists; in particular to explore how the music helps define the characters and highlights the main themes of the story.
• Have a question and answer session with the artists.