Project Summary
As part of their Thetford residency, the Royal Opera House worked with Year 5 children across Thetford to create a performance of Hansel and Gretel set in Thetford Forest. ‘Create and Sing’ is the ROH’s innovative dramatic singing programme that supports young people’s creative learning by engaging their imaginations and giving voices to their creativity. The ROH supported participating schools to explore and create opera in the classroom. Teachers and children from each school participated in a creative process of learning, developing and mastering new skills, as well as drawing on personal experience and identity to create short opera scenes. The projects culminated with these scenes being brought together to create a ‘travelling opera’ performed to families in the woodland setting of High Lodge.
Outcomes
Pupils
acquired new performing skills though the specialised workshops with the Royal Opera House professionals.
developed new levels of self-confidence, resilience, persistence and creativity.
collaborated with a range of adults and other children to co-construct their performances.
performed in an outdoor setting to families from across the town.
School staff
benefitted from the high quality support delivered by the ROH professionals, learning new strategies and building their confidence in the teaching of music.
collaborated with colleagues from across the town; building a diverse learning community, refining practice and developing positive and rewarding relationships.
Community members, families and pupils from across Thetford were brought together for this exciting project - building relationships ahead of pupil’s transition to high school. Families were welcomed into their local forest. For some this was their first visit to High Lodge, but hopefully not the last!
What our pupils had to say:
“It was really exciting performing outside in the woods. I have never done that before.”
“I liked that we worked with other schools and we all came together at High Lodge.”
“The best bit was making costumes and props.” “My best bit was performing for all the families. I felt really proud.”
“I learned how to work with other people.”
“It was really fun working with the teacher from the ROH. She made the singing really fun and exciting.”
What our teachers had to say:
“As a teacher, the training opened our eyes to new ideas and approaches to creating a ‘production’ piece.”
“The children were so engaged in their learning, as they were clear about the final outcome and how practising each part ensured that key skills and concepts were embedded.”
“Using the online portal was so helpful to refer to when needed. Also, having the ROH tea, come in and run a session was amazing. They tweaked our ideas to make a brilliant piece to share with all.”
“Seeing children who sometimes struggle in the classroom sing so confidently in front of their families was just incredible - a huge sense of pride was shared by all the team.”
Funding sources and costing
Total funds raised for this project:
Local business donation: KM First Aid - £50
Royal Opera House - £1988 (£1844 for transportation and £144 admin fees)
High Lodge, Thetford Forest waived parking for CPD session and parking for parents
Project networks and services provided
LCEP Board Member(s) leading this project: Louise McLeod
The Royal Opera House provided an outline and plan for the project as well as comprehensive teaching resources. Their experienced staff coordinated the schools helping to support the children and staff through this process. A theatre professional ran a high quality CPD day for staff and provided workshops for all the children preparing them for a final performance.
High Lodge opened up the forest to us, hosting a performance with nearly 200 children and their families. They also provided meeting rooms and access to the forest for staff as they prepared for the project.
Drake Primary School led on the project, coordinating with schools and the ROH, liaising with High Lodge to secure the venue and organising all transport.
Thetford Academy provided us with students to narrate the story of Hansel and Gretel as the audience walked through the forest. These students were pivotal in the smooth running of our performances. They also hosted CPD session led by the Royal Opera House.
Local Schools: Diamond Academy, Norwich Road Academy, Glade Academy, Redcastle Family School, worked on their own performances with support from professionals at the Royal Opera House.
Legacy
Drake Primary School have built an annual performance of Hansel and Gretel into their Year 3 art and music curriculums. Thetford LCEP are also working towards making Hansel and Gretel an annual event.