There is as many ways to implement LOVA as there is teachers and students. What we offer here is only an example and should never be taken as a finished formula for the success of the project. Here are the steps that one teacher followed during the school year:
1. creating an opera company: in the first weeks we find out what is an opera
1.1. what do we need to create our own opera?: students make lists of the things every opera job may need. We watch a video of how Madamme Butterfly was made and we learn some songs to get the feeling of the music
1.2. since creating an opera wll be a big challenge, we need training to face challenges as a group. We do smaller games based on group challenges. These games become important metaphores for us for the rest of the year
1.3. we decide our company’s name
1.4. we create our company’s logo
1.5. we inform the families about what we are getting into
1.6. we create metaphores, beacuse they help us reflect on what and how we are doing. We want to move beyond simple or superficial answers.
1.7. We know the jobs of a company: we bring professionals to our class and theis way we get to know which job we will apply for
1.8. We kno what our job will be: this is an important day, because after this day we become experts and others will learn rom us what our job is.
1.9. We discover different skills
- The theme of our opera: this is the message we want to send to the world. It needs to be something really important and for that reason, it is always connected to our emotions and deepest feelings.
- The setting of our opera: we decide where and when the plot will take place. Many times we decide a place we don’t know well, but we can visit that place and then learn new things about it.
- We create the characters and we see the relationships among them.
- Plot: we all participate in this part, then the writers will create a libretto with dialogues and lyrics
- Workshop: one day a week we spend some time working separately so that every team learns a specific job (carpentry, sewing, make-up, acting, using the Internet, making videos, etc.)
- Rehearsals and performance: the weekend before the performance we organize a family day so that we can help students for the last time. After this day, they will be on their own and all the adults will seat in the audience during the performance.
- The exhibit: before the performance, the audince is guided through our exhibit. In it, we show the work we have done during the whole year. The exhibit includes writing, drawing, photos, videos, curriculum materilas, comment by adults or children and anything that shows all the things we have learned, how hard we have worked and how proud we are of having successfully reached our goal.
- Assesment: we plan our performances so that we have at least two weeks between the last performance and the end of the school year. In this period we can reflect on what we have learned and we can share what the opera has meant for us. Sometimes we do it through words, but we can aldo use movement, drawing or other forms of expression.