Students at Brookwood Elementary wrote their own opera. They perform it for free at 2:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
Third- through fifth-graders at the Cottonwood Heights school spent weeks crafting lyrics, composing melodies and inventing characters for a 20- to 25-minute adaptation of the children's book "Jumanji." The show is open to the public at no charge, according to the Canyons School District.
Ann Odom, a Utah Opera contractor and choral director at Albion Middle School, has guided Brookwood students through original opera projects for years as a parent volunteer. She writes the musical accompaniments, but the students handle the creative work.
"They really do write all the melodies. I don't do it," Odom said. "I write down what they tell me."
The process starts with the whole group reading the source story together and breaking it into smaller pieces. Students learn how lyrics and melodies work together to convey meaning, then begin composing. They also auditioned for roles, helped stage scenes and designed the program cover.
Rehearsals began during the first week of school and run from 8 to 8:50 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. By performance day, what started with a book and a question will be a fully staged production.
Odom said the program pushes students beyond what they thought they could do. Most had never written a song before, she said, and the experience shows them they can create something on their own. She added that students surprise her with staging ideas she would not have considered.
Fifth-grader Chloe Nicholas said performing something the cast built from scratch changes how it feels on stage. "It's a bunch of kids acting in an opera," Nicholas said. "You don't see that every day."
Fifth-grader Wendy Odom said composing lyrics and melodies is difficult but fun when the group works together. Third-grader Dax Olson kept his pitch simple: neighbors should come see it.
The performance at Brookwood Elementary in Cottonwood Heights is free and open to the public.
Upcoming community dates
- Friday, Oct. 9: Brookwood Elementary "Jumanji" opera, 2:15 p.m., free and open to the public
