First Steps with Hansel and Gretel

The purpose of Arioso, one of the eight parts of John Feierabend's First Steps in Music curriculum, is to provide children with the opportunity to spontaneously create their own tunes - and to do this, the catalyst must be inviting and accessible. The opera "Hansel and Gretel" provides the perfect opportunity while also introducing students, even very young ones, to the wonderful world of opera. In addition to creating Arioso, children will be able to sing some of the more accessible songs. This opera comes to life when children are invited to actively participate, to become each character and sing their songs, and to create Arioso to convey their thoughts and feelings. In this video, Lillie Feierabend guides first-, second-, and third-grade students as they sing songs from the opera and create Arioso for each character. The DVD also includes a voice-over track with John and Lillie Feierabend discussing the songs and Arioso opportunities in each scene along with a complete storyline and ideas for implementation.