Recently, I've been enjoying some famous opera pieces with my children. I like to educate my children with as many free resources as possible and so I did a little online research. In the process, I found a
wonderful website that offers free Opera lessons.
"This site enables opera companies and educators to access and download FREE digital versions of the Opera for Everyone series of CDs and the Teaching Manual for teaching purposes. Our objective is to have these materials used to introduce everyone to opera -- the remarkable combination of music, drama, dance and the visual arts. Opera for Everyone
provides an excellent opportunity for students and educators alike to become familiar with the background and music of four classic operas -- each related to a different important period of opera: Rossini's The Barber of Seville (1816); Verdi's La Traviata (1853); Bizet's Carmen (1875); and Puccini's Madama Butterfly (1904).
Each CD tells the story in two ways, first with words and then with music."
The stories are family friendly but I felt more comfortable studying these operas when my children were a little older (10 yrs plus for us) We read through the Proverbs at the same time and so the children were able to compare some of the wayward characters in the operas with those mentioned in scripture. *Excellent opportunity for some deep discussions about a noble character and virtue.
Here are some other links to aid you in your opera studies:
Opera Plot Summaries
Top Ten Operas
Opera Tunes as MIDI files
one step at a time...
Each CD tells the story in two ways, first with words and then with music."