For centuries, music has been an intricate part of operas, ballet and the theater.
In keeping with that tradition, Lausanne's composer in residence, Garrett Hope, is returning to the music department to offer guidance to fifth and sixth-grade students as they composed original compositions as a part of their performing arts classes.
Hope is meeting with students through Skype conversations and will be on campus April 30-May 4.
Students in the class are adapting Aesop's Fables into scripts and are composing original music to go along with their short plays.
"Since students are composing using mixed contemporary and traditional methods and exploration, Mr. Hope's style of composition is a great model for these projects," Upper and Middle School Musical Director DoraThea Kastanas said.
The collaborative efforts of the drama and music classes are focused on elements of storytelling through word and song. Students are composing dialogue, stage direction, sound effects and full instrumental and vocal music.
The fifth-grade students have adapted selected Greek Mythology stories for Reader’s Theater and are composing accompany music using the Greek Modes-the basis for our modern western music.
The sixth-grade students are in the process of creating an Opera based on selected Aesop Fables using various song forms.
Through both of these original projects, they are demonstrating their music and drama skills, concepts and knowledge learned this year.
The final performances for each of the classes will be:
- Sixth Grade
Aesop Fables "Operetta" Performance
May 16 at 10:30 a.m. in the Elder Performing Arts Center
- Fifth Grade
City Lausannia Festival
May 18 at 1 p.m. in the Lausanne Amphitheatre
City Lausannia is a collaborative effort based on the City Dionysia Ancient Greek Festival to include a Greek Morpheme mania game show, a reader’s theatre performance, Greek foods and a dance celebration.