Lesson video

Hi everyone.

Welcome to this lesson on using opera to share stories.

This is from our Singing Together unit, where we're looking how stories are shared through song.

My name is Mr. Croughan, and I'll be guiding you through us understanding that genre of opera, as well as exploring how it's used to tell stories.

Here we go.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to talk about what opera is and how it's used to tell a story.

So let's begin by looking at today's keywords.

First of all, we'll start with opera.

Opera is a form of storytelling, using dramatic singing, acting, costume, design, sometimes dance as well.

The libretto.

Libretto is a book containing the words and sometimes the stage directions that the opera performers will use.

A duet.

A duet is a performance by two singers or musicians or dancers.

And orchestra.

A large musical ensemble combining instruments from the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion families.

There are three warmup games to play, they're gonna help warm up our voices and explore two of the characters from the opera, "Hansel and Gretel".

We'll begin with, "You! Me? You!" Then we'll go into vocal copycats, and finish with the song that we've been working on.

"Hey, Ho, Nobody Home." Here comes, "You! Me? You!" <v ->Let's look at a drama warmup called "You! Me? You!"</v> In this activity, we're going to develop our character skills by just using two words, and discover how they change by putting them in different scenarios from "Hansel and Gretel".

Firstly, let's get into a circle.

So we are going to play a game called, "You! Me? You!" The first thing I want you to do is we're going to pass a you around the circle.

So I'm gonna start it off.

I'm gonna pick someone I want to pass it to, make eye contact with them, point and clearly say, "You!" When you've been pointed at, you then pass the you on.

Make sense? <v ->Yes!</v> <v ->Lovely, let's give it a go.

</v> You.

<v ->You.

</v> <v ->You.

</v> <v ->You.

</v> <v ->You.

</v> <v ->You.

</v> <v ->You.

</v> <v ->That was great.

</v> What we're gonna do now is you're gonna catch your you with a me, before you pass it on.

So if I get pointed at, I'll go, "Me?" And then I'll pick someone else in the circle, make eye contact, point clearly, and say, "You!" Let's give it a go.

You.

<v Student>Me?</v> You.

<v ->Me?</v> You.

<v ->Me?</v> You.

<v ->Me?</v> You.

<v ->Me?</v> You.

<v ->Brilliant!</v> I am going to give you some scenarios now from "Hansel and Gretel", from our story, and we're gonna play the exact same game.

But think about how that changes the way we say these, "You, me, yous." Got it? Let's give it a go.

The first scenario is that you are Hansel and Gretel.

You're at home, you're tired, you're hungry, and you start messing around.

But mother comes home and catches you.

You want to blame your sibling instead.

Should we give that a go? I'm gonna start it off.

You.

<v ->Me?</v> No way.

You.

<v ->Me?</v> You're the one to blame.

You! <v ->Me?</v> I thought I was your favorite! You.

<v ->That was brilliant.

</v> Do you see how much that changed, those two simple words, just by placing it in a different scenario.

<v ->And now vocal copycats.

</v> <v ->Hansel and Gretel are the main characters in our opera.

</v> A brother and sister who go on an adventure.

We're going to warm up our voices using all sorts of fun sounds, as we become vocal copycats.

That means I'm going to make a sound and I want you to copy me, and you can follow along in your class too.

You can do this as a class, but today, my vocal copycat is Emma.

Ready? My turn first.

Ah! Your turn.

<v ->Ah!</v> <v ->Imagine you are Hansel and Gretel in the forest at night,</v> and you are super tired.

Can you make your sound and action even bigger, like this? Oooh! <v ->Oooh!</v> <v ->Brilliant.

</v> The forest is so cold and it makes us shiver like this.

Brr! <v ->Brr!</v> <v ->We're going to imagine that we have a giant shiver</v> that travels all the way through our bodies and voices.

Like this.

Brr! <v ->Brr!</v> <v ->The shivering reminds us that we are really hungry,</v> so we rub our tummies and think about our favorite food, like this.

Mm! <v ->Mm!</v> <v ->We're even more hungry than that.

</v> Mm! <v ->Mm!</v> <v ->Hansel is really sad about being hungry.

</v> He lets out a sob, like this.

(sobbing) (sobbing) Even bigger than that! (sobbing) (sobbing) Suddenly a magnificent house of gingerbread appears before us.

It looks so incredible and so delicious, and we say, whoa! <v ->Whoa!</v> <v ->We see even more incredible jewels made of sweets</v> on the house.

Whoa! <v ->Whoa!</v> <v ->But our curiosity overwhelms us</v> and we run straight to the house.

We start to tear off pieces and chew really quickly.

Like this.

(mimics chewing sound) (mimics chewing sound) Perhaps we take a really big bit of toffee and chew even bigger, like this.

(mimics chewing sound) (mimics chewing sound) But oh no! We hear a noise.

Perhaps it's the owner of the house.

Gretel tells Hansel to be quiet.

Ssh! <v ->Ssh!</v> <v ->But it's okay.

</v> It's only a friendly cuckoo in the forest.

♪ Cuckoo ♪ ♪ Cuckoo ♪ ♪ Cuckoo, how are you ♪ ♪ Cuckoo, how are you ♪ <v ->You've been on a journey with Hansel and Gretel</v> and warmed up your voices along the way, from everyday sounds all the way to singing.

<v ->And here comes the backing track for,</v> "Hey, Ho, Nobody, Home".

(gentle music) ♪ Hey, ho, nobody home ♪ ♪ Meat or drink or money have I none ♪ ♪ Yet I will be merry, merry, merry ♪ ♪ Hey, ho ♪ ♪ Yet I will be ♪ ♪ Merry, merry, merry ♪ ♪ Nobody home ♪ ♪ Meat nor drink nor money have I none ♪ ♪ Yet I will be ♪ ♪ Merry, merry, merry ♪ ♪ Meat or drink nor money ♪ ♪ Have I none ♪ ♪ Hey ho, nobody home ♪ ♪ Meat nor drink nor money have I none ♪ ♪ Yet I will be merry, merry, merry ♪ <v ->Hopefully now we're more ready to explore opera.

</v> Aisha says, well, "My voice feels warmer." And Lucas says, "My body's moved in different ways." There are two learning cycles.

The first one is, what is opera? And the second one is singing as a character in an opera.

Let's start then with what is opera.

I'd like you to take a moment in your class to discuss what you think opera is and what it's like.

So pause here and have a quick discussion.

Get some key ideas of what people think opera is like.

Great, some lovely thoughts and ideas.

Now I want you to watch this clip from the Royal Ballet and Opera.

Here it comes.

(dramatic music) <v ->What?</v> <v ->Is.

</v> <v ->Opera.

</v> (dramatic music continues) <v ->Opera means work.

</v> <v ->No, no, no, no, no, no.

</v> Opera means ♪ Fa la la la la ♪ (singing in foreign language) <v ->No!</v> Opera literally means work in Italian.

(dramatic music) (singer singing in foreign language) <v Speaker>Opera is a way</v> of telling stories through singing.

Operas combine music, drama, and design together, all at the same time.

<v ->The first operas were composed over 400 years ago in Italy</v> and evolved from a variety of song, theater, and entertainment traditions.

<v ->Okay, fine.

</v> So how do you put on an opera? <v ->You start with a story.

</v> What about a court jester who is hell bent on revenge? (performer singing in foreign language) <v ->Or an arrogant nobleman</v> who gets his comeuppance when a statue comes to life.

(performer singing in foreign language) <v ->Or, or, okay.

</v> What about an old Scottish man who owns a farm? No.

(performers singing in foreign language) <v ->The lyrics of an opera are written in a document</v> called a libretto.

That's Italian for little book.

<v ->And then you give the story and the libretto</v> to the composer.

<v ->And the composer uses the words as a starting point</v> to inspire a piece of music that expresses all the emotions and feelings in the story.

(upbeat music) (performers singing in foreign language) <v ->What's amazing about opera singing</v> is that we have to sing un-amplified.

That means without microphones.

We have to fill these vast spaces just by controlling our breathing and voice muscles.

♪ Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ♪ It takes years of practice to perfect this very special technique of singing.

<v ->After an opera is written, it's time to put it on stage.

</v> <v ->And how the story is interpreted</v> is up to the director.

<v ->And working alongside</v> the director is the designer.

<v ->The designer dreams up</v> how the costumes will look, the sets, the colors, the textures.

<v ->And then there's the lighting designer.

</v> <v ->All the singers.

</v> <v ->The set builders.

</v> <v Singer>And the music staff</v> who help prepare the performance.

(rhythmic music) (performers singing in foreign language) <v Singer>The conductor leads the orchestra</v> and shapes how the music is performed.

<v Speaker>This is where the orchestra sit</v> and play the score during the performance.

It's called the orchestra pit.

<v ->And now have a quick chat in your class</v> about what else you now know about opera.

Was there anything completely different to what you thought, or was it all as you expected? We picked up that the word opera is an Italian word, meaning work, and that the work is the piece of work created by the composer and the librettist.

The composer writes the music, the librettist writes the libretto.

So (speaking in foreign language) is the Italian word for book, and libretto, little book that contains the story used in the opera.

The orchestra, that's a set of instrumentalists who also accompany and support the performers.

And if you can see the picture there, the orchestra usually sit in the orchestra pit at the front of the stage.

And the conductor, the conductor's job is to lead the orchestra and the singers.

Their job is to bring that whole performance together.

Quick check for you then.

I have three words on the left, opera, orchestra, libretto, and on the right I've got three definitions.

A group of musicians playing many different instruments together.

That's one.

An art form that brings together music, drama, singing and art.

That's another definition.

And the third one, the book in which the story of the opera is contained.

Can we match the words to their definitions? Give you a moment, make sure you've got each one.

So the first one, opera.

That is an art form.

It brings together music, drama, singing, and art.

The orchestra is the group of musicians playing many different instruments together.

And the libretto is the book in which the story of the opera is contained.

Well done.

Now the story we're going to look at, over these next four lessons actually, is the story of Hansel and Gretel told in an opera.

And the opera is written by Engelbert Humperdinck.

Great name.

This part of the story shows Hansel and Gretel bored, doing chores at home.

And Gretel thinks, ah, we can pass the time.

I can cheer Hansel up.

I can get him to dance, let's dance together.

Hansel's not really sure about that.

I'd like you to watch the clip and I'd like you to notice how many different things you can see and hear that are helping to convey the story.

And just jot down on a whiteboard or a bit of scrap paper or whatever the things that you notice.

What different things are conveying that story.

Are you ready? Here comes the clip.

(uplifting music) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) (uplifting music continues) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) (uplifting music continues) (singer continues singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) <v ->Now we can see with those two characters on stage,</v> that relationship between Hansel and Gretel.

Question.

What words might you use to describe Hansel? Have a pause and just share, just get some words going in your classroom.

Jot some ideas down.

What words might you use to describe Hansel? Great, you may have said things like clumsy, lazy, funny, mischievous, hungry.

And loads of other words besides, I'm sure.

And then what words might you use to describe Gretel? Pause here, same again.

Good, good, good.

And for Gretel, you might have said things like enthusiastic, she's positive, encouraging, bossy, and some other words besides.

So very well done.

Now in performance, we can use the word motivation to describe what a character wants, or what they're trying to get.

And how they act or their actions that helps them try and get what they want.

And we're gonna apply that to Hansel and Gretel.

So we're gonna pause in a moment, and I'd like you to think, what does Gretel want Hansel to do? And what do you think Hansel wants? And then think, in the status, who's trying to be in charge? So pause here and answer those three questions.

Very good.

So you might have said, well, Gretel wants Hansel to dance.

He's in his funk, he's not really bothered.

She can get him out of that.

She can liven things up.

She'll get them both dancing and everything'll be great.

Hansel, on the other hand, what do we think he wants? Maybe to sit down.

Not have to dance.

Just have some food instead.

And who do you think is trying to be in charge? Well, it seems quite clear at this point that the bossy one is Gretel.

You could call her bossy, maybe it's encouraging, but she's definitely leading the way.

We're going to play a game now.

We're going to use a mirror game to explore the relationship between Hansel and Gretel and their motivations.

There's a clip that's going to come first, and then we're going to work in pairs, thinking about the words that we used to describe each character.

That might help inform us whether we're gonna be a Hansel or a Gretel.

Are we feeling those words like enthusiastic, bossy, like we definitely want to be in charge.

Are we feeling words like, oh, hungry, lazy.

Might we just rather sit down? You might be more of a Hansel or more of a Gretel, and that can change all the time.

First of all, let's watch this clip.

<v ->Our characters, Hansel and Gretel, are practicing dancing.

</v> Gretel is very confident, but Hansel is not quite so sure.

In this activity, we're going to explore their relationship, how they act towards each other, and their motivations.

Why they are acting this way.

First things first, find a partner.

Excellent, and with your partner, make sure you're in a good space.

Balance in the space.

Good job.

Perfect, awesome.

Can one of you be Hansel and one of you be Gretel, please, decide in your pairs.

Hands up Gretels.

Hi Gretels.

Hands up Hansels.

Hi Hansels, fantastic.

Okay.

Gretel, she's the most confident character, so is going to be taking the lead.

Hansel, you're gonna be copying exactly what Gretel does.

Now, Gretels, please make sure that you're moving nice and slowly.

You can move your hands, arms, and heads.

And Hansels, see if you can move at exactly the same time.

It's a challenge, but I reckon you can do it.

Off we go.

And now see if we can speed things up just a little bit.

Just a little bit.

It might get a little bit trickier for the Hansels, but that's okay, it's all part of the fun.

Okay, let's now introduce the music.

And I want you, as it's playing, I want you to think, how does this make me want to move? Does it make me want to move fast, slow, bouncy, dreamy? And Gretels, you're going to still be leading, and Hansels, you're going to be following what Gretel's doing.

Are we ready? Facing your partner.

Three, two, one, off we go.

(uplifting music) Three, two, one, freeze where you are.

That was amazing everybody.

We're gonna add our final layer on now.

Remembering our characters.

So Gretel, you are very confident.

You know this dance really, really well, and you are trying to show Hansel how to do it.

So I want you to think about confidence in your body, in your faces.

Hansels, you're a little bit reluctant to dance, but you're really trying, and you're also a little bit clumsy.

So Gretels going to do their move and show Hansel.

Hansel, you're going to try your best to do the move, but maybe in a little bit clumsy, a little bit left footed.

Are we ready? Face your partner.

Three, two, one, off we go.

(uplifting music) Amazing! You've explored the relationship and motivations of Hansel and Gretel through your bodies, your ideas, and the music.

<v ->So now you've seen how to play it,</v> make sure you know which one's gonna be Hansel, which one's gonna be Gretel in your pairs, and decide who's going to lead.

Are you going to let the Gretels lead because they're sort of the bossy ones? Or have you decided something different? It might be an idea to let the Gretels lead, so if you're a person that wants to lead, perhaps choose to be a Gretel in your pair.

Pause here and play that where you are.

Remember, we don't start off too quickly.

That's something that builds over time.

Off you go.

Good, I hope you enjoyed that.

Sam says, "As the movements from Gretel became a bit quicker, it was more challenging for Hansel.

Sort of helped me understand how his character was feeling." And Lucas says, "Exploring how the characters might be feeling, that helped me think, 'How am I gonna move as the character Hansel?'" Really important stuff, very well done.

So our second learning cycle, we are singing as a character in an opera.

We're going to watch now the first part of the song, and it's the duet between Hansel and Gretel.

This is a production in German, we will be singing in English.

But what we're looking out for is Hansel's actions.

How is he feeling at the beginning? What do his actions suggest? And then what words would you use to describe how he behaves? There's clues in the singing too.

We can hear Gretel is feeling enthusiastic, energetic, encouraging.

What is it in the singing, even though we don't know the words yet, what is it in the singing that you think, gosh, she's full of enthusiasm and energy and is being encouraging.

Have a watch and see what you think.

(uplifting music) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) (uplifting music continues) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) (singer singing in foreign language) <v ->Good stuff.

</v> So we're now gonna watch a clip of an Opera House artist showing us how to convey this in a song.

Now there's three things in the performance that make Hansel and Gretel very different from each other.

So when we watch this clip from the Opera House artist, we're listening out for tips on posture, diction and expression.

Here it comes.

<v ->In opera, the way we use our voices and our bodies</v> is really important.

It helps us tell the story and show what kind of person each character is.

Let's practice, "Little Brother Dance With Me".

And choose how we sing to show the personalities of our characters, Hansel and Gretel.

Have a listen to this.

(uplifting music) ♪ Little brother, dance with me ♪ ♪ Take my hand, advance with me ♪ ♪ One foot in, one foot out ♪ ♪ Bow your head and turn about ♪ Could you tell that I was playing Gretel? Gretel is a very confident character.

So how did I show that in my voice and my body? Firstly, in our posture, if you can, let's stand tall with our shoulders rolled back, and make our chest open like this.

We can also show her confidence in her diction.

How clearly she sings.

She's so confident that every word is crystal clear.

Like this.

Little brother dance with me, take my hand, advance with me.

Can you hear all of those crisp, short, consonants? Now let me sing it.

♪ Little brother dance with me ♪ ♪ Take my hand, advance with me ♪ We can also show Gretel's confidence in the expression in the way she sings.

You can hear this in the slightly longer note she sings here.

♪ One foot in, one foot out ♪ ♪ Bow your head and turn about ♪ Gretel has the confidence to sing long vowels.

For example, on the word in and out.

But what about Hansel? I think that he is less sure of himself.

So how does that reflect how he sings? Have a listen to this.

♪ Sister, I'm a sorry sight ♪ ♪ Which is left and which is right ♪ ♪ Show me once more how it goes ♪ ♪ Then I might avoid your toes ♪ Did you notice how my voice and my body changed from when I was playing Gretel? Let's think about how I did this.

Firstly, posture.

We want to make sure, if you can, that you still have that good posture as before.

But how might our physicality change to reflect our character? Perhaps he's quite fidgety or wobbly on his feet.

Next in our diction, Hansel is nervous, and might really stress those S and T sounds.

Sister, I'm a sorry sight.

Which is left and which is right? What about his expression? Well, Hansel is really frustrated.

So he might sing with a sad sobbing sound like this.

♪ Show me once more how it goes ♪ ♪ Then I might avoid your toes ♪ So when you learn "Little Brother Dance With Me", think about how you can show your character in your posture, how you stand, diction, how clearly you sing the words, and your expression.

How you sing in character.

<v ->All right then, we're all going to be Gretel</v> to begin with.

So in a moment you're going to pause, you're gonna play the track and sing along.

You're gonna think about the posture of Gretel.

How is she standing? Is she quite balletic, is she a dancer, is she enthusiastic? Is she cheeky like her brother? Is she being very bossy? How are you gonna show that in your body? Then we're thinking about speaking super clearly with our diction, and then the expression we put into our singing.

How do we know that Gretel's being encouraging? Okay.

So pause here and sing that first part, all of you as Gretels, until, "Bow your head and turn about." Off you go.

Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely.

Good character development.

We're now going to be Hansel.

So Hansel, he's, oh sister, I'm a sorry sight.

I don't know my left from my right.

Can you show me how it goes, please? I might avoid your toes.

I don't wanna dance and stand on your toes.

So he's being a bit mischievous.

So you're gonna think again, his posture.

How is he standing? His expression.

How does he show that reluctance in his singing voice? And making sure that we're speaking clearly so the words come out.

So pause here, all be Hansels, off you go.

Brilliant, brilliant, really well done.

Great difference between the Gretels and the Hansels.

Now, Gretel has plenty of patience at this point.

I mean, Hansel's gone yeah, go on, I'll dance, hmm.

Keep the peace.

And she's gonna teach him the routine.

So, "With your foot, you tap, tap, tap, with your hands, go clap, clap, clap.

One foot in, one foot out, bow your head and turn about." She makes it sound so easy.

So you're going to deliver it in that way.

Pause the track, all as Gretels, sing that part, enthusiastically, clearly, and with the posture of an enthusiastic Gretel, off you go.

Brilliant, really clear differences between the attitudes of those siblings, Hansel and Gretel.

We're gonna be Hansels again now.

Oh, he's gonna give the dance a go.

How do you think he feels? Yeah, with your foot, you tap, tap, tap, and your hands, you clap and, I'll bow and turn about.

Sure, I'll go for it.

You're my sister.

I'll put some effort in.

How is he feeling about it? You can explore that now.

Pause here and sing that part as Hansels, off you go.

Super, we're really thinking about our posture, still making sure that our diction's good so the story comes across, and that expression in our voice.

Good stuff to focus on for the moment.

You're now gonna think, now I've explored being Hansel and Gretel.

How am I feeling? Would I like to carry on feeling a bit more like a positive, enthusiastic, and a bit bossy Gretel who's definitely right? Or Hansel who might be feeling a bit mischievous, bit lazy, a bit reluctant.

Maybe even hungry.

Decide how you're feeling and decide if you're gonna be a Hansel or a Gretel.

And then we'll make two lines for the moment in the room.

The reluctant Hansels facing the enthusiastic Gretels.

Now you can partner up, so you've got one for each, or you can just begin with two lines, so you're both facing each other.

I'd like you to make super clear which character you are by showing in your posture, your diction, and the expression in your voice.

So as Hansel, how are you gonna show your reluctance, your laziness, and your hunger in your body? How does it look if you had a freeze frame pose of how Hansel might look? And then how is that gonna come across in his voice? And with Gretels, you're confident, you're striking this bossy pose and your motivation is, yes, I'm being persuasive.

I'm gonna get my brother dancing.

Oh yeah, I am.

I know I am.

Okay.

So pause here and set yourself up there.

Off you go.

So now we know what our posture's like, our pose, how we can show clearly that, yep, I'm a Gretel, or I'm a Hansel, whatever your posture looks like, and your kind of character development is looking like so far.

Gretels, you're now showing how confident and encouraging you are.

You're very patient and encouraging too.

And you're singing this first part of the song to persuade your brother to join in, so be very persuasive.

"Take my hand, advance with me." Dead easy, look at this.

Hansel, oh, come on sis, I'm a sorry sight, which is left and right.

Just show me once more.

So he's a bit interested, but he does say, "Then I might avoid your toes." So he's a bit mischievous too.

Gretel's again, oh, I'm gonna keep my enthusiasm up.

It's working.

I'll help Hansel with his dancing, he's gonna love it.

I'll show you how to do it while I'm singing.

Well with your foot, you tap and you clap like this.

Your foot is in and out.

We're doing a lovely bow, a lovely turn.

Dead easy, Hansel.

Hansel.

You're not quite as elegant as your sister, but you are willing to give it a go, and you're gonna show how you are being willing to dance your way.

So with your foot, how do I do that, and one foot's going about the place and I'm clapping like this.

You do your best and we get the real clear difference between the two characters, but also, they do like each other.

We're gonna pause the video here and I would like you to sing through that first bit, thinking about your posture, those basic movements, making sure we're singing clearly and putting plenty of expression into your performances.

Off you go.

Marvelous, we're seeing those characters develop already and we're getting a bit of a shape and an understanding for how those characters feel.

We're gonna play a quick game now.

Each time your teacher claps, you will adopt the stance of either a Hansel or a Gretel.

And each time you hear a clap, you're just gonna be walking around the room as yourself, and then you hear a clap and adopt a freeze frame, a stance of Hansel or Gretel.

We'll call the level of that pose a five out of 10.

And when you hear the teacher saying, six, seven, eight, and so on, you make that posture more magnified.

So if currently you're showing, yes, I'm enthusiastic Gretel, how can you really magnify it to show just how enthusiastic she is? If you're showing hungry, he's all fed up Hansel, how can we really magnify that over six, seven, eight, nine, 10, to really go to town on making those characters larger than life? Pause here and play that where you are.

And we can decide then how big we want to make our characters.

So when you are playing that, it started off a five, we go six, seven, eight.

What number felt about right to have a really clear posture to make sure that you are so readable to an audience as a Hansel or a Gretel.

What worked best for you? How will your story come across super clearly? Well, we're gonna find out.

This is our first rehearsal of the first section.

So top tips, make sure you know which character you are.

Begin by standing very obviously in the posture and pose of that character.

Gretels, when you're singing now, you're really persuading your brother to join in.

That is your job.

Hansels, is it working? It's not really your thing, but you're starting to get, willing to give it a go.

And you're remembering to sing the words clearly, so the story that you're telling is clear.

The lyric's on the board, it goes Gretels, Hansels, Gretels, Hansels.

You're going to pause here, put the track on and sing that first section.

You're starting to add your postures.

You're really putting that expression into your voice for how you feel about what you're singing, so that the relationship between Hansel and Gretel is really clear.

Pause here and enjoy that.

Off you go.

Yes.

So now we're exploring those characters.

They're coming to life more.

We're understanding a bit more about Hansel and Gretel each time, and we're bringing the song to life.

Izzy says she was Gretel and Gretel needs a confident posture.

So Izzy stood with her hand on her hips and the expression in Izzy's voice was positive, enthusiastic.

She really wanted to encourage Hansel to join in.

Great.

Sofia says, "As Hansel, I used my posture to show I was a bit hesitant, a bit unsure.

I had a frown on too.

And the expression in my voice showed my frustration and reluctance.

And my singing, well, it was mainly loud and I sang cheekily on the, 'Then I might avoid your toes' bit." Which is great.

Really well done, great rehearsing.

It's all we have time for today, so we'll look at what we've learned.

Opera, it's a way of telling stories through singing.

And it brings together dramatic singing, acting, dance and art, to create this multisensory live experience of storytelling.

We can use our singing voice to convey how a character is feeling.

And singing the words clearly, that helps the audience to understand the story.

And that we can show the relationships between two characters by the way they respond to each other.

You've done wonderfully today, well done Hansels and Gretels, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

All the best.

Bye for now.