Active Learning Through Opera

The Active Learning Through Opera (ALTO) program is a collaborative among elementary and middle school teachers and teaching artists from the opera. The Santa Fe Opera works with Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque and other public school districts around the state. Participation in the ALTO program is by invitation only. In addition to hundreds of artist residencies, more than 12,000 children have produced 175 operas, performing to audiences of parents, classmates and friends totaling nearly 50,000 people.

Goals

• Making meaningful connections between an academic topic and an element of opera.
• Demonstrating student understanding of academic topics and opera elements through performance.

Process

• Teaching artists collaborate with classroom teachers in multi-week residencies.
• Students are engaged as composers, librettists, singers, dancers, actors and visual artists.