Increase Concentration with Opera in the Classroom...Fingers Crossed.

My students and I finished a book study on "Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea" by Cynthia Rylant.  In the book, an older man adopts an older cat, and they become great friends while listening to Opera together.  Opera!  My kids were impressed.  They tried their hand at singing their own style of Opera.  They were sure that they knew what it was, but, they didn't remember ever hearing it.

One of my most rambunctious student's interest was piqued.  During independent work time, I'd turn on my Baroque music, and he would request Opera.  Hoping to bond with him and discover his interests, I told him I didn't have any on my I Pod, but I would definitely get some.

I'm no expert on this genre.  I'd heard of Pavarotti and Madame Bovary, and I have seen the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" twice, but that is the limit of my experience.  I searched on I Tunes for a popular compilation, and found one that was rated 5 stars by listeners, and was a steal for 66 songs at $7.

When I began writing this post, I turned on the beautiful Opera music, and I got the feeling that it would be a hit at school.  I am interested in learning more about this once popular, now nearly foreign, form of music.  It must be good for learning, right?

After a quick search, I found some interesting tidbits.  Especially interesting is the effect of the music on gifted students with underlying disabilities, like ADHD.  I found that this music helps to cancel out the excess noise in our minds, helps us to organize thoughts, and get the job done.  It, like classical music, helps to build cognitive capacity, and stimulates different areas of the brain to help with concentration.

Here are two of the articles I read...

Why do students with learning disabilities excel in opera?

learn about opera to enhance your personal and professional life

This has got to be beneficial for the classroom.  I will try it out this week, and let you know how it goes.