The Met is renowned for its commitment to presenting excellence in opera. Another cornerstone of our mission is building new audiences who will fall in love with and support the future of the art form.
The Met’s Education Department is proud of its celebrated HD Live in Schools program, which trains teachers to teach opera using inventive, interactive materials. The national program culminates with the children attending Live in HD performances at their local movie theater or school. 300 educators from more than 200 public schools throughout the United States use HD Live in Schools. Over 175,000 students have been reached since its inception in 2008.
On a local level, the Met hosts Access Opera: Guild Open Rehearsals for Students. Last season the company worked with nearly 10,000 students and teachers across 130 New York City schools, bringing opera into traditionally under-exposed classrooms and households.
Students in the program may attend a final dress rehearsal, with about 1,500 tickets for up to nine final dress rehearsals provided per season. The rehearsals are a mix of broadly appealing operas, selected based on the work’s relationship to school curricula and the potential to engage students. They take place during the school day so the widest swath of children can attend. This Spring’s operas include Roméo et Juliette, La Rondine, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, El Niño, The Hours, and Orfeo ed Eurydice.
The Met provides Educator Guides for both programs at no cost to participants. The guides include background information on each opera’s history, plot synopses, and listening activities that bring the opera’s music to life. They also teach opera through the lens of multiple school subjects, helping to facilitate student discussions and creating an appropriate, user-friendly approach to learning opera.
The Met is passionate about educating future opera goers. There is a simple way for you, too, to show your commitment to opera for generations to come. By establishing a gift to the Met in your will or other estate plan, you can help students experience the joy of opera far into the future. To learn more, contact Pamela Bennett at 212.870.7388 or encoresociety@metopera.org today.