Opera assignment

Folks, since we have missed 8 hours of opera rehearsal (yes, 8!) due to snow days, I have devised another assignment to make up the points you have missed by missing those days. I have added an hour here or there to the rehearsal schedule, but do not want to try to add 8 more hours to your lives. Nor do I think you need it! The rehearsals are going well enough that I don't feel compelled to call you in on Fridays.

As we have discussed in class, I will not be present during next week's opera rehearsals. Dr. Steele will be running those rehearsals. Though he cannot stage direct from the keyboard, he may be correcting any wrong notes or rhythms that may have creeped in during the staging rehearsals.

Next week, each of you must observe a rehearsal of another scene. You will then write a 500-word essay which is due by MIDNIGHT on Friday, March 21. It must be submitted to my email address (khw@uab.edu) so that I have your time stamp. 11:59 pm Friday = on time; 12:01am Saturday = late, and you lose the points. I would highly suggest not procrastinating until Friday night to write it: if you have computer issues, that does NOT grant you an extension. Plan ahead.

The paper can be on anything you observe and/or what you learned by observing that you plan to apply to your own scene. Staging considerations, acting choices, body use, connection of facial expressions to text, how the action heightens the music...or not. These are private and will only be seen by me, so don't think that everything you say has to be in praise of your classmates. It does, however, have to be observant and honest.

I won't grade according to your writing ability, but please use complete sentences and spell check. These are basics of writing that every high school graduate must grasp. I'm sorry that I have to mention it, but do remember that academic writing, however "unofficial," is not the same as texting or even emailing. Thanks!