In-School Opera

Mental health

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

At the core of the company’s work is a fundamental belief that the arts are essential to living full, healthy lives. An LA2050 Grants Challenge award will enable LA Opera to influence how the educational system perceives and utilizes music to positively impact the mental health and emotional development of youth across Los Angeles. According to the World Health Organization, “1 in 7 (14%) 10–19-year-olds experience mental health conditions, yet these remain largely unrecognized and untreated.” The benefits of arts participation in academic achievement are well established, but there is a growing body of research demonstrating the benefits to mental health. LA Opera is facilitating research with USC’s Brain & Creativity Institute and LA Children’s Chorus to study the health impacts of group singing on developing minds. The research findings will inform the company’s In-School Opera residency program and add to the body of research on the benefits of music to brain development.

Through LA Opera’s In-School Opera residency program, Teaching Artists lead elementary, middle and high school students through multi-week music and acting workshops, culminating in a performance of a specially commissioned opera. Teaching Artists guide students’ exploration of the outlined social emotional learning standards through character development exercises, the facilitation of communal performing experiences, and reinforcement of students’ confidence in themselves and their interests and abilities. In advance of the 2024/25 season, Teaching Artists will participate in social emotional learning training sessions focused on facilitating and assessing the specified standards based on student behavior. This intentional programmatic focus will affect change by systemically raising awareness of the importance of social emotional learning and how music can be used as a tool to positively impact student development and wellbeing. Participation in the program not only engages students in learning standards through identifying connections with the characters they will play on stage, but also acts as a resource for students to find an encouraging atmosphere and community, both in school and with LA Opera teaching staff and artists.

This mental and emotional health-focused arts education program will address the healing, stabilizing, and uplifting needs of a priority community of students through high-quality arts experiences. By providing accessible and exploratory artistic opportunities, LA Opera will enrich the lives of young people who may be struggling to find their voice, sense of self, and connection to peers, encouraging strengthened emotional regulation and development into confident and well-adjusted adults. By deepening the intended impacts of its programs and facilitating and sharing research on the benefits of music to young people, LA Opera looks to influence how music is utilized by school systems as an essential tool to meet academic standards and support child education and social, emotional and cognitive development. Additionally, LA Opera will use measured program impact to encourage and share replicable, scalable and adaptable music intervention models across populations and settings.

In-School Opera is assessed by collecting quantitative and qualitative information that measures programmatic objectives and student learning. These tools include pre- and post-surveys for students to evaluate their experience and post-surveys for teachers to assess the professional development, effectiveness of teaching artists, LA Opera administration, and overall impact of the program on the curriculum and students. Teaching Artists also assess students’ understanding of vocal performance, music, and theater techniques through discussions at the end of the activity. Performances at the culmination of the program also act as an assessment to measure growth in the program’s outcomes. To better understand and measure the mental and emotional impacts of this program, LA Opera will expand its evaluation methodologies to more intentionally affect and measure change in students’ self-awareness (sense of value and discovery of interests) and social awareness (connection and belonging).