My appreciation for opera came early, and I credit a combination of ballet and piano lessons for this. But I can totally see how plenty of kids (and, real talk, adults too) can find opera boring, at least until they really take the time to listen and understand it. Maybe a quick download of the wonderfully engaging, colorful Play Opera app will help kickstart some admiration for an important musical genre.
The Play Opera app was developed by Dada Company along with Opera XXI, Spain’s Association of Theatres, Festivals and Operas so it’s got plenty of artistic cred. It provides kids 5-12 with a very cool introduction to five essential opera music composers: Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, Verdi, and Torroba.
While music is what it’s about, it’s the spectacular illustrations from Spanish artists, and the fun interactivity that will really draw kids in to create a visual and audio adventure for young minds. Plus there’s a helpful synopsis to help kids (and adults) understand that what opera does is bring a whole story to life. Like La Cenerentola, which is based on a little-known fairy tale kids might know as Cinderella. Or The Magic Flute, which is always the perfect operatic intro for a kid of any age.
It’s this lovely mix of education and entertainment that works so beautifully to get kids excited about opera.
I also like that there are no third-party ads or in-app purchases, so kids — and parents — can just enjoy the show. Which makes the purchase price worth it. And hey, if really want to take your kids on a cultural journey through music, you can even download the app in Spanish and French.
From Let It Goooh to Fee-gah-rooh requests at the dinner table? Welcome change, I’d say.
Play Opera: Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi masterpieces for kids app is available on iTunes for $3.99. Dada Company Edutainment has plenty of other apps available for Android, and even Kindle Fire and Blackberry, but not this one just yet. Hopefully it’s coming soon.
