You may not be able to tell it initially, but there are some great budding theater artists in the kinder set. Music is a wonderful opportunity for these future George Clooneys and Julia Roberts to express themselves to the fullest, without the hampering of stringent rules and guidelines. What a super way to see into the depths of their creativity! And, all this without having to memorize any lines.

One great music resource for acting skills is the simple ballad, or song-story. Read The Lady with the Alligator Purse (With Nadine Bernard Westcott's fabulous illustrations) to your kids, then teach them the song. After they get the idea, have them act out the story while singing it. Another good source that uses a strong beat and repetitive rhythm is "Going on a Bear Hunt". Keep a rhythm pattern going by patting on the knees, and have a couple of kids play the main character and the bear.

They ain't your momma's nursery rhymes anymore! There are some super recordings of nursery rhymes out now, done in rap, blues, hip-hop, and other variations that can allow youngsters to explore different song styles. I love using the nursery rhyme examples of "Three Blind Mice", "Baa-Baa, Black Sheep", and "This LIttle Piggy", found in the 1998 editions of the Silver Burdett series, kindergarten book. The "Baa, Baa" example, especially, is a great opportunity for the kids to pretend they're on the stage as a fabulous rhythm and blues singer.

Another highly recommended set of recordings is Hippity-Hop, which is a collection of popular children's songs redone in a hip-hop style. For more of a jazz style, try Go with the Flow by Mother Goose Jazz Band. Just surprising the students with familiar songs that are not in a non-traditional fashion can release a lot of surprises for you, too (and I mean, pleasant ones). Also, use songs that you've taught them in the past, and see how they can make up different ways of singing them. Give examples of jazz, hip-hop, classical, country, and pop, and instruct the kids to imitate these styles.

I use this same technique when using repetitive circle games in which students are eliminated one by one (such as Apple Tree or Bumble Bee). If you have a large group, the game can tend to get monotonous while you're waiting to get down to the last person, and you need to keep the attention of the students who are out. Singing the tunes to different styles, and with different timbres and dynamics, can keep that attention span going. Plus, the kids are going to want to contribute ideas, and that's OK!

Puppets come in very handy to help the shy student find his or her creative voice. Use children's literature and puppets (or those hundreds of Beanie Babies your own children collected!) to have primaries act out some of their favorite literature. Or, why not give them a scene of a story you've made up, and let them make up their own lines? You can also use plain old popsicle sticks and cut out puppets, do a little craft lesson, and act out nursery rhymes or favorite stories. Don't have a theater? Check with the kindergarten or preschool classroom teacher, or just use the piano! The fact is...with some of these kids, not having their faces seen can bring out a lot of talent you might not have thought possible.

Opera is nothing more than telling a story with acting. Give your youngsters a simple scenario and ask them to act it out. A department store is a good setting. They can pretend to be shoppers, a check-out clerk, food service, or whatever they want. Then make a P.A. announcement that an elephant is loose in the mall, and see what their instant reaction is. NOW, tell them the class is going to do a story, but everything has to be SUNG. This is a good way to check to make sure the kids understand the difference between singing voice and speaking voice, plus, a great way to introduce the concept of opera. (OK, don't worry about head voice and all that stuff right now. Just let them have fun!)

What objectives do play-acting enhance? The opera lesson plan develops the understanding of singing voice and speaking voice. It also develops the head voice, without you even knowing it. When students imitate opera voices, they try to go over the top. The details about open throat, diaphragmatic breathing, and other points can be gradually added later. Play-acting introduces students to different styles of music. Play-acting promotes creativity and understanding of theater. Play-acting develops self-confidence and helps shy students open up. And, it's not an objective, but play-acting is fun for the kids and for the teacher. What better benefit?