Kyra Teis

Imagining Stories

Classroom Ideas for Mozart's Magic Flute

Ready: What can you find out about the great composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Use the internet, library, and local music center to learn more.

Get Set: Over the years, The Magic Flute has been staged and costumed in many creative ways. Design your own stage set reflecting the different moods and environments of the opera. Draw costumes that highlight the personalities of the characters.

Action: Make action figures of the cast by drawing the characters on poster board and cutting them out. Get creative and use markers, paint, bits of cloth, and other art materials to decorate them.

Listen Up: Find some versions of The Magic Flute in the audio section of your library. Compare the same scene in two recordings. Do they differ? In what ways? Read the libretto (the written version of the opera, usually in a booklet accompanying the recording) and see how this children's book retells Mozart's opera. What changes were made? How would you retell Mozart's famous story?

Act Out: Assign roles to friends and act out scenes from the opera. Feel free to make up your own lines, or even depart from the story altogether. You never know, you might come up with your own masterpiece!

Write On: Write a journal in the voice of one of the characters. For example, you might record Papageno's thoughts as he accompanies Tamino on his journey.

Turn on the Light: The triumph of Light over Dark is an important theme in Mozart's opera. What do you think these symbols mean? How are the forces of Light and Dark represented in this book? Can you think of other tales in which Light overcomes Dark? Can you make up your own story based on this idea?

The Magic Flute, An Opera by Mozart

Adapted by Kyra Teis

Magic Flute: Teacher’s Guide