It's fair to say that opera wouldn't usually be that popular with kids but recently in
the outback town of Broken Hill twenty local Indigenous kids signed up to learn all about
this type of music from two operatic experts. Carl joined them as they were preparing to
write a song featuring parts of their traditional language and culture.
This is Broken Hill, a small desert town known mostly for its giant mines.
What it's not known for is its love of opera.
But that might be about to change.
♫ Opera Singing ♫
These indigenous kids from four schools across Broken Hill are all taking part in a special
opera workshop.
They're learning how to sing and perform.
When you're doing opera, it's not all just standing there and singing, it's sort of like
a play but every word is sung out.
And they're being trained by some of the best.
Opera is fun. I've never met a child that didn't just get such a great sense of fun
from participating and in singing in that fashion!
Deborah and Jess are professional opera singers from Short Black Opera. They've been travelling
through rural and regional Australia on a kind of talent search!
We bring to them the opportunity to learn opera, or just singing as well, and working
as a group as well as the opportunity to potentially be a part of the short black opera company.
We sing with Jess and Deborah and they teach us all the strategies that make us a better
singer and all that.
Hello BTN, my name is Kirk.
They've also had a lot of fun...
So Betty Batter bought some better batter and it made her batter better.
Yaaaaay!
Now watch me whip, now watch me nae nae… now watch me whip whip now watch me nae nae.
Oh it's amazing, I love it, it's so funny!
Throughout the week, the kids have been working together to come up with their very own song.
JESS: So everywhere we go, we write a song with the children and we give it to them as
our gift so that they can sing it as they leave so that there's a story for them to
tell there and it's their own story.
Jess and Deborah came up with the music, but the kids wrote all the lyrics.
We put down ideas and drawings and they put it together, so yeah, and I like it
- it's really good.
Some parts of the song are even written in Paakantyi, the local traditional language.
I've learned about my culture in many ways. Until I came here I knew different words and
made new friends.
These guys are proud of their home.
'We love Broken Hill.'
And throughout the workshop they've had a lot of help from the local community.
So to say thanks the kids thought it'd be a good idea to show off what they'd learned
in front of their friends, their teachers and their families.
I’m feverous about singing our song because I might forget the words or something -
hopefully that doesn't happen!
♫ Kids performing their opera ♫
It's been fun and I wish we can keep doing this for the whole entire year.
We can create new songs and follow your heart.
I feel very proud, because I've learned things that I've never thought that I could do before.
[applause]