Opera for schools
Helping kids and young people find their voice
With over 50 years of experience in delivering projects for schools, including Scottish Opera's staple Primary Schools Tour, we also offer an exciting array of high quality online teaching resources to help you deliver music-based projects and successful performance days to your class of pupils, ranging from Lower Primary to Secondary School Level.
Our comprehensive packages of audio, video, and curriculum-based resources are easy to follow, and often include a teachers' support pack to help introduce the music and related activities.
Our flexible digital approach means you can build all elements of each project into your timetable or lesson plans at times that suit you, helping you deliver aspects of A Curriculum for Excellence.
Kindly supported by Harbinson Charitable Trust, David & June Gordon Memorial Trust, Hayward Sanderson Trust, Scottish Opera's Education Angels and JTH Charitable Trust
For Upper primary pupils
Primary Schools Tours
A 30-minute show staged with a team of teaching artists
For Primary 5 to 7 pupils
Our much-loved, annual Primary Schools Tour returns in 2025 with The Tale o' Tam! Each school that participates receives high quality teaching resources, a day-long workshop with a team of teaching artists and an all-singing, all-dancing 30-minute performance for family, friends and schoolmates to share, helping teachers all over Scotland deliver aspects of A Curriculum for Excellence.
Vikings!
Digital package of learning resources for a 30-minute show
For Primary 5 to 7 pupils
This package provides you with everything you need to make your performance day a success. It includes a full teaching pack, audio and video resources, as well as the backdrop and music for your show, with solo roles sung by Scottish Opera professionals.
The Curse of MacCabbra Opera House
Digital package of learning resources for a 30-minute show
For Primary 5 to 7 pupils
This package provides you with everything you need to make your performance day a success. It includes a full teaching pack, audio and video resources, as well as the backdrop and music for your show, with solo roles sung by Scottish Opera professionals.
How the Dragon was Made
Free learning resources for a new theatrical experience
For second level pupils
These online resources help you to facilitate a class of pupils in performing their own 20-minute musical show in class while improving your pupils’ comprehension of Mandarin vocabulary, with an element of peer-to-peer learning.
For Lower Primary pupils
Sophie & Bear
A new musical adventure
For Primary 1 to 4 pupils
A newly commissioned 30-minute piece, Sophie & Bear gives young minds coping strategies for everyday worries and reminds us we are not alone in facing them.
The Brassketeers
Free curriculum-based teaching resources
For Primary 1 to 3 pupils
This cross-curricular project introduces children to the joy of brass instruments, while also supporting delivery of the Early and First Level numeracy curriculum. The resources include a beautifully animated short film, alongside lesson plans, slide shows, worksheets and games which explore the relationship between music and maths.
Tiny Chef
An animated musical story and free learning resources
For Primary 3 and 4 pupils
Welcome to the world's most magical restaurant! Developed in a series of workshops with over 200 children, Tiny Chef is set in a marvellous, moveable restaurant, The Sūgélán Dragon, and teaches basic Mandarin and the principles of food purchasing, preparation and presentation, with a focus on fresh, healthy ingredients.
For Secondary School pupils
The Elixir of Love
Free teaching resources for the expressive arts curriculum
For Secondary 3 pupils
These lessons cover topics that can be taught as part of the Art & Design, Drama and Music subjects. Designed to tie in directly to the experiences and outcomes of A Curriculum for Excellence, the intention is to engage pupils’ critical thinking skills, which are transferrable across disciplines, through opera.