30 Second BriefingFinish This… is the English National Opera’s FREE nationwide composition programme for secondary schools.
Co-created with teachers and secondary specialists and aligned with the KS3 music curriculum, it uses opera and animation as a creative springboard for collaborative composition.
1. The mission
Finish This… invites your class to respond to, and resolve, a deliberately unfinished operatic piece entitled ‘Blue, Red, Yellow…’.
In the first lesson, students ‘discover’ a special toolkit package from the ENO, presenting the operatic stimulus via video, and tasking them to step into the role of an ENO composer and create their own musical response.
2. The approach
The Finish This… scheme of work and resources have been co-created with teachers and secondary specialists, ensuring schools receive a project that is packed with curriculum links, offers flexibility within a structured framework, and provides a meaningful, student-led experience for your class.
3. The accessibility
Finish This… offers multiple entry points to composition, accommodating a variety of different learning styles, interests, and skillsets.
Students’ creations are notated using graphic scores, no specialist equipment is required, and participants have the freedom to use any combination of voice, body percussion and instruments. And did we mention that it’s FREE to all state schools?
4. The resources
You’ll receive access to online CPD training, lesson plans, and a toolkit resource package delivered to your school. Plus, our online hub offers a suite of classroom video activities and supporting CPD films.
5. The learning objectives
By the end of the project, your students will have created their own original musical material and had the chance to showcase it on the ENO’s online platforms.
They will be able to demonstrate how musical elements (such as melody, harmony and pitch) can support the meaning of words in a song, reflect on their own and others’ compositions to offer feedback, and develop skills in collaboration and ensemble performance.
What did teachers say?
“A high-quality teaching resource that brings wonder and imagination to the music curriculum in an inclusive and accessible way.”
“As a music specialist, it gave me things to consider and do differently. Finish This… is completely unique in its offer and is of an extremely high quality.”
“A unique project that has high expectations of the students as musicians, which gives them confidence. They were engaged and inspired.”
“Finish This… has completely raised the profile of composing in our school. It was the most exciting project, broke down so many barriers and was completely inclusive.”
Interested?
Find out more and sign up at www.eno.org/finishthis or get in touch at finishthis@eno.org.
