Preschool childrens encounters with The Magic Flute: Rubys story

This article describes a music programme in an Australian early learning centre. Through a repertoire of songs, games and instruments, the children were introduced to music forms, including opera. Mozart's Magic Flute was presented to these children by watching the Metropolitan Opera's latest film performance. Because this opera seized the children's imagination, their interest was scaffolded for eight weeks. This musical adventure was recorded through naturalistic observations, including videos, photographs and drawings with the children's own responses a focus of this event. The experiences of one child, Ruby, are used here as an example of children's potential when the adult world engages them in intelligent dialogue.