There are a couple of tricky aspects of this lesson plan that should be considered before the classes begin. First, Madame Butterfly is an opera and most students will have little experience talking about music. As a result, this lesson plan is designed to both focus on non-musical aspects of the work while introducing students to classical music and opera in an accessible and engaging way. That said, the particular approach to the work will depend upon the makeup of the class - classes with more students with musical experience may focus more on Puccini while those with fewer may focus on the thematic and textual components.
Second, Madame Butterfly is an extremely upsetting and...
