Resources for students and teachers
The Opera House’s Teacher Resources provide inspirational activities to watch, listen and read for students in the classroom or learning at home. Teachers should adapt these resources to suit the student age, stage and the lesson outcomes desired.
The resources will kick-start many collaborative conversations with students. From livestreamed talks and tours, to podcasts and videos from past performances, masterclasses and workshops, we've got it covered. Welcome to your House.
NAIDOC Week 2020
Years K-12
Explore our range of digital content for schools celebrating and acknowledging NAIDOC Week and our Indigenous history and culture. Take a digital tour exploring the history of Bennelong Point, tune in to a panel event for high school students featuring young Indigenous thinkers, or even get hands-on by trying out a damper recipe from head of First Nations programming, Rhoda Roberts. There's so much to share with your students this NAIDOC Week, 8 - 15 November.
From our stage to your classroom
Available on demand from our digital season
Sovereign Ideas (Premiere)
10am, Tuesday 10 November AEDT – Years 9 - 12
Join a panel of iconoclastic young Indigenous Australian cultural thinkers and leaders including Emily Johnson, Corey Tutt, Lille Madden, and Ryhan Clapham (aka DOBBY) in this unique NAIDOC event for secondary school students.
There's a Sea in My Bedroom
WATCH NOW – Years 2 - 7
Discover new music for little ears in this beautifully reimagined classic tale, weaving storytelling with an original score performed by musicians from the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Jessica Townsend: Author Talk
WATCH NOW – Ages 8+
Tune in to this inspiring talk about creativity and writing with record-breaking Australian children’s author Jessica Townsend. This talk, recorded in 2018, focuses on Jessica’s second book Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow.
Shaun Tan
WATCH NOW – Ages 10+
Discover the creative process behind The Red Tree and The Lost Thing, in this talk featuring best-selling Australian children’s author and illustrator Shaun Tan.
Kids Music Café: Around the World (Premiere)
WATCH NOW – Ages 6 months+
Come on a journey around the world in this wonderful introduction to classical music, created especially for your toddler and you! Hear songs from five different continents as you meet the string instruments along the way.
Maths of the Sydney Opera House with Eddie Woo
Ages 11+
Join award-winning maths teacher, author and Wootube star Eddie Woo on a marvellous adventure around the Opera House; uncovering the mathematical concepts behind the construction and design solutions of the building. This week in episode 4, learn about fractal geometry and how architect Jørn Utzon took inspiration from the natural environment.
The Coburn Tapestries
Years 3 - 11
Discover the famous Coburn tapestries, the Curtain of the Sun and the Curtain of the Moon, the original house curtains for the Opera Theatre and Drama Theatre stages. Learn about the history behind this great Australian story, and get creative with our teacher resources inspired by these iconic works covering Art, Design and Technology, and Textiles curriculum.
The Artificial Reef Project
Ages 8+
Discover what's living in the water around the Opera House, learn about the project to protect it and ways you can help build a more sustainable future!
George meets the orchestra
Ages 3+
Follow George as he chats with players from the Sydney Youth Orchestra and learns all about the four families of the orchestra – strings, brass, woodwind and percussion.
Karen and the composers
Ages 5+
Join Karen Pang along with the composers of 'There’s a Sea in My Bedroom' Dr Daniel Blinkhorn and Associate Professor Paul Stanhope as they find out where music comes from, plus learn some fun ways to start your own composition.
Jazz masterclasses with Herbie Hancock and friends
Ages 12+
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock and a number of internationally recognised jazz artists lead a series of masterclasses, exploring the history and artistry of jazz music.
After more? Read the director of International Jazz Day, Mika Shino share stories about the legendary Miles Davis, Herbie's legacy in music, and the liberating power of jazz.
Jazz masterclass with
Herbie Hancock
Performance with
Sound Circle
Big Band workshop with Antonio Hart
Rhythm section workshop with Hancock Fellows
Vocal masterclass with
Michael Mayo
Brass workshop with
James Morrison
Go behind the scenes of Emil and the Detectives and learn about the set design process
Ages 12+
In this five part series, designer Wendy Todd explains the set design process using Slingsby Theatre Company's production Emil and the Detectives
Learn how to make models inspired by Utzon's own designs
Ages 7+
For our 45th anniversary, we held a series of free workshops for kids, exploring the design principles of architect Jørn Utzon. In this five part series, make mini models and daring constructions.
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Tim Sharp Digital Artist Talk
Ages 9+
We hosted a special digital artist talk for World Autism Day with internationally acclaimed artist and author Tim Sharp. Tim has autism and has won fans from all around the world with his unique sense of humour and original art. Here, Tim appears alongside his mum Judy Sharp, and is interviewed by Jacqueline Marriott.
Through Laser Beak Man's Eyes
Ages 9+
As a fan of the Sydney Opera House, Tim Sharp takes us on a tour of the building and shares with us his unique point of view.
Beauty can be found in diversity, inclusion and looking at the world through the eyes of different people.
Bestselling children's author and illustrator Matt Stanton on creativity
Ages 4+
Catch up on our exclusive talk with bestselling children's author and illustrator Matt Stanton in celebration of Australian Reading Hour. Find out where Matt gets his inspiration from, his creative process and why reading and stories are important for development.
Drawing the Magic
Ages 5+
Take a look at the creative process behind the iconic characters of Hush and Grandma Poss from Possum Magic with illustrator Julie Vivas.
Behind the Magic
Ages 4+
Drawing inspiration form the world around her, join us on a visit to Julie Vivas' home studio to see where the magic happens.
Puppeteering
Ages 6+
Bring a puppet to life in four steps.
Meet the Dinosaurs
Ages 6+
Get up close and personal with the dinosaurs from Erth.
Arty Farty – A Podcast for Kids
Our podcast Arty Farty – A Podcast for Kids has been created especially for Kid Creatives. We’re excited to share special moments, insights, tips, tricks and more from kids themselves, and creative types who appear here at the House.
Before the House with Rhoda Roberts
Ages 6+
Hear all about the rich Indigenous history that existed in Sydney long before the Opera House was built.
Listen on:
Dinosaurs in the House with Scott Wright
Ages 6+
Have you ever seen a dinosaur at the Opera House? We have all kinds of things on its stages, and dinosaurs sound like they could be one of them!
Listen on:
Houses Guests with Valerie Ng
Ages 6+
Is the Queen the most famous person to have visited the Opera House? Take a journey down into the vaults of the Opera House to talk to the person who’s an expert on all the Sydney Opera House records and photos.
Listen on:
Season 2: Creative Conversations
Learn about the creative process and inspiration behind well-known artists. These conversations will spark the imagination of children and adults alike.
David Walliams
Ages 6+
David talks about his bestselling novel Billionaire Boy and the unlikely places he's found inspiration.
Listen on:
Matt Stanton
Ages 4+
Author of the Funny Kids series, listen to how Matt starts getting words onto a page and how important reading is to creating stories.
Listen on:
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Tim Sharp
Ages 9+
Join Tim and his mum Judy as they discuss Tim's early years being diagnosed with autism, his life as an artist and creator and where this dream has taken him.
Listen on:
Classic Kids
Ages 2+
Introduce young listeners to musical soundscapes and classical compositions with the Classic Kids podcast and our interactive activity sheets.
Through sounds and storytelling, these resources are designed to help kids learn about the instrument families and develop their musical vocabulary.
How do you teach creativity?
Ages 12+
An interview with Paul Stanhope, Australian composer, conductor and educator on how the music in the adaptation of There's a Sea in My Bedroom came together.
Liverpool Boys High rewrites the school curriculum with creativity
Ages 12+
Principal Mike Saxon and his students are changing the way we learn.
Black Bear Magic
Ages 14+
We caught up with Candy Bowers and Melbourne rapper P-UniQue to chat the origins of hip hop fairytale One the bear, as well as bear-y important things like teenage identity and hip-hop in Australia.
School kids write their migrant family stories into song
All ages
In 2019, students from Lansvale Public School co-created two songs with musician Luke Escombe as part of our Creative Leadership in Learning program.
Watch them sing their shared family history as they record their beautiful ballad and humorous ode to the Asian Supermarket.
Written resources for teachers
These resources relate to our free live stream tours, workshops and talks for classrooms.