The English National Opera’s FREE music making programme for schools nationwide; bringing a fusion of opera, film and animation into your classroom, as a creative springboard for collaborative composition work. 

“A high-quality teaching resource that brings wonder and imagination to the music curriculum in an inclusive and accessible way”

Finish This… invites students to step into the role of an ENO Composer and respond to, and resolve, a purposefully unfinished operatic piece titled ‘Blue, Red, Yellow…’. Immersing themselves into the Composer role, they will embrace their imaginations and experiment with music, colours and text, to create their own bespoke response ending  – all through the lens of opera.

We support teachers to explore and deliver a creative student-led approach to music making in the classroom. The programme is closely aligned with the national curriculum and develops students’ composition and performance skills, introducing them to opera and new cultural experiences, whilst promoting creativity, collaboration and self-expression.

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How it Works

When? The project can be delivered across the Autumn and/or Spring term 2023-24. In September we will run an online ‘Project Briefing’ session to take you through the scheme of work and resources, and meet the Finish This… team. This is recorded for you to watch back at any time.

Where? Delivered by teachers in school 

What? Finish This… consists of 7 sessions, each lasting approximately 60 minutes. They can be delivered weekly, fortnightly, or more intensively across 1-2 ‘project days’. Whatever works for you and your school timetable. For schools that would like to work through the lessons at a slower pace, you can deliver each session across two 35-45 minute sessions.

Cost? Free

Who’s it created by? All lesson plans and resources have been curated and co-designed in collaboration with teachers, education consultants and ENO artists.

Who’s it for? We offer 3 learner pathways. Each especially tailored for KS2, SEND and KS3 learners; suitable for both non-music specialist teachers and music specialists, and packed with curriculum links.

What makes it unique? We use film and animation to present an opera piece, especially commissioned for young audiences, providing a surprising and inspiring entry point to composition work. Plus, teachers have been part of the planning and creation of this project, ensuring the lessons and resources are practical and meaningful for schools, supporting your delivery of the curriculum.

What Teachers Say

“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.”

“The kids were introduced to opera in the most child friendly way, breaking down the component parts so they understood each bit and felt confident in what they were doing.”

“An immersive, inclusive experience to enable everyone to create beautiful musical compositions.”  

“Finish This… is genuinely the best resource produced by a professional music setting that I have ever used (in 20 years…). It is rare to find a resource that successfully caters for both non music specialists and music specialists and keeps them both very happy whilst also delivering a very meaningful experience for the children.”

Sharing & Celebration

Participating classes receive a celebratory package including: ENO Certificates; a video message from the Composer; and a pack full of ideas to share the work within your school. Each music submission will be showcased and available on our ENO SoundCloud and Interactive Map. If you’d like to submit your students’ work to the ENO, we offer 3 submission dates across the Autumn and Spring term.

In addition, the Composer and Finish This… team will select up to 50 music submissions and bring these to life with a special bespoke animation that responds to the students’ music; showcasing and celebrating the breadth of musical work and talent from across a range of schools. Explore last year’s celebration of Finish This…

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Take Part

Booking for the 2023-24 project delivery has now closed.

To express your interest for the 2024-25 academic year, complete this EOI form, or contact the Finish This… team on [email protected]