When I first heard our visitor Amanda Hick was an opera singer, I was a bit skeptical. I had my preconceived notions about opera, I always thought it was a pretentious art form that only the very wealthy enjoyed, and I also thought it was quite boring. Before Amanda’s visit, I could never understand the music and the signing, and it seemed very bland to me. After Amanda’s visit, however, my opinion has changed. Amanda’s lesson on opera was so thorough, and I learned so much about the art. From the way it has evolved over the centuries, to even how the audience was widened by composers. Her story of the evolution of opera reminded me of the evolution of Blues music, to Rock and Roll, to the modern Rock music we have today. I also was reminded of my time playing the violin when Amanda mentioned musical terms such as Allegro and Crescendo. It’s very interesting that many new musical terms to describe the sound were created during these opera periods, and we still use them today. Even though I am still a bit wary of opera, I now know that it is still relevant to modern music today, and played a role in music’s evolution over time.