I just completed my first year as director. In the past, either the choir director or another teacher with theater wits helped direct musicals. They were listed as assistant director, and the previous director had complete and final say.
I am not required to do a musical, and at the beginning of the year i told the students that I did not have plans to produce one this school year. Occasionally, the former director would direct 2 straight plays, and no musical, as well. So it was not a completely absurd concept to the school.
However, I stumbled upon
Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales and was drawn toward the freedom I would have to teach various aspects of theater. One of my goals is to make sure these student get a broad scope of what theater is. All but the incoming freshman class was used to a straight play comedy in the fall, and a well-known musical in the spring. I wanted to continue to challenge these students. In choosing SDTM I gave very little specific direction on the musical numbers. There are 6 tales and an opening number, only 3 of the 6 tales/scenes have vocal parts, and only 1 of those scenes "The Sow and Her Three Pigs" is a complete musical number sung from beginning to end with minor spoken parts. So, I do not consider this a traditional musical. I have many talented students are both in the choral program as well as some members of the schools a capella group. I allowed these students to direct each other in vocal warm ups, rhythm, and assisting each other in learning the music. I know that one of the soloist's worked on her own time with the choir director to nail down her part. However, we spent very little rehearsal time on learning the music. I gave 1 optional rehearsal to go over parts at the beginning, and those students taught parts to those that could not attend on their own time, or during rehearsal during a scene they were not in or during break.
I held one intensive weekend with a guest dance instructor Matthew Olwell (Google him!) from West Virginia who taught variations on traditional Appalachian dancing - Flatfoot/Buckdancing as well as a brief introduction to tap including the Shim Sham. We had 1 fully-choreographed number but two students who are alumni of our school. The female student has been Appalchain clogging for 9 years and taught the footwork for the leads, the male student is a percussionist and taught the percussive dance parts that involved chairs, chalkboards, and body percussion for the chorus members. It worked out wonderfully. The rest of the dancing was improvisational and fed off of the workshop with Matthew Olwell.
I also brought in a Miami University student as a dialect coach to teach a generalized and consistent Appalachian dialect. I knew I did not want the students to come up with heir own dialect, coming across as a stereotype, or as if they were poking fun at a specific region of our nation. It worked wonderfully and the students all sounded like they were from the same mountain and not just trying to sound "hick" "hillbilly" "redneck" or "country."
My direction of the music itself was almost solely on the feeling, as well as the overall sound, volume, and intensity. I was greatly encourage by the students turning to one another when they needed help with their part.
I also brought in a local musician, Susan Pepper, who has her Masters in Appalachian Studies, for a 1-hour vocal workshop on Appalachian vocal styles and music. She instructed a general lesson of the history of the music and taught 2 traditional songs - one focusing on harmonies and the other on ballad-style lyrics. Students used this workshop much like they did Matthew's. They incorporated what they learned into the characters and their performance.
So, this production was a group effort with specified instruction and input from various individuals, including the students themselves.
I greatly enjoyed this format, and may use it in the future as well. If I do ever make the move and decide on what I consider a traditional broadway-style musical, I mayhe consult and include the music faculty from within the school. However, our school is full of extra-curricular musical opportunities, A capella, jazz band, etc... and these music educators already have their plates full. I believe I would be more likely to pursue the inclusion of a non-music educator within the school district who has music skills. One of my goals in to impress on the students that you do not have to pursue the arts as a career to include the arts in your everyday life. I believe including a science teacher who can sing and dance would impress such a thing.
I'm not sure if this helps in your question, but this is how I tackled my first musical as a high school director.
Cheers
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Andrew Lynn
Oxford OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-11-2014 11:42
From: Jeffrey Davis
Subject: Who directs your musical?
Obviously, all shows are collaborative, but the buck stops with me. The shows are Drama Club events, not chorus. I have final say on everything - the chorus teacher and I get along great and collaborate - but she has her own stuff to do.
The way I look at it - I have the degree in theatre, this is a theatrical event. It should be under my control. The only school I know of where the chorus teacher directs the shows is one that did not have a theatre program until recently. Sounds like a power play to me.
Just my .02
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Jeffrey Davis
Plainsboro NJ
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-10-2014 13:11
From: Teresa McGrath
Subject: Who directs your musical?
I have been teaching in a school theatre program for seven years and involved with theatre at the community, collegiate, and professional level for years prior to teaching. In my experience, it has been that the musical fell under a theatre department to choose, cast, run, etc. - which is how we have been operating the musical at our school since prior to my time here.
Within the past seven years, our music department has been growing independently from a small choral program into three distinct choral, band, and strings ensembles. Over the course of the past year, I have been feeling pressure from our choral director that rather than participate as simply the musical director, a desire to be the sole decision maker for the musical - selection, casting, rehearsal planning, etc. - "with assistance from theatre for costumes, set, and blocking".
This concept is not something that I have any experience with, that I have seen at any other HS program, and that I feel would be a huge setback to what I am trying to build with our theatre program and theatrical education. As it is, the music director (our choral director), the choreographer, and I all sit down to cast together and our band director plans and conducts the orchestra. All of which seems to provide a balanced collaboration of involvement within our department in making decisions for the show.
At various conferences over the past year, I have asked fellow HS theatre teachers at how their programs have been established and each one has told me they are the sole director of the musical and that the music department assists with the vocal and orchestral needs.
Any feedback on how your programs are run/staffed and who is "in charge" of your musical would be greatly appreciated.
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Teresa McGrath
Greenville SC
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