“Why would I spend $100 to see a Broadway show, when I can see it on YouTube for free?” “Yes, I have seen WICKED.” “Oh – where did you see it?” “On YouTube.” These are conversations and comments I have heard more times that I can count. Let’s be honest – most of us have. […]
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Frequently, musical theatre performers in musical productions find they need to learn to play piano or wish they’d mastered the instrument a long time ago. Here are a few reasons why performers should consider taking steps towards learning this important skill. Communicating with Your Team There are times when singers and dancers who never learned […]
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Last semester I was required to write a very long research paper for my Research and Bibliography class- something I was not looking forward to, but hey, that’s part of graduate school. Little did I know, I would be completely inspired by my topic and grow to write more on the subject than I even […]
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I’ve recently found my new favorite musical theatre song. And by recently, I really mean that I first listened to this song about four weeks ago, and I’ve had it on repeat ever since. What could this fabulous piece of music possibly be? Why, it is “Waving Through a Window” from the new musical Dear […]
The post When Musical Theatre and Pop Collide appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
I teach children’s theatre. At least, that’s what I tell people. I’ll also toss choreographer, conductor, artistic director, prompter, stage manager, director, coach, psychic, eternal optimist, and president and founder of the “I’m Sorry Guys, but We’re Not Performing Frozen Today” Club. Teachers, I tip all my hats to you fellow masters of multi-tasking! When […]
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“Counterpoint” is one of those fancy musical terms I was never sure I understood until I actually heard it in action. Once I did, I thought “witchcraft” might be a more accurate description. Essentially, counterpoint is when you have two completely different melodic lines happening at the same time. While this can be used to […]
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I thought about starting this blog with a play on a eulogy, mourning the loss of the overture a la La Vie Boheme, but I became so excited to talk about overtures I didn’t want to take the time for an intro. Let’s just jump right in. I love new musical theatre, as evidenced by […]
The post Let’s Bring Back the Overture appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
As a self-proclaimed “adopted” southerner, I was entirely way too excited when I heard about Rob Ashford’s 2015 Broadway revival of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Seriously, is there anything better than big hair and southern camp? The answer is no, no there is not. The musical by Carol Hall with a book by […]
The post Country Music…al Theater appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
A friend recently heard Keith Jarrett live in concert. It was one of Keith’s solo concerts, which are entirely improvised. I’m quite familiar with KJ and the conversation I had with my friend brought to mind the following thoughts: A great improviser does not make a great composer. Improvisation and composition are two separate and distinct […]
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Carmel Dean is a composer and music director. As a writer, her work includes A Girl Called Vincent and Songs of Innocence and Experience. She was the music director for Hands on a Hardbody and American Idiot, and she’s currently music directing If/Then on Broadway. NMT: When did you start writing songs? Carmel Dean: I began writing songs when […]
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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersection of theater and rap. You might be surprised to hear this, if you know me in real life, because I don’t listen to popular rap at all or know very much about it. But the annals of theater news provide a long list of possible reasons […]
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I recently attended an evening of philosophy and music, led by Professor Bill Brewer of King’s College London, which explored the relationship between music and the mind. The relationship between the two may seem to be self explanatory, but the aim of the discussion was to explore and ask the question why some music is […]
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The act of musical composition involves one basic activity: choosing good notes. The choice is critical. The first notes heard by the listener set the tone for the entire song or symphony. Good notes are the well-spring for a wonderful composition. Bad notes signal bad music. A composer can’t make good music out of bad […]
The post You Want To Compose? This Is How It’s Done. appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
I’ve never been in a musical… unless you count my 8th grade stint in Teens in Tinseltown (it’s real, look it up). I grew up playing guitar and listening to rock, pop, folk, soul, and jazz. Don’t get me wrong, I saw a good number of shows and listened to the Rent cast album 5-bajllion […]
The post Zoe’s Mix appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
Artists are a community, an enormous community from infinitely different backgrounds and disciplines. It always makes me incredibly sad to see someone in this community question the legitimacy of an entire subdivision of artists. I recently read some writing by a former colleague of mine, a composer in academia, a doctoral candidate, essentially declaring that […]
The post Dr. Composer appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
I’m not a dancer. I move kind of like Elaine Benes, thumbs and all. And for readers too young to get that reference, I hate you. But my mom is a choreographer and teacher upstate, and I spent my childhood with probably an unusual attention (for a musician) to the movement and dance component of […]
The post Music to Punctuate Movement appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
