Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Patti Barrow | General

Tips: Learning Musical Theatre Songs

Like classical Italian Opera, Musical Theatre repertoire can be challenging and time consuming to learn! But, the prep work is well worth it!

In order for any "scene" to be effective, we really benefit from developing and internalizing a history; details for the character to bring with them, so we begin already "in scene" when we open our mouths to sing their song.

Because singers are often hired as "actors who can sing" rather than "singers who can act", I strongly recommend these tips when preparing for our MT auditions, talent shows, broadway reviews or carpool Karaoke with James Cordon:

1. Read the full story of the show (synopsis). Pay close attention to:
- When the song comes in the show
- What happens right before the song, to set it up
- What makes THESE WORDS so pivotal in the story, so important for the character's development and so important for the audience to know right now? Why this character, these words, this song, and not something else?

2. Watch any live/recorded performances that you can, in context of the show.

3. Listen to at least five recordings of five different singers,
- Get a feel for each singers instrument, their interpretation and their individual delivery of the same song.

4. Questions from my handout "Develop Basic Acting in Your Singing":
- When does the story take place?
  (Era of time? Season of year? Month? Day of the week? Day? Night?)
- Where does this experience take place?
   (Location and surroundings... describe what you see, hear, smell and touch)
- Who is this person singing?
   (age, education, social status, personal traits, goals, trials, family dynamic, etc.)
- What goes on just minutes before the character sing, why these words?
   (a good story has some kind of conflict. In this song, is it laid out? resolved? gets more complicated?)
- Who is this person singing TO?
   (Themselves? If someone else, what is the relationship history?)
- Is this song representational or presentational?
  (are members of the audience merely witnesses to or are they active participants in your scene?)
- What experiences in your own life can you bring to this characters pain, joy, loss, strategizing, etc.)
- Choose and mark your emotional progression within the song
  (a great performance will builds and wanes in intensity, tempo, expression, etc. One emotion, no matter how passionate, will bore your audience).

So there we have it! Some things to think about when choosing and preparing a song! Find one that speaks to you, that you can pour a piece of yourself into.

Your heart can soar on vocal wings...I'm here to be your guide!