Expectations from your Musical Director

In case you ever wondered what we expect once you’ve been cast in a show:

I expect you to warm up on the way to rehearsal.  We will warm up at rehearsal most of the time, but if you’ve got your voice ready to go, the rehearsal warm up will go a long way toward building your ear, too.

I expect you to go home and learn your parts. You learned a song for your audition without any help or coaching from me. Once you’re familiar with how the song goes from rehearsal, you should do the same for your part.

I expect you to ask questions. If you have a question in rehearsal that may be relevant to others, then you have done us all a favor by pointing it out. If you need something from me between rehearsals, please email me, text me, or just ask me after rehearsal.

I expect you to monologue your music.  Musical theatre is about dialogue that is so powerful that it breaks out of speech into song.  If you don’t practice the dialogue as dialogue first, it will be an inconsequential string of words set to pitches.

I expect you to use your music, not your script.  Your script has words that you will learn and make powerful, but nothing in the script will reinforce the pitch or the rhythm.  Music notation is nothing more than symbols on a graph, and it can be learned simply.  (I can help you.  For tips on learning your music, click here: Learn It Fast)

I expect you to make notes in your music. The scores we get are transcriptions, but they’re also condensed.  They are just suggestions.  I am going to voice those parts to make it the easiest I can for you and to make our group sound better.

I expect you to trust me, or at least to learn to trust me over time. My job is to make you sound good individually and with the group and never ask you to do anything that will hurt you or make you sound bad.

I expect you to take care of your voice. You know the things that make you hoarse (extended yelling, lack of sleep, abusing your body) and your sick or absent voice doesn’t help us in rehearsal.

I expect you to practice. You should sing every day, whether it’s the music from the show or Taylor Swift. Strengthening any part of your body requires that you attend to it every day.

I expect you to stay away from the original cast recording of this show. You are not Sutton Foster, and I thank the good Lord that you are you instead. I want to hear your voice and your interpretation. If I want to hear her, I’ll listen to her. I will also give you direction that will not line up with those recordings.

I expect you to learn something from this, whether it’s your first show or your hundredth.

I’m glad you’re here. Your audition made me want to work with you.  Don’t ever forget that.