A Brief Overview of Approaches to Teaching the Music Theatre Song

Abstract

As music theatre becomes more important throughout the world, it is being taught in universities and conservatories, often as part of a degree curriculum. While the form has been around for approximately 100 years, in New York and London particularly, there are no universally accepted criteria for teaching it. Performers with music theatre life experience have been asked to become teachers and, over the past several decades, have contributed their approaches as to which ingredients must be conveyed to singers and teachers of singing in order to be effective. This chapter represents the opinions of three women who are college professors who have life experience in professional music theatre at the highest levels. Each of these experts presents their unique viewpoint on how to successfully approach learning a music theatre song, understanding how it should be taught both from a vocal health and vocal production viewpoint, but with an eye and ear towards the expectations of the professional demands of the song itself. Their broad experience as music theatre performers and as teachers, instructing both students and working professionals, offers a close-up overview of twenty-first century expectations for singers in professional music theatre who need to understand how to address today’s very challenging repertoire.