Teaching the song

BY TRACEY MOORE

Singing and acting in the musical theatre class

musical theatre education is a relatively new concept, but a burgeoning one. It seems like new musical theatre programs are starting up every day, and now aspiring singers, dancers, and actors have their choice of children’s programs, high school classes, summer camps, college degrees, and pro- fessional musical theatre workshops. Universities that offer a B.F.A. degree in musical theatre find themselves inundated with applications. Lots of people want to be in the musical theatre, and lots of people want to teach them how. Yet in the many years I’ve spent in and around musical theatre, I’ve seen too many performances by young people that were lacking in musical theatre craft, which is not solely acting, singing, or dancing, but the successful integration of these elements—combined in a personal and individual way. The three main elements that make up musi- cal theatre—singing, dancing, acting—subdivide into things like kinesthetic awareness, emotional connection, action, and so on. Each of those fun- damentals divides further into the essentials of vibration, breath, balance, alignment, imagination, sensitivity, impulse, and more. Ultimately, musical theatre performers are responsible for integrating all of this stuff into a complete performance. I believe the place for students to practice in- tegration is the classroom, so I’m speaking here to those who teach musical theatre. And what an assorted bunch we are! We teach voice, dance, acting, literature, communications, and music. We have M.M.s, M.F.A.s, B.F.A.s, Ph.D.s, and S.H.K.s (from the School of Hard Knocks, of course). We are coaches, music directors, directors, and chore- ographers. We are actors, singers, and dancers our- selves. Whatever your discipline, my hope is that the thoughts and examples shared in this article will bring you to a deeper understanding of what’s involved in singing a musical theatre song, and give you some idea about how to pass that knowledge

R. BRUHN along to your students.

14 TEACHING THEATRE Teaching the song O DEVELOP MUSICAL THEATRE ARTISTS, IT’S ESSENTIAL TO SPEND SOME TIME IN THE CLASSROOM WORKING SPECIFICALLY ON EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY.

Developing the musical theatre artist reservation. Half-measures will do nothing, and if you allow Often,T musical theatre classes do not allow for the kind of students to get away with lukewarm efforts, it will be freedom that one finds in acting classrooms. In an acting more harmful than not trying anything at all. They will classroom, if a student is struggling or seems stuck, teach- end up disappointed in themselves because they were ers will come up with creative solutions to the problem. faking it, and they will miss the opportunity to experience Asking provocative questions, engaging the student in the profound changes that are possible in a theatre class- outlandish physical activities, having the students speak room. Additionally, the half-hearted commitment of one in gibberish, or asking scene partners to surprise each student will pave the way for other students in the class other are just some of the many techniques available to to do the same thing. Don’t let this happen. the acting teacher. However, these techniques are rarely used in the musical theatre classroom. Instead, the musi- Create a laboratory environment cal theatre class is dedicated to learning the notes, memo- The first step in getting the students to a place where rizing the words, and making decisions about blocking, they can play with a song is to create a classroom in choreography, and other aspects of the performance. which that is understood to be the curriculum. Knowing Ideally, the work in the musical theatre classroom that the goal is play will help students get past their rev- (or music theatre workshop, as it is sometimes called) erence for the material, and allow them to make unusual should have as its goal the exploration of the intersec- choices. tion between performer and material. If your students are In addition to letting go of reverence for the material, spending the semester working toward a performance, a students must also overcome a certain amount of rever- scene night, or some other showcase of their work, then ence for the accompanist (this can be daunting for stu- they are not in class; they’re in rehearsal. Rehearsal has a dents if the accompanist is the teacher). Here’s why: it is whole different set of rules, and the most important one very important for the musical theatre performer to “own” is to do what the director (or music director, or choreog- the song. The music and lyrics must appear to be coming rapher) tells you to do. from the actor—to be something that the character is cre- To develop musical theatre artists, it’s essential to ating in that moment. This can be difficult if the teacher spend some time in the classroom working specifically on is accompanying and the student feels the need to defer exploration and discovery. The director should try to es- to his or her authority. In technical terms, what will hap- tablish an atmosphere in the classroom where the highest pen is this: the student will rely on the teacher to “lead,” value is not obedience, or finding the “right” or even the allowing the teacher/accompanist to set tempos, initiate “best” performance. Instead, the class should be about beginnings of phrases, and determine the length and trying all kinds of different things in an effort to develop manner of rubatos and ritards and dynamics. The singer will the skills of the individual actor. be hesitant and beginnings of phrases will be cautious Some of these activities will work right away; others and half-sung. His eyes will dart over to the piano, check- will take several tries. Some will work for some students ing to be sure that everything is okay, that he is “doing and not for others. The main requirement is that the stu- it right.” He will be, in effect, waiting for directions from dent must engage in these activities wholeheartedly and without the accompanist/teacher. And that cannot be.

At left, Dames at Sea, produced by Floyd Central High School (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) at the 2006 Thespian Festival.

TEACHING THEATRE 15 If a student is having difficulty with where a student’s entire classroom that!” But the point of musical theatre this concept, then have her sing the experience can be spent in an end- is that people do things they wouldn’t song with only a skeletal accompani- gaining posture that eliminates any ordinarily do. ment (chords only, perhaps) and com- possibility for taking a risk or exploring Now, even though musical theatre pletely out of tempo. Each thought creatively. Ask your musical theatre stu- behavior may be outlandish by every- should be sung separately, with no dents to forget about approval, forget day standards, most musical theatre worry about time, cohesiveness, or about the test for now, to experiment characters are singing songs that are continuance to the next thought. Paus- and reserve judgment (and applause) grounded in accessible human experi- es for breath should be long and full of for later. ences. It may take some thought to thought. The accompanist should move find the shared humanity that one can forward to the next chord only when Your role in the classroom connect to in the song, but it’s almost it appears the singer has completely The most effective teaching mode for always there. I’ll give you some ideas explored the previous thought. Ideally, this kind of work is based on the So- on how to do this—a way of personal- the singer should know the music well cratic method, which involves asking izing the song—in a minute. enough that he or she is not counting lots of questions. The goal is to foster First, though, I want to talk about the on the accompanist for melodic help. If exploration and personal inventiveness. larger scope of the genre. Let’s face it— this exercise reveals that she does not, Students need your help to see where everyone knows that teapots don’t re- then the singer must work on the song their work is lacking. You may need to ally sing. And while we may sing in the until she can sing it a capella. push them to explore other possibili- shower or in our cars, we would think This is not to suggest that the role of ties. If you are inventive and uninhib- twice before breaking into song while accompanist is purely to wait and fol- ited in your teaching, the students will walking down the street. But in a musi- low. There can and should be a more follow your example. They will inherit cal, people (and teapots) do that all the equitable collaborative relationship your imaginative freedom, your focus, time. “I have often walked down this between pianist and singer. But in the daring, honesty, and awareness. What a street before,” Freddy sings in My Fair classroom, the students must begin to wonderful gift to give! Lady. This is part of the world of the understand in what way they are lead- Sometimes, when the teacher be- musical, and in the same way that we ing, or creating, the song, and they gins to coach an individual student, accept Shakespeare’s verse or Mamet’s must be in charge of their own trial- there is a loss of focus among the other language or Pinter’s pauses as part of and-error process. In addition, learning students in the class. You can help a character’s “reality,” we must accept how to take the lead is crucial in audi- eliminate this problem by encouraging that in a musical, the characters will, at tions, and it can be a lifesaver in per- your students to use every moment to some point, break into song. formance when something goes wrong develop their observation skills. When But why do they do that? and an actor must make a split-second you are working with Student A, it There is an emotional hierarchy in decision about how to take control of is a great opportunity for the rest of musical theatre that can be viewed the situation. the class. Student A may be suffering as three rungs on a ladder. On the acute nerves or performance anxiety. first step, characters speak. This is the Hold the applause As a result, he may only hear about dialogue of a musical libretto. As in Another way to create the atmosphere half of what you are saying. The rest a playscript, characters in a musical for vulnerable, daring self-exploration of the students, on the other hand, have wants and intentions, and they is to ask, on the first day, that students are relaxed observers. They are in an use speech and action as a way to refrain from applauding each other. excellent position to watch your work achieve those wants. Explain that your class is not about get- with Student A and learn from it. I ask But in a musical, characters move up ting the audience’s approval or about listening students to keep good notes the ladder to the second rung—sing- being “done” (applause being the so- about what they are seeing, and some- ing—when speaking isn’t enough. Char- cially agreed-upon symbol that some- times give them writing assignments acters in a musical break into song be- thing is over, finished, complete, and based on their observations. cause something happens that heightens ready for judgment). the dramatic moment, and they are in a Instead, as my former acting teacher The world of the play place of more: more intensity, more ac- Charlie Kakatsakis once said, students Let’s take a minute to talk about the tion, more wants, more needs. In some must “dare to be bad.” Dare your stu- musical theatre world in general, and cases there are more obstacles working dents to do things they haven’t done musical theatre singing specifically. against them, more problems to solve, before, to leap before looking, to make One mistake that young students often more resistance to overcome. lots of big, outrageous mistakes, and make is trying to bring everything in The third step is when words fail go for it. You will find that students are musical theatre down to a casual, “re- the characters completely, and they reluctant and at the same time eager alistic” level. It’s hard for students to must dance. Dance’s wordless physical for this kind of opportunity—especially find their way into a song, sometimes, explosion is a final attempt to com- in these days of teaching to the test, because they say, “I would never do municate using every fiber of one’s marriage to the king in order to merge muscular being. It’s not enough to talk and they should. But sometimes the about something; it’s not enough to our lands.” work distances students from the mate- To help a student transform herself sing about it. Now the character must rial, rather than bringing them closer. try to embody the thing itself. into student-as-character, you will need I’ll bet you’ve never had a student to think on your feet. You need to ask E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, who wrote who was a princess promised in mar- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and questions that will help clarify which riage to King Arthur, as Guenevere is are the most significant portions of the many other great songs, once said that in Camelot. And a half-baked attempt at what makes a musical theatre song so students’ answers. Possible answers to recreating this (at least in my students) the question, “What’s going on in this powerful is that it speaks both to the results in a Disneyfied, stereotypical, mind and the emotions. Words are song?” are: goody-two-shoes princess—hardly the • Guenevere is nervous and is talk- thoughts, he said (I’m paraphrasing type of woman who would defy her here), and music is emotion. So when ing to St. Genevieve. family, break a contract with a king, • Guenevere has left her home to you put the two together, a song is brave the raw English weather and the like feeling a thought. The director and come and marry this king whom she perils of the forest alone, and run away has never seen. acting coach Wesley Balk expressed a to talk to an imaginary saint. Yet, this is similar idea when he noted that words • Guenevere wants an exciting life exactly what Guenevere does. full of knights, danger, and romance. speak to the left side of the brain, and But, you know what? I’ll bet you music to the right side. Merging the To support the movement toward have students who have misbehaved. “student-as-character,” ask the student two unifies and uses all of the brain, So I suggest you start there. and touches all of what makes us hu- questions like: • Do you have someone that you man. Step one: personalizing the song So as you can see, singing in a mu- confide in? The quickest road to truthful perfor- • Have you ever confided in some- sical is not intended to be casual or mance is through the students’ own regular or everyday. To begin a song one that you were scared or nervous? lives. I call this student-as-character. • Have you ever moved to a new means that the character must be en- When students sing from their own ex- tering a place where mere words do place and missed the place you left periences, it’s much more difficult to lie. behind? not suffice. The singer must take into Please note that I am not suggesting account the heightened emotional state • Do you remember how you felt that students should never do research. on the night before a big event? that demands the combined contribu- They must! But I offer personalization tions of music, rhythm, harmonies, and • Have you ever been on a blind as a first, important step. Students need date? words to achieve full expression. to have the experience of singing as Thus the musical world is not “re- • Did you ever want your life to be themselves in order to understand what more exciting than it is? alistic” in the traditional sense, and it’s truly “connected” singing feels like. not in real time (people don’t really • What is a crazy daydream or vision Once they have felt it, they will never that you have had about your future? fall in love during the course of a single accept a substitute. song, do they?), and it’s not real life. It’s After a sequence of these and simi- Let’s stay with Guenevere and look lar questions, you will have touched something more. Therefore, trying to at her song “The Simple Joys of Maid- make things “real” is a futile endeavor. on the circumstances that your student enhood.” Remember, your role is to might have in common with Guenev- But we can—within the world of each ask a lot of questions, and you need to show—make things truthful. ere, and by listening closely to her an- find something to which your student swers, you can determine which com- There are a couple of ways to do can connect. this. monalities have the most resonance for Begin by asking the student, that particular student. As a teacher, I try to steer students “What’s going on in this song?” At toward an authentic, truthful, personal If, for example, the student admits this point, she may want to tell you that she’s always wanted the exciting performance that is based in the theat- the entire plot of Camelot. Try to avoid rical traditions of Stanislavski, informed life of a movie star, get some specifics this by specifying that you are particu- from her about what that would mean. by the character’s relationships, and larly interested in knowing what is go- grounded in the notions of conflict • What would be fun about that? ing on right now, in this particular song • What would a typical day be like? and want. Working in this way means moment. The explanation might be: “A understanding the given circumstances • Who would she date? girl is afraid because she has been sent • What risks or dares would she un- of the script, identifying actions, fill- away from home and she is worried ing in backstory with imagination and dertake? that she isn’t going to get to have any Have the student sing a verse or two research, deeply investigating relation- more fun in life.” This will work be- ships to people and things, and provid- with “movie star” impulses to get the cause it’s a human experience to which feel of it. Be sure to demand full com- ing subtext for everything. the student might be able to relate, un- It would be great if young students mitment for this experiment. like the factual, but less accessible “I’m It is natural for students to hesitate would really dig in and do this work, a princess who has been promised in

TEACHING THEATRE 17 to reveal themselves too much. They Have that I Don’t Have?”). Talking to myself may be reluctant to make the personal For the moment, we are still dealing Students will often answer “Who are connection, and shy about expressing with student-as-character. That means you talking to?” with the reply, “to raw emotion. This results in the artifi- that students are not yet researching myself.” While there are soliloquies in cial, superficial behaviors that give mu- the characters and the context of the musical theatre (“Soliloquy,” from Car- sical theatre a bad reputation. To avoid show. So, to answer these questions, ousel being the most obvious example), this, set up the classroom as a safe students should take the qualities of and instances when the character is place for risk, and remind students that the show relationship (as much as can singing while alone on stage, the acting not everything they do will be usable. be gleaned from the song) and transfer choice of “talking to myself”—in the Not everything is a keeper. Not every- them to a relationship in which the sense of an inner monologue—should thing will be “on the test.” student is already personally invested. be discouraged. The tendency in inner The point is to come out and play. If choosing to sing “to my father” pro- monologues is for students to become Using student-as-character eliminates vides some truth for the performer, too reflective: energy and focus drift the possibility of hiding, or at the very then use that. If a student wants to try backwards into the singer; the voice least, makes it very clear when the stu- singing a song to a potential girlfriend, becomes small, eyes stop communi- dent is attempting to do so. a pesky younger brother, or an absent cating, and physical bodies curl into parent, let them try. themselves. Step two: more questions Let’s take the example of a song First, be sure that “I’m talking to my- To achieve your goals of personal con- like “Whistle Down the Wind” from the self” is correct—that there are no other nection and to develop your students’ show of the same name, “Anytime (I possibilities. Often, a best friend or artistic impulses, the two questions that Am There)” from William Finn’s Elegies, someone equally familiar and intimate will yield the most immediate results are: or “Not While I’m Around” from Sweeney will work just as well, with none of the • Who are you talking to? Todd. After you have done some think- pitfalls. If “I’m talking to myself” is truly • What do you want? ing about the lyrics, you will discover the best option (or if it’s simply some- The main difference between an- that these three songs share a common thing the student wants to explore), the swering these questions for rehearsal theme: “I will be beside you.” You can student should place the “other self” and answering them for the classroom then ask the student whether they’ve physically outside themselves—across is that neither you nor the students ever wanted to tell someone, “You can the room, if possible. This prevents need to feel bound by the context of count on me, don’t worry,” or “I will the formation of a closed circle (self the show while you are in classroom be there for you in times of trouble. I relating to inner self) that excludes the mode. In class, you are seeking a quick will not leave you.” Most human beings audience. response that will propel the student have had this experience. Having the Even when characters are talking toward a truthful and connected expe- student sing the song to someone in to themselves, one half is trying to rience, not the “right” or “most appro- their own lives to whom they want to of- convince the other half of something. priate” answer. fer love and support will immediately I regularly have conversations with In my experience, most technical move them from the general want of my “other self,” who has opinions and issues, whether vocal or physical, im- making “someone” feel better to the thoughts and needs that must be ac- prove once the student has answered specific want of making “my mother” knowledged. To help students visual- these questions in a clear, simple, and or “my younger brother” feel better. ize this exchange, you can place some direct way. Voices grow stronger, feet The specificity will immediately con- kind of frame or imaginary mirror in become grounded, high notes are more nect the singer to the song, the want, front of them, and have them talk to supported, eyes become clear and fo- and provide a deep, personal relation- this outside self. Have them come up cused, and the body begins to move ship from which to draw. with arguments that this outside self naturally in response to instinct and Students sometimes choose to use a might use; this will reinforce the idea impulses when the actor knows who he personal relationship that isn’t a match that the song’s lyrics are a response to or she is talking to, and is engaged in a for what’s happening in the song. If something outside themselves. The en- committed, urgent pursuit of a specific this happens, you may need to help ergy will move out; the body will open want. them figure out what is being expressed up, and the voice and eyes will, too. musically. This puts some burden on Who are you talking to? you to become familiar with shows and Talking to the audience Ideally, the song should be directed to songs, but your instincts can guide you, Because musical theatre can be pre- another person. That’s who the singer too. The experiences of your own life sentational, singers are often “talking is “talking to.” They may want that oth- and your own understanding of what it to the audience.” Singing to the audi- er person to do something (“Why Can’t means to be human will be sufficient to ence is a valid answer to the question You Behave?”) or to say something help you divine the universal, emotional “Who are you singing to?” but, still, (“Do You Love Me?”) or to feel about event of most songs. the audience must have a personality. them in a certain way (“What Did I Singers must know whether the audience

18 TEACHING THEATRE agrees with them or doesn’t. Perhaps they me alone/help me,” etc. One character are trying to get the audience to support generally wants something from an- them, to join them, or to think, “Hey, this other character. That want can only be character is a swell guy.” achieved through the other person. If the To entertain the audience is always student is having trouble naming the a part of what the actor is doing, but want, you can try rephrasing the ques- it cannot be the only thing. To enter- tion as, “What do you need to do to (or tain “in order to achieve something” get from) the other person?” or “What provides a stronger activity for the would you like the other person to do singer. For example, “Betrayed,” Max (or say)?” Another good question is, Bialystock’s tour de force number in “What must happen in this moment in The Producers, is highly entertaining for order for you to go on living?” the audience. But Max is also trying to Trying to answer these questions re- get the audience to do several things: quires a willingness on the part of your to side with him against Leo Bloom, to students to be wrong. The only way to help him figure out how he ended up know whether a particular choice works in this position, to admire all the work is to try it. Prompt students to observe he did, and to agree that he has gotten the results of choices they have made by a raw deal. The number will be all the asking them, “Did that want track all the more entertaining if Max is truly frantic way through the song for you, or did it to get the audience on his side. Again, seem to lose steam along the way?” personalization means that you help Some very good students get frus- the singer connect Max’s wants to his trated with this process because they own life experiences: has the student don’t like to fail. To combat this fear of ever felt wrongly accused? Did a friend failing, I sometimes ask students to fin- ever betray him? Did he ever want to ish this sentence: “I don’t know, but I get someone to be on his side? Did he think maybe I might possibly want...” Framing ever feel he didn’t get recognition or the answer in this roundabout way often admiration for a job well done? Has he makes students laugh at themselves and ever been confused by the way some- their need to be perfect, and thus relieves one treated him? the pressure of having to give the right answer. This preamble makes it clear that What do you want? they’re just taking a wild guess. Usually, Characters sing because they want that guess is pretty good, and if not, it something. But when students begin provides a great place to start teaching. to address the question of want, they usually start by being far too intel- Tracey Moore’s performing career includes Broadway lectual, offering you interpretations national tours, Off Broadway, and many regional of events and meanings, themes, cri- credits. She is currently director of the musical tiques, and symbolism. Nip this in the theatre program at Western Kentucky University. bud by asking students to answer this This article is adapted from her book Acting the question as though you, the listener, Song: Performance Skills for the Musi- are only five years old. That means cal Theatre, to be published by Allworth Press in they can’t use any words that are too 2008. big or any concepts that are too com- plicated. If they do, say to them, “I’m only five. What does that mean?” Keep repeating this statement until you get students down to the most essential level. Have students keep it simple, visceral, and direct. The more primal, physical, personal, specific, and ur- gent the student can be in defining the want, the better. It is also helpful to state the want in terms of the other person: “I want Joe to love me/join me/kiss me/leave

TEACHING THEATRE 19