A 21St CENTURY MODEL for TWO-YEAR MUSICAL THEATRE CURRICULA
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A 21st CENTURY MODEL FOR TWO-YEAR MUSICAL THEATRE CURRICULA by Elizabeth Anne Gerbi Dissertation Committee: Professor Harold Abeles, Sponsor Professor Jeanne Goffi-Fynn Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education February 10, 2021 Date_____________________________________ Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2021 ABSTRACT A 21st CENTURY MODEL FOR TWO-YEAR MUSICAL THEATRE CURRICULA Elizabeth Anne Gerbi The purpose of this project dissertation was to research, create and assess a hypothetical two-year musical theatre/music theater (MT) curriculum to serve as a model for future implementation at community colleges. As one of the fastest growing and most prolific forms of popular entertainment today, the 21st Century musical is uniquely poised to depict artistically and culturally diverse narratives. Vividly reflecting the sociopolitical context surrounding their production (Kenrick, 2017, p. 2), both new musicals and musical revivals, viewed through a more contemporary lens, may permit increasing employment opportunities for historically minoritized persons. As the relatively new baccalaureate credential in MT increasingly becomes the baseline criteria for entrance to the MT industry, competitive conservatory programs continue to face difficulty in matriculating more inclusive freshman cohorts. The American community college has a long tradition of supporting demographically diverse populations as well as “atypical” learners such as the differently abled, adults returning to school, veterans and first-generation college attendees in the pursuit of vocational training, terminal credentials in the form of a certificate or associate degree, or, increasingly, students aiming to transfer to four-year degree programs. However, accredited, two-year programs dedicated to the study and practice of MT remain virtually nonexistent in the United States, and, due to the relative newness of the discipline as an area of scholarly interest, have little precedent or pedagogic research to guide best practices. To address this need, this project created a two-year program for MT study according to the practical restraints of the State University of New York and Dutchess Community College’s collective guidelines for curricular development, as well as the dual recommendations of the National Association of Schools of Music and National Association of Schools of Theatre. All stages of the project design were subject to peer review by a varied panel of tertiary MT educators and MT practitioners, tasked to assess academic and artistic potential of such a program if formally implemented. Upon conclusion of both formative and summative evaluations, a series of general guidelines for the development of similar programs were generated to inform similar future initiatives within both two-year and four-year settings. © Copyright Elizabeth Anne Gerbi 2021 All Rights Reserved ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I—INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 Background..............................................................................................................1 Diversity within Musical Theatre Departments ..........................................4 21st Century Community Colleges and Access to Performance Training...7 Problem Statement.................................................................................................11 Purpose ..................................................................................................................11 Research Questions ...............................................................................................13 Conceptual Framework .........................................................................................14 Method...................................................................................................................19 Assumptions...........................................................................................................21 Summary................................................................................................................24 Definitions..............................................................................................................25 Chapter II—LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................29 Introduction ............................................................................................................29 The American Musical in the 21st Century............................................................29 Musical Theatre Training and Postsecondary MT Curriculum Development .......36 Issues Surrounding American Community Colleges in the 21st Century..............40 Community College Performing Arts Instruction .................................................48 Summary.................................................................................................................56 Chapter III—METHODOLOGY ................................................................................58 Introduction ...........................................................................................................58 Preparation and Research ......................................................................................60 Backgrounding the Initial Prototype: Formative Study.............................62 Instructional Design...............................................................................................71 Initial Prototype .........................................................................................71 Curricular Design and Development..........................................................72 Philosophy of Approach .....................................................................73 “Guided Pathways” for Student Onboarding and Enhanced Completion ......................................................................75 Program Learning Outcomes...........................................79 SUNY General Studies Requirements...........................................80 SUNY-GER Sequencing Within the Prototype.............................84 Choosing a Degree Category for Effective Musical Theatre Transfer.................................................................84 Performance Course Selection Method .........................................88 Applied Voice................................................................................91 Music Literacy...............................................................................93 Ensemble Study ............................................................................93 Integrated Acting, Singing and Dance Skills ................................94 Diversity and Inclusion within the Musical Theatre Curriculum..95 iii Additional Considerations.........................................................................96 Use of Part-Time Faculty...............................................................96 Intake Protocols/Auditions.............................................................98 Construction of Learning Communities, Student Success Courses and Integrated Advisement.............................................101 Class Size......................................................................................103 Formative Review ...................................................................................105 Summative Review..................................................................................111 Initial Prototype for Formative Review...................................................113 Summary..............................................................................................................124 Chapter IV—FORMATIVE REVIEW .....................................................................125 Introduction .........................................................................................................125 Formative Review ...............................................................................................126 Analysis and Development Phase .......................................................................149 Revision Suggestions during Formative Review ....................................149 Recommended Adjustments to Course Map ...............................149 Curricular Benchmarks and Other Instructional Considerations..............................................................................153 Program Description and Learning Outcomes.............................155 Assessment Materials...................................................................158 Advisement Considerations..........................................................158 Formatting and Marketing Materials............................................159 Administrative Recommendations ...............................................161 Formative Summary ............................................................................................161 Chapter V—SUMMATIVE REVIEW .....................................................................162 Introduction .........................................................................................................162 Final Prototype for Summative Review ..............................................................165 Results .................................................................................................................175