Music Direction Intensive - 2011

Goodspeed Musicals

Monday, January 17
3:00 PM - Rooms available for check in
5:30 PM - Welcome Dinner in Goodspeed Opera House Green Room
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM , Waterfall Room
Evening Program I – “SO, YOU WANT TO BE A MUSIC DIRECTOR”
Participants will have an opportunity to join in a discussion on the principles of music direction
and will share their personal stories and goals.

9:00 PM – 10:30 PM , Waterfall Room

Evening Program I (Part II) – “AM I MY RESUME?”
There will be a discussion on how to improve one’s resume, followed by a hands-on personal
critique of participants’ current resumes.
___________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, January 18

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen)

Class I – THE AUDITION PROCESS - Waterfall Room
There will be a discussion of the elements that create a positive and successful audition
process for the creative team and for the auditioners. It will also include what to look for in the
audition, how to create a vocal breakdown for the casting director to give to agents and how to
teach audition material to performers.

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Practicum I – THE AUDITION - Rehearsal Hall
Participants will have the opportunity to act as the auditioners for a mock audition. Their
behavior and judgment will be critiqued by Intensive faculty.

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM – LUNCH BREAK (Optional Info-Lunch Session: Dealing with

Licensing Agencies)

1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Class II – THE REHEARSAL PROCESS - Rehearsal Hall
How to create a productive rehearsal environment, to include a discussion of teaching
techniques, working with groups vs. working with individuals (including non-singing actors),
teaching singing with intention, the importance of vocal warm-ups, adjusting keys to
accommodate vocalists’ range, protecting voices throughout the rehearsal process and the
proper way to take notes during rehearsal.

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM – DINNER BREAK

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Evening Program II – WORKING WITH THE DIRECTOR - Waterfall Room
Discussion on the relationship between the MD and the Director in musical theatre production,
creating incidental music to suit the needs of the director and adjusting the vocal and
orchestral score to accommodate the vision of the director.
Location: (work sessions-8PM – 9:30PM Group 1, 9:30PM -11PM – Group 2)
Wednesday, January 19
9:00 AM -12:30 PM (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen) - Rehearsal Hall
Practicum II – THE REHEARSAL
Music Directors will join in a rehearsal for the assigned underscore/set change/underscore.

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM – LUNCH BREAK (Optional Info-lunch Session: Working with Sound
Designers and Technicians)

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Class III – ORCHESTRATING FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE - Waterfall Room
How to act as a liaison between the director and the orchestrator, including strategies one can
use to best convey the director’s needs to the orchestrator. This session will also include a
discussion of reduced orchestrations and the use of electronic sound in orchestration.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Class IV – PLATFORMS USED FOR ELECTRONIC SOUND IN MUSIC THEATRE -
Rehearsal Room
-Discussion on the use of electronic sound in orchestration.

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM – DINNER BREAK

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Practicum IV – HANDS-ON USE OF ELECTRONIC PLATFORMS - Rehearsal Room
Hands-on session pertaining to the use of electronic sound in orchestration. Participants
will have the opportunity to work with our experts in the programming of electronic sound.
Participants will leave this session with an assignment to orchestrate a piece for a musical in
production.

*Optional* 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Practicum IV (Part II) – ADVANCED PROGRAMING (TBD) - Rehearsal Room

Thursday, January 20
9:00 AM – (Bagels in the Kitchen) Class V - Morning Free to Complete Work on
Orchestration Projects

1:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Practicum Stand-alone – CONDUCTING FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE Rehearsal Hall
Participants will have the opportunity to rehearse their orchestrated pieces with live musicians,
conduct from the keyboard and podium and receive feedback from our experts.

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM – RECEPTION WITH LIGHT HORS D'OEUVRES

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Evening Program III – THE BUSINESS OF THE BUSINESS - Waterfall Room
Discussion to feature the business elements involved in a career as a musical director,
ownership of intellectual property and the typical responsibilities assigned to various job titles
(e.g., Musical Supervisor, Music Director, Associate Conductor, Assistant Conductor).
Friday, January 21
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen)
Practicum Stand-alone – WORKING WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHER , Rehearsal Room
Discussion of the working relationship between the musical director and choreographer on
a musical theatre production. The session will feature a professional choreographer and
participants will gain experience in dance arranging and orchestrating for dance.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM – LUNCH BREAK (Optional Info-lunch Session: guest speaker – Dan
Riddle from Pennsylvania State University)

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Class VI – VOCAL ARRANGING - Rehearsal Hall
Discussion of the principles of vocal arranging, including the expansion or reduction of existing
arrangements to suite the director’s needs

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Practicum VI - VOCAL ARRANGING
Music Directors will be assigned one of three songs to arrange.

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM – DINNER BREAK

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Evening Program IV – VOCAL ARRANGING II , Rehearsal Hall
Present arrangements and perform pieces.

10:00 PM – 11:00 PM – WRAP-UP

___________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, January 22
10:00 AM – Participants depart East Haddam.