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soozievt · 02-10-2006, 05:24 PM

I'm not knocking classical rep either and it is a great background to have. I'm simply saying that each program differs in curriculum and philosophy and emphasis which doesn't then follow that one program is more "demanding" than another. Also, the analogy that JRB is what other schools choose to work on is not that accurate in my opinion (not that there is anything negative about JRB, of course). The difference, as I see it, is that your program trains in both the classical music repertoire and the MT repertoire, and that makes sense because it is a BM degree program. However, it doesn't then mean that other schools only sing songs such as JRB type repertoire. Other programs focus on the MT genre and that genre spans a great many years, not just contemporary Broadway. As a point of reference, my D does not get to choose the songs she is working on and in fact, the one she is assigned at the moment individually but in her group class (she also has private) is from well known long time Broadway composers and from a show written before 1960. I believe the songs she was working on before this were also from the legit MT repertoire going back quite a ways.

What each person wants in a program differs. Some programs emphasize all three skills equally....voice, dance, acting and some are heavy on the music training. One is not necessarily more demanding or better but just different. I don't think, however, that the contrast is quite the way you put it...that the programs that don't work on classical rep like arias and such, tend to work on JRB. Also, students don't necessarily pick what they are working on. My D is using this entire year to work on the areas she wants to improve, and is not even working on songs at all that showcase her strengths. She has remarked constantly at how much she has learned. So, no, they don't just work on stuff they pick or are good at. They are stretched. She has improved a great deal by the teaching. The song repertoire, however, does come from the MT genre. Many programs are demanding. They just have different philosophies and curriculum.

I would agree, however, with MusTHCC that some students prior to college, do not have a broad based background in the MT literature and only seem to know of Wicked, RENT, or JRB (notice what some pick for audition songs). It is crucial to be a student of musical theater history and of the material that exists.

02-10-2006, 05:24 PM	#20
soozievt CC College Counselor/Musical Theater Counselor Join Date: Aug 2004 Threads: 136 Posts: 10,510	I'm not knocking classical rep either and it is a great background to have. I'm simply saying that each program differs in curriculum and philosophy and emphasis which doesn't then follow that one program is more "demanding" than another. Also, the analogy that JRB is what other schools choose to work on is not that accurate in my opinion (not that there is anything negative about JRB, of course). The difference, as I see it, is that your program trains in both the classical music repertoire and the MT repertoire, and that makes sense because it is a BM degree program. However, it doesn't then mean that other schools only sing songs such as JRB type repertoire. Other programs focus on the MT genre and that genre spans a great many years, not just contemporary Broadway. As a point of reference, my D does not get to choose the songs she is working on and in fact, the one she is assigned at the moment individually but in her group class (she also has private) is from well known long time Broadway composers and from a show written before 1960. I believe the songs she was working on before this were also from the legit MT repertoire going back quite a ways. What each person wants in a program differs. Some programs emphasize all three skills equally....voice, dance, acting and some are heavy on the music training. One is not necessarily more demanding or better but just different. I don't think, however, that the contrast is quite the way you put it...that the programs that don't work on classical rep like arias and such, tend to work on JRB. Also, students don't necessarily pick what they are working on. My D is using this entire year to work on the areas she wants to improve, and is not even working on songs at all that showcase her strengths. She has remarked constantly at how much she has learned. So, no, they don't just work on stuff they pick or are good at. They are stretched. She has improved a great deal by the teaching. The song repertoire, however, does come from the MT genre. Many programs are demanding. They just have different philosophies and curriculum. I would agree, however, with MusTHCC that some students prior to college, do not have a broad based background in the MT literature and only seem to know of Wicked, RENT, or JRB (notice what some pick for audition songs). It is crucial to be a student of musical theater history and of the material that exists.