children’s musical

Got a(nother) fun job! *musical trigger*

Posted on by alfredthemusicalarranger

So… a new week and another job. This time it’s an amateur orchestra that I’m working with to create a whole new concert program to launch them, since they’re very new and haven’t had any chances of playing together that much. They’ve asked me not to tell too much om them and the concert until later on, but I’m allowed to share the intended program with you and all of my thoughts about it with you.

This concert will be a musical cavalcade for the audience and a great way for them to get a feel for each other – plus that they’ll enjoy playing pieces that are (mostly) rather well-known. The name of the concert will be:

A CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE WORLD!

The orchestra will embark on a musical journey around the world and will be visiting as many continents as they possibly can, whilst playing melodies from each continent. Obviously we can’t get every one of them, or do any of you know a musical with an inspiration from the Antarctica? They will travel on the Titanic across the Atlantic, and hopefully the whole orchestra will survive that, they will experience an American prom gone wrong, hunt for ghosts at the opera house and fight for justice on the barricades. Quite and adventure in other words!

I’m working on a list of songs, overtures and entr’actes which I’ll put forward to the Production Manager and the conductor. I’m giving you it here and feel free to write a comment to tell me what YOU’D like to hear or play at a show like this!

These are not in any particular order and not everything will be in the final production!

  1. Defying Gravity – WICKED

  2. Entr’Acte – THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

  3. Epilogue (Finale) – LES MISÉRABLES

  4. Alma Mater + The Destruction – CARRIE

  5. Carrie Reprise + finale – CARRIE

  6. Sit down John – 1776

  7. Willkommen – CABARET

  8. Mein herr – CABARET

  9. So long, farewell – THE SOUND OF MUSIC

  10. Sun and Moon – MISS SAIGON

  11. The American Dream – MISS SAIGON

  12. Shadowland – THE LION KING

  13. Hakuna Matata – THE LION KING

  14. Epilogue: In every age/Finale – TITANIC A NEW MUSICAL

  15. Naughty – MATILDA

  16. Gethsemane (I only want to say) – JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

  17. Merano – CHESS

  18. Anthem – CHESS

  19. Overture – MAMMA MIA

  20. The dance at the Gym – WEST SIDE STORY

  21. America – WEST SIDE STORY (WSS)

  22. I feel pretty – WSS

  23. Don’t cry for me, Argentina – EVITA

  24. Stranger in paradise – KISMET

  25. I am what I am – LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

This list includes some of my personal favorites and some that I hope that both orchestra and audience will like and hum along to.

As an orchestrator/arranger you will be asked to do these kinds of things, not always with the level of freedom that I’ve been given on this project, you will often be asked to arrange a number of songs in a certain way and/or with specific list of instruments, feel, and length and not always with a good salary. But as it is, I love musicals and find these jobs the most rewarding.

So!

Do you miss your favorite song? Tell me with a comment and I’ll get back to you.

Until next time!

Review of Jo Hawes’ “Children in theatre: From the audition to working in Professional theatre”

Posted on by alfredthemusicalarranger

Jo HawesChildren in Theatre: From the Audition to Working in Professional Theatre: A Guide for Children and Their Parents

I’m in a period of no work at the moment, so I’m catching up on some reading and this one was on top of the pile.

On a general note I can say that I really liked this book and found it useful for citizens of the UK and the USA, but if you’re living in any other country, all the rules might not apply to you – all though the basics of how to act during an audition and during the rehearsal period would still apply to you and your child.

The book is written mainly for the parents of the children that are trying to get onto Broadway, West End or any other professional musical. Even though she claims that the books is also aimed at their kids as well it’s a book for grown-ups in my opinion. The chapters are more diverted to that group who are standing on the outside and may not have any experience of what it means to be in a musical or how the world works. The book seem to exist to calm down the parents and tell them to take a step back and let the professionals do their jobs, along with not applying to much pressure on the kid(s) and not being a nuisance that could (and would!!!) get their child fired from the production

I’m not bringing up everything I liked and disliked with the book, just a few things and a link to Goodreads..

On the upside:

1. The book was really informative and easy to get a grip on. You can really tell that Jo Hawes, the author, has spent a considerable time in the business and knows her stuff. She openly tells you that she’s had different roles in the production crew and she is an educated Stage Manager. Her words become more professional since she’s in the business and she understands that it can be an intimidating experience for both the child and the grown-up, and more so if it’s the child’s first ever production as a paid actor. That’s why it’s an added bonus that she’s put a glossary at the beginning of the book instead of at the back, as it often is, with the most used and basic words of the business. Parents! Take notice and read it!

2. Its length. It’s long enough to bring up all the important aspects of the world musicals, but short enough for you to feel like you could never finish it. 163 pages and short chapters help it feel like a cakewalk to read and even the slowest reader can get through it in a couple of days. I know I did! Jo Hawes lures you into reading “just another chapter” because of the chapter lengths.

3. It provides a little sense of humour and inside stories of the trade. Her own experiences that matches what you’re reading about at the moment.

On the downside:

1. The length. It’s to short in my taste and a few more inside stories would not have hurt the book. She never mentions names or what show it was when she had to do something drastic, a good thing, but it would be really nice with a little more personal examples.

2. It can be a bit repetitious at times and there are a few things that come up one to many times. Yes, some things can be related to another thing, but you can’t repeat it five times just to make your case. If you want people to remember things it’s a better idea to put a shortlist at the back of each chapter with the points that you’ve covered the chapter, but in a couple of sentences instead. Just like this list!

3. More information about more shows with kids. She briefly covers, or simply mentions, some of the shows and never come back to them. I understand that she might not have worked on all of the major shows with kids in it, but a little more on them would be good. She can’t be completely friendless and I can hardly see why her colleagues and friends wouldn’t share stories and tips about the shows that they are working on. Matilda is one such example. Matilda is one of the greatest musicals of our time and a chapter, or a sub-chapter about that musical, would have been nice.

[url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13236892-children-in-theatre?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328706054l/13236892.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13236892-children-in-theatre?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Children in Theatre: From the Audition to Working in Professional Theatre: A Guide for Children and Their Parents by Jo Hawes[/url]

That’s all for this time, I’ll be back with something new about the intriguing world of musical theatre

So you want to become an orchestrator?

Posted on by alfredthemusicalarranger

I haven’t got much time to write a long post today, so I’m just going to give you a couple of book recommendations about orchestration and how to become an orchestrator.

The first one is a short one, it’s only about 25 pages long, but gives any aspiring orchestrators, or students who doesn’t know much about what an orchestrator does, a basic idea of what you’ll need to become one.  It’s called;

“HOW TO BECOME AN ORCHESTRATOR – ADVANCING BEGINNERS” and it’s published by SamEnrico. You can find it on Scribd.

The second book that I’d like to recommend is:

“How to land a top-paying orchestrators job: your complete guide to opportunities, resumes and cover letters, interviews, salaries, promotions, what to recruiters and more” 

It’s published by Emereo Publishing and is also available to buy or read on Scribd!

These two books are great to start with, and don’t forget to listen a lot to the musicals that you love and try to figure out WHAT it is that you love about it, as far as the orchestration goes! Here’s a video to end this!

Have a nice night and don’t forget to ask questions and send me work!

The Sitzprobe – What is it and why do you actually need it?

Posted on by alfredthemusicalarranger

The sitzprobe is a German Word that means seated rehearsal, not literally but the underlined meaning is that it’s a seated rehearsal. It’s the first time that the cast get to meet the Orchestra and play with them, to get used to the score and find their Cues in the Orchestra – since it’s a lot different from just listening to a piano, and sometimes a drum set. When you are in a sitzprobe you sit in with the Orchestra on chairs, in regular clothes (no costumes) and without any props. This/These rehearsals are only meant for you to sing through the score, to hear all the things you can’t play on a piano and drum set.

The Sitzprobe is often the first time that you have run through of the entire script and score and can last a couple of days, depending on how it goes and how fast you get tight. My experiences from the sitzprobe are generally good, all though I have a memory of one sitzprobe where the lights went out and the whole thing had to be postponed for almost a week, a devastating setback that pushed back the opening night a few days. The sitzprobe can be a very emotional experience for everyone involved, I’ve seen people openly cry during the songs and I’ve been close to tears at times, when a singer gets affected by the arrangements and bring their song to an unseen level – a level that they hasn’t been on during previous rehearsals. That’s a very satisfying feeling. The sitzprobe often ends with massive applauses and cheers from the production team, cast and understudies.

I find the sitzprobe a good few days to sort out kinks that you haven’t really thought about and add stuff that you didn’t think about when you were orchestrating the thing. It’s of course a close collaborating with the composer, the lyricist (if the composer’s not the lyricist), the musical director, the conductor and the musical supervisor. During the sitz (short for sitzprobe) you get through A LOT of Post-It notes, sometimes I think that the Post-It only exist because of the West End and Broadway shows. The Post-It notes never seem to stop coming your way and in every other direction possible. They keep coming throughout the production in different quantities, but during the production period is when you drown in them. I could probably fill a bathtub with notes and still have a huge bunch left.

If you’re an actor/actress in a musical and you’re having your first ever sitz, here’re my tips for you:

  • Take this as an opportunity to really get to know the score. Listen carefully to all the new colors that emerge and take them with you when you sing. You might even change perspective on how you should sing a song or your choir things.
  • Make notes of what instrument/s that give you your cues and if there are any that helps the harmony part of a choir or duet part of a number.
  • Take a moment to really sit back and just listen to the music and simply enjoy! You will discover new things every time you listen, so sharpen your ears.
  • Ask questions about your cues and what to listen for if there are any uncertainties.
  • Expect notes (this goes without a saying).
  • Don’t expect to get it perfect the first time, it’s a new score and it’s completely different from just sitting with a piano, so relax – but relax quickly and tune in fast to what’s happening.
  • Enjoy the experience! The sitz is one of the highlights of any musical production; it’s a turning point for the entire cast and crew. Now’s the first time you get a real feeling for a production, especially if it’s a new work that’s never been done before. It can also be a bit terrifying, but in a good way.

Down below I’ve put out a few videos from 3 different sitzprobs:

  1. Aladdin
  2. Sweeney Todd
  3. Love Never Dies

They’re not in that order, but it gives you an idea of how a sitz is done.

Enjoy the sitzprobe and remember to comment and give me suggestions on topics that you think needs to be brought out into the light!

A few of my upcoming topics

Posted on by alfredthemusicalarranger

I’ve promised you a lot of insights in to the world of a musical theatre orchestrator. That’s what I’ll do, and also give you some analyses of musicals, composers and theirs styles. If I’ve got the time I’ll write a short history of the musical and how they even came to exist. I’ve compiled a list of subjects that I’m going to write about.

I’ve also got two musicals going on that I’m composing, as well as a musical that I’m orchestrating at the moment. If I get permission from the composer of the musical I’m orchestrating, I’ll give you a few sneak peeks!

Anyway, here’s my list of subjects that I’ll try to cover, except for the rants about my usual work.

  1. Actors’ dos and don’ts when you deal with the orchestra.
  2. The Sitzprobe, what is that?
  3. Writing parts for children and what sort of support they need from the orchestrations
  4. Analyses of different composers, their styles and what themes that they reuse in the next musicals.
  5. Flops – What makes a flop? Should all flops really be a flop, or is that a word invented by the press and the critics?
  6. Dealing with critics – do they have a purpose and are they ever right?
  7. Orchestrating on a budget – how do you create a big sound using just a few musicians?
  8. Orchestrating smart – how to get the most out of your musicians
  9. Orchestrating in general, things that people usually don’t get right or do wrong.
  10. Tuba/Bass Trombone – why the tuba is important and why it in 9 out of 10 sounds like shit.
  11. The tuba part in a musical – a hastily done job, which any monkey could do and play.
  12. Digital orchestras instead of real ones. Pros and cons, mostly cons, and how did we end up in this mess to begin with?
  13. Prerecorded singers – what’s the deal with that?
  14. Clicktracks and to write/play with backingtracks in the back of your mind.
  15. To deal with composers
  16. How to educate oneself to become an orchestrator – how does one become an orchestrator and where are the educations?
  17. What I did for love – the things you have to do in order to pay the rent, that you really didn’t want to do… but you needed the money.
  18. More than just musicals, there are other things out there you know.
  19. Social Medias and why they can be your best friends.
  20. I’ll tell you a bit more at a later stage about my own musicals that I’m composing, and will hopefully get moved to the West End.

I’ve been gone – I know! Sorry…

Posted on by alfredthemusicalarranger

Sorry that I’ve been absent for so long. I’ve been moving and just got my stuff together at the new apartment. That, and a lot of work with a new children’s musical, has led to my absence from the blog. But I’m here now and I’m going to free time to write more posts about the wonderful world of being an orchestrator.

I can’t really say too much at this stage about the new musical, all I can say is that it’s based upon a book for children and that I’ve assumed the role of both composer and orchestrator for this project. As well as that I can announce that I’m writing a couple of lyrics for it, the rest is written by a good friend of mine called Alfie.

So… I’ll be back in a few days with a bit more for you guys. The next time I’ll see you I’ll talk about the new craze in Musical Theatre, which is to write musicals about any idea, film or book that they can find. No matter how good it would be onstage and how bad an idea it would be to adapt it for the stage.

Listen here people: Some ideas are N O T meant to be staged, and certainly not given a musical score! But what do I know, I’m just the orchestrator donkey…?