Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre

Musical theatre students and performers are frequently asked to learn musical material in a short space of time; sight-read pieces in auditions; collaborate with accompanists; and communicate musically with peers, directors, music directors and choreographers. Many of these students and performers will have had no formal musical training. This book offers a series of lessons in music fundamentals, including theory, sight-singing and aural tests, giving readers the necessary skills to navigate music and all that is demanded of them, without having had a formal music training. It focuses on the skills required of the musical theatre performer and draws on musical theatre repertoire in order to connect theory with practice. Throughout the book, each musical concept is laid out clearly and simply with helpful hints and reminders. The author takes the reader back to basics to ensure full understanding of each area. As the concepts begin to build on one another, the format and process is kept the same so that readers can see how different aspects interrelate. Through introducing theoretical ideas and putting each systematically into practice with sight-singing and ear-training, the students gain a much deeper and more integrated understanding of the material, and are able to retain it, using it in voice lessons, performance classes and their professional lives. The book is published alongside a companion website, which offers supporting material for the aural skills component and gives readers the opportunity to drill listening exercises individually and at their own pace. Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre allows aspirational performers – and even those who aren’t enrolled on a course – to access the key components of music training that will be essential to their careers. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS Introduction: Why Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre Students? How/What Will You Learn? How Does All of This Knowledge Help Me as a Performer? 1 The Staff, Treble Clef, Pitches on the Staff, Solfege, and Sight-Singing Sight-Singing 2 Rhythm: Whole Notes, Half Notes, Quarter Notes, and Eighth Notes American (British) Note Names Time Signatures Sight-Singing 3 The Piano Keyboard, Accidentals, Whole and Half Steps, Major Scales The Keyboard Intervals Accidentals The Chromatic Scale Major Scales Song Analysis Sight-Singing Listening 4 The Circle of Fifths and Major Key Signatures Major Keys The Sharp Keys The Flat Keys THE COMPLETE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS Sight-Singing Review of Chapters 1–4 and PerformanceTips (Tempo Note Recognition Rhythm The Keyboard Intervals Major Scales Major Key Signatures Sight-Singing Performance Tips 5 Intervals: Seconds and Thirds and Phrase Shapes Intervals Major and Minor Intervals Song Analysis Sight-Singing Listening 6 Intervals: Fourths, Fifths, and Octaves; Rhythm: Sixteenth Notes Perfect Intervals Rhythm Sight-Singing Listening 7 Intervals: Sixths and Sevenths; Rhythm: Rests And More Intervals Rests Sight-Singing Listening 8 Diminished and Augmented Intervals; Rhythm: Syncopation Diminished and Augmented Intervals The Tritone A Few Important Facts Diminished and Augmented Seconds, Thirds, Sixths, and Sevenths Rhythm Sight-Singing Listening Review of Chapters 5–8 and Performance Tips (Musical Markings) Intervals Sight-Singing Listening Performance Tips 9 Rhythm: Ties, Dotted Notes, 2/4 and 3/4 Time; Song Analysis Rhythm Time Signatures Sight-Singing Song Analysis Listening 10 Major Triads; Introduction to Bass Clef and the Grand Staff Major Triads Bass Cleff The Grand Staff Sight-Singing Listening 11 I, IV, V Progression; Chord Tones and Non-Chord Tones; Song Analysis Song Analysis Chord Tones and Non-Chord Tones 12 Transpositions; Rhythm: Triplets Transposition Triplets Review of Chapters 9–12 and Performance Tips (Repeats, Endings, and Codas) Major Triads Rhythm Practice Performance Tips 13 Minor, Diminished, and Augmented Triads; Cut-Time; Chromatic Solfege Minor Triads Listening Diminished Triads Augmented Triads Listening Cut-Time 14 I, vi, ii, V, I Progression; Harmonizing a Melody 15 Inversions of Triads Rhythm Sight-Singing Listening 16 Chord Progressions with Inversions Review of Chapters 13–16 and Performance Tips (The Music Department) Triad Formulas Inversions Choral Analysis Performance Tips 17 Dominant Seventh Chords; V of V Chords; Suspended Chords; Song Analysis Seventh Chords V of V Chords Song Analysis Suspended Chords 18 Minor Key Signatures and Natural Minor Scales Minor Keys Minor Scales vs. Major Scales Sight-Singing 19 Harmonic Minor Scales and Melodic Minor Scales; Song Analysis Minor Scales Sight-Singing Sight-Singing Song Analysis Listening 20 Minor Chord Progressions; Song Analysis Song Analysis Review of Chapters 17–20 and Performance Tips (Song Form) Dominant Seventh Chords Minor Key Signatures Minor Scales Choral Analysis in a Minor Key Performance Tips 21 Major, Minor, Half-Diminished, and Diminished Seventh Chords Major Seventh Chords Minor Seventh Chords Half-Diminished Seventh Chords Diminished Seventh Chords Listening 22 Compound Time Sight-Singing Listening 23 More Compound Time; Song Analysis Song Analysis Sight-Singing Listening 24 Song Analysis; Orchestration Analyzing a Song A Quick Look at the Orchestra Resources PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INDEX "Musical theatre students and performers are frequently asked to learn musical material in a short space of time; sight-read pieces in auditions; collaborate with accompanists; and communicate musically with peers, directors, music directors and choreographers. Many of these students and performers will have had no formal musical training. This book offers a series of lessons in music fundamentals, including theory, sight-singing and aural tests, giving readers the necessary skills to navigate music and all that is demanded of them, without having had a formal music training. It focuses on the skills required of the musical theatre performer and draws on musical theatre repertoire in order to connect theory with practice. Throughout the book, each musical concept is laid out clearly and simply with helpful hints and reminders. The author takes the reader back to basics to ensure full understanding of each area. As the concepts begin to build on one another, the format and process is kept the same so that readers can see how different aspects interrelate. Through introducing theoretical ideas and putting each systematically into practice with sight-singing and ear-training, the students gain a much deeper and more integrated understanding of the material, and are able to retain it, using it in voice lessons, performance classes and their professional lives. Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre allows aspirational performers - and even those who aren't enrolled on a course - to access the key components of music training that will be essential to their careers"-- Provided by publisher