The students will demonstrate their understanding of the various elements of musical theatre by putting on a musical theatre review in class.
Class Level:
Advanced
Main Concepts:
Musical Theatre history, basic vocal technique, movement skills, performance
1994 National Standards:
CONTENT STANDARD 2: Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisations and informal or formal productions
CONTENT STANDARD 6: Comparing and integrating art forms by analyzing traditional theatre, dance, music, and visual arts, and new art forms
CONTENT STANDARD 7: Analyzing, critiquing, and constructing meanings from informal and formal theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions
Description:
The Musical Theatre Unit is to be used in an advanced class with 85 minute class periods. It is expected that the students have a solid background in acting techniques, have previous performance experience and are comfortable performing in front of the class.
Author’s Notes:
This unit relies heavily on the teacher being comfortable teaching basic vocal techniques and basic movement exercises. If the teacher doesn’t feel comfortable teaching these concepts themselves, “guest artists” in each area may be worked into the lesson plans at the teacher’s discretion. The teacher should also inform the students before or at the beginning of this unit that the students will need to find a musical theatre song that they would like to perform and be working on it at home. This should be memorized (not necessarily perfect) by lesson #5. The teacher should be available as a resource in finding music.
Lesson 3: A Little Mood Music Students will demonstrate their understanding of the importance of music and the different emotions it evokes by creating a silent film.
Lesson 4: I Thought This Was Theatre Students will demonstrate their understanding of basic vocal processes by singing a song about the anatomy of the voice and the process of vocal production.
Lesson 6: Communicating Through Movement Students will demonstrate their understanding of how to communicate through movement by performing a short improvisational dance based on a fairytale.
Lesson 7: Choreography The students will demonstrate their ability to learn set movement by performing and helping to choreograph a short dance
Lesson 8: Destination Broadway The students will demonstrate their overall understanding of musical theatre by participating in a Broadway Revue performing their pieces.
