The Magic of Middle School Musicals Inspire Your Students to Learn, Grow, and Succeed

by Bobetsky, Victor V.; Robinson, Russell L.

• ISBN13: 9781578868681
• ISBN10: 1578868688
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-16
• Publisher: R&L Education

Summary

Working on a musical is exciting for students, teachers, and the entire middle school community! As the first musical theater book especially for middle school productions, The Magic of Middle School Musicals provides a step-by-step guide for success. Bobetsky approaches planning and producing musicals in the context of a curricular unit of study and includes strategies for assessing student learning. Dr. Victor V. Bobetsky, a former New York City middle school music teacher, begins with advice on how to select a musical, obtain copyright permission, and arrange the music for middle school voices. He discusses strategies for teaching the music in the choral classroom, auditioning, casting, and rehearsal procedures. Practical suggestions show directors how to work with student actors, create choreography, and manage scenery, set design, costumes, lighting, and more. The Magic of Middle School Musicals gives music teachers the information and confidence they need to artistically adapt musicals from the American repertoire to the middle school level so that teachers, students, and audiences can experience and enjoy this unique, familiar, and musically expressive genre!

Author Biography

Victor V. Bobetsky is director of the Teacher Education Program in Music and associate professor of music education at Hunter College of the City University of New York

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Select Your Show: Decide on a musical and obtain copyright permissions	p. 1
Create a Unit of Study: Involve teachers from other disciplines	p. 9
Arrange the Music for Middle School Voices: Create parts that everyone can sing	p. 21
Auditioning and Casting Procedures: Determine students' singing and acting abilities. Learn about traditional and nontraditional casting	p. 31
Involve Your Performing Groups: Strategies and procedures for teaching the music. How to involve the greatest possible number of music students	p. 39
Organization, Scheduling, and Your Master Plan: Plan ahead for all activities leading up to rehearsals and performances. How to handle opening night	p. 49
Acting, Stage and Tech Crew, and Choreography: How to work with actors and crew members, create simple choreography, and collaborate with colleagues	p. 67
Scenery, Set Design and Construction, Costumes, Makeup, and Lighting: Collaborate with art and industrial arts teachers. Address safety issues and supervision of students	p. 93
Student, Parent, and Schoolwide Involvement in Fundraising, Publicity, and Promotion: How to recruit, screen, and manage parent volunteers. Strategies for publicizing and promoting your show	p. 107
Create an Original Musical: Writing songs and composing music with your students	p. 117
Assess the Unit of Study: How to evaluate student achievement and the success of the program	p. 123
References	p. 153
About the Author	p. 155
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