There is nothing like the feeling of shaping an ensemble’s sound until it soars; helping a high schooler find her most confident, gorgeous solo voice in her first-ever principal role; watching a cast tell a moving story on opening night after weeks of dedicated rehearsal. There is nothing like being a music director.

To enjoy these exhilarating moments and do our job effectively, there are skills that we must continually sharpen. This guide breaks down what I consider to be some of the most essential skills of a vocal music director:

1. Storytelling
2. Musicianship
3. Instructing and Coaching
4. Organization

***Note: This guide is specifically geared toward Music Directors who work primarily with vocalists. I have had limited experience as a Music Director in an Orchestra Pit.***

1. Storytelling

I consider storytelling to be the most important aspect of theatre-making as a whole. It’s the thing every member of the production team, cast, and crew must consider as they make decisions about the performance. Our job is to tell a story, one that is rooted in some sort of truth. Every decision we make as Music Directors should be about storytelling.

How does a seemingly unrelated decision, like where to cut the singers off, affect storytelling? A lot of the time, our job is to help get rid of distractions from the story. Messy cutoffs remind the audience that they’re observing make-believe. Their minds wanter to the performers, rather than storytelling. If we can help keep them invested in the illusion of theatre, we should.

This applies to solos and small group numbers as well. Would adding a riff on this note make sense for the story and music style? Has the song earned it? Will it distract? Keep the audience “in” by making decisions that consider them.

“Motivating” the Orchestra

A good performer is like a conductor in their own right. Their storytelling should inform the “creation” of the accompaniment that supports them. If there is a change in tempo, key, rhythm, etc., teach the actor to motivate that change with their choices.

Why is this song in the show?

This is an important question I ask myself as a Music Director. Within the mythology of the show, why does the character sing it? Outside of the mythology of the show, why did the composer include it in the final draft? Consider both character and plot motivations. I ask cast members to do the same as they begin their work on a piece. Knowing “why” a song exists both canonically and logistically helps make decisions that serve the show.

2. Musicianship

Cutoffs
The end of an ensemble’s phrase is one of the ways audiences judge Music Directors’ work. It has one of the simplest solutions. From the first rehearsal, teach a general rule: when a word ends in a consonant, place that consonant on the following beat. This will align your ensemble’s cutoffs. For example,  look at “At the End of the Day” from “Les Miserables:”

On both the first and second phrases of this excerpt, the Ensemble should cut off on beat 2. The more important one, though, is the second phrase. Any phrase that ends in a plosive consonant sound (p, b, t, d, k, g) should be especially well-timed. Incorporating this one principle, your work will seem much more professional.

Syllable Emphasis, Character:

Watch out for blanket statements: instructing actors to sing with sharp, crisp diction isn’t always the right choice. Sometimes it doesn’t work for their character! But they still must be understood. This can be a tough balancing act, but I believe in you.

A pet peeve of mine is when performers use such powerful consonants that word accent is ignored. If the word they’re singing is “party,” for instance, the emphasis should still be on the first syllable. It’s not “par-TEE” it’s “PAR-tee.” One can sing with a soft, crisp “t” sound and still emphasize the correct syllable.

On changing keys:

There is a major debate on whether or not the changing of keys is appropriate in musical theatre. I stand firmly on one side of that debate—yes! There are logistics to consider, but this is not a moral issue. Since the early days of opera, songs have been written in keys that highlight the strengths of a show’s original performers. In today’s Broadway, we see the adjusting of keys all the time in workshops. There is very rarely any need to “honor” a composer’s “original key,” since that was likely changed to accommodate one specific singer’s range anyway. Change the key for your local community theatre production! You’re not ruining the integrity of anything, you’re just making your actors look better and sing more confidently. Things to consider:

• Do you have a live orchestra? If so, you might not have the option. This is easier to do with canned music.
• Can they sing the whole song in this new key?
• Does another actor sing in the song? Does the change in keys work for them?
• Similarly, does the ensemble sing in the song?
• If there are key changes in the song, maybe you could sneak in changing either the first or the second key? How will that change affect the transition? If the modulation occurs over a few measures, on what measure should the notes change?
• If there is a smooth transition to the next song, consider how the key change may affect that segue. I have requested that the tracks for my show be changed for a random two measures at the end of one song to make this transition smoother. I believe it was worth it.

(Helpful hint: To transpose an audio clip in Logic Pro X, go to the Region Editor, select “transpose” and drag the arrow up or down. It’s that easy. This normally sounds fine up to 3 half steps up or down.)

(Special words: of, angel, in excelsis deo)

Of—“AHv” not “UHv”

Angel—”AIN-jull,” not “AIN-jel”

In excelsis deo—”een ek-SHELL-sees day-oh,” not “ex-chel-sees.”

Understanding the Accompaniment

It is well-known that a music director must understand the orchestral accompaniment, even if they’re not the ones conducting the orchestra. One thing that’s not talked about as frequently is the benefit of singers knowing the orchestral arrangement accompanying them. The rhythm, volume, density, and harmony of the orchestra are all important factors in making vocal decisions. Look at “Giant’s in the Sky” from “Into the Woods:”

The phrase from m. 28-29 has the same melody, down to the note, as 30-31. What is different, however, gives us clues to the character’s emotions. Take a look at the harmony. 

When Jack sings “gives you food and she gives you rest,” the accompaniment stays diatonic. This conveys a sort of comfort. “Draws you close to her giant breast,” however, introduces a Gb in the bass, which is not native to the key of F. This conveys a sort of discomfort. These small details are valuable for a music director or performer interpreting a score.

3. Instructing and Coaching

Humility

My biggest piece of advice for any Music Director, no matter their level is to throw out the idea of hierarchy in most ways. Look at your job as a collaboration; you’re making art together with a team, cast, crew, and composer. The Music Director’s job is to consider the ideas of their production team, the composer, and themselves and funnel them through the skills of a cast into something narratively consistent. A cast member’s job is to bring their skills, experiences, and authentic selves to that narrative. One is not above the other, they just have different jobs. Many of the best ideas come from other people! Resist the urge to only consider ideas that come from yourself. If the show benefits, you’re doing the right thing by tapping into the talents of your collaborators (and making yourself look better anyway!)

The first time I was tasked with Music Directing a cast of people which included many professional singers, I was incredibly nervous. Once I began my first music rehearsal, however, that anxiety was replaced by excitement. As a Music Director, I don’t have to know everything. I don’t have to be the “best” musician in the room! My job is just to make decisions that serve the story—and having a great cast to inspire me in those decisions is only a positive thing, not a threatening one.

Let Them Have the Idea

Asking singers questions is often more effective than telling them what to do. With the buy-in that comes from them coming up with their own solutions, you will usually get what you want and it will be authentic to the performer. If they don’t come up with the same solution as you did, theirs may be the right fit for their character. We can learn a lot from working with smart performers.

One Thing at a Time

While it is a basic tenet of pedagogy, it is something we often forget when we are teaching music quickly to a cast—but it’s important. Once you address something, the cutoff at the end of a phrase, for instance, rehearse the line again until they are accurate. Make sure it’s accurate and repeatable before introducing another correction. They will retain the information much more reliably.

Know Your Cast

If you’ve got the Tenors to support all the high operatic ensemble singing in a show like “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” great! I taught this show at a high school, where there weren’t as many solid Tenors and Basses as Sopranos and Altos. I made adjustments to their parts, keeping in mind the harmonic balance of the Ensemble, and Orchestra.

4. Organization

Know the Show

Before you begin a rehearsal process, know the show: how long each song will take to teach, how much dancing will be required for each song, who sings what, etc. This will help you make decisions for scheduling, decide who needs to be at what rehearsals, and limit the list of things you wish you’d have done differently at the end of your process. Here is a resource I have used for keeping track of music rehearsals:

Music Directing Checklist Template

Another option for a template that includes space for a Choreographer and Director to also keep track of their progress:

Song/Scene Breakdown Template

I like to make a spreadsheet to give out within the first week of music rehearsals which breaks down what everyone in the Ensemble will sing for the entire show. Here is an example of one I created for the Ensemble in “The Secret Garden:” 

The Secret Garden Ensemble Music

I keep it as a living document that I update as changes are made necessary. If someone has a question as to what they should sing in each Ensemble song, this is the definitive answer.

Music Directing is something that we’re all developing, but honing each of these skills will help us with each step of the process. Seasoned Music Directors, what would you add to this list? What do you wish you had known when you began Music Directing? What are some important steps in your creative process that I did not mention? New Music Directors, what questions do you have? Leave your comments below!