Music | MusicalWriters.com

Orchestrating a New Musical: The Wind Section

The musical theatre orchestra wind section includes both woodwind and brass instruments and can be used to provide color, texture, and a big band jazz sound.

Orchestrating a New Musical: The Rhythm Section

The rhythm section of a musical theater orchestra is usually defined as the keyboards, guitars, drum kit, and bass. Travis Frank discusses how this section keeps the rhythm and groove throughout numbers and how best to write for this versatile group of musicians.

Orchestrating a New Musical: Instrumentation and Setup

Instrumentation is selecting which instruments will be present in the pit band of a new musical and is often determined by the style and budget of the show.

Orchestrations: The Hidden Secret That Makes a Musical Great

Orchestrations play a surprising role in how audiences get caught up in the work. They’re that little bit of pixie dust that can make a musical take flight.

Wicked the Musical’s Groundbreaking Score – Act 2

Robert Vieira shares his analysis of the breathtaking and complex musical score of Act II of Wicked the musical by composer Stephen Schwartz.

Tools Composers Love: Faves from the Pros

Wondering what music tools and tech the pros use? Here are a few tools composers love as given by my composer friends and colleagues.

Wicked the Musical’s Groundbreaking Score – Act 1

The score of the musical sensation Wicked is groundbreaking because it brilliantly melds pop idioms with sophisticated musical theater song construction.

Writing for Today’s Musical Theatre Performer

There are a number of challenges musical theatre performers face in today’s industry. Most pressing are the vocal demands of a musical theatre score. Some contemporary scores require what is considered heavy vocal load singing for longer periods of time than is healthy. As writers, we have a responsibility not to normalize potentially dangerous vocal writing for the voice. We must take into account what the voice is capable of recreating 8 shows a week, whether on a Broadway stage or regional theatre. It is the highest sign of respect to the performing artists, who bring to life our characters, allowing them to tell their stories in more powerful ways.