You and I have a lot in common. We share a passion for musicals, especially the art and craft of musical theater performance. We are fascinated by the challenge of singing and acting at the same time. We probably admire many of the same individuals, the writers who create songs for musicals and the singers …
Continue reading “An exciting gift from The SAVI Singing Actor!”
A friend who runs a musical theater program at an arts-centric high school wrote to inquire what skills a student graduating from her school’s program ought to be expected to possess. Her question got me thinking: what are the most important learning outcomes to be pursued in a high school musical theater program? Personally, I …
Continue reading “Learning outcomes at the high school level?”
Final thoughts from the presentation that I gave at “Australasian Overtures,” the international conference of the Musical Theater Educators Alliance held at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in Perth, Australia. Students sang “A Song That’s SAVI” and learned more about the SAVI System of Singer-Actor Training at my workshop. Flom-tastic photography by …
This post, as well as the next one, is based on a presentation that I gave at “Australasian Overtures,” the international conference of the Musical Theater Educators Alliance held at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in Perth, Australia. The title of my presentation, “Come To Your Senses,” is the title of a …
Inspiration often comes from unexpected places, but I bet you never imagined that a Furby could teach you something about the craft of singing acting! Millions of these little guys have been sold since the Furby was first introduced in 1998. One of the secrets of this animatronic toy’s success is how it makes you …
Continue reading “Singing-Acting Tips from Furby? Seriously?”
This is the first in a series of posts inspired by this year’s Musical Theater Educators Alliance conference. Every year for the past sixteen years, leading pedagogues from musical theater training programs around the world have gathered to share presentations on their most effective methods. This year, our meeting was hosted by New York University’s …
The Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama Class of 2017 got together to offer this friendly advice to students starting their freshman year in a BFA Theater Arts program. (Thanks to Ken Davenport for posting this on his excellent blog, “The Producer’s Perspective!” If you missed it, you should also check out this advice from …
Continue reading “CMU Students offer more Freshman survival tips”
What?! You don’t have your copy of The Vocal Athlete yet? I mentioned to a couple of my colleagues that I had gotten a review copy of this new book by Wendy LaBorgne and Marci Rosenberg and suddenly I was barraged with requests to share it. It seems as though the word has already begun …
What is the essential work of the singing actor-in-training? My alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, uses these words of its founder, entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, as its motto, and what better day than Labor Day to recognize the importance of having one’s “heart in the work?” Today is a U.S. holiday established to pay …
Take steps now to achieve Maximum SAVI in the new school year! On the rifle range, the command rings out: ready, aim, fire! Shimmering on its launchpad, the school year waits like a rocket, ready for liftoff at the start of September. Now, as the countdown dwindles down to its final days, we must READY …
