So, You're the New Musical Director

by James H. Laster

So, You're the New Musical Director! is aimed at the person who has music training but little or no experience with musical theatre, the high school choral director with a degree in music education, or the actor participating in community theatre productions. It details the duties involved in directing a broadway musical, including overseeing singer and orchestra rehearsals and conducting the musical itself. The chapters follow the actual progression of a musical from a discussion of the production team's responsibilities to the final bow. Filled with photos, illustrations, and examples, So, You're the New Musical Director! is a comprehensive guide that no one involved in musical theatre should be without.

172 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2001

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I still do not excuse the horrific copy-editing of this book ("autition accompanist" is inexcusable), I appreciated the information that was presented. For example, he left me with the pithy saying: "Flexibility under the guise of consistency is the rule" (p. 129). This is so true. The audience should never be aware of any deviation from the "normal" performance...little do they know that the only reason that the show IS seeming "normal" is because the conductor/music director was able to prevent the train wreck that could have occurred because the lead singer skipped an entire 3 measures of music! Nice introductory book in an area that is highly underappreciated and misunderstood :)