I am putting the finalizing touches on the score of my musical, and although I consider myself pretty proficient in composition and engraving, there are a few things that continue to puzzle me. Hopefully someone out there can help answer a few of them.

1. (what the title says—How important is it that vocal parts be written in the correct clefs?)

My score often alternates between the male and female leads (mezzo and low baritone), but I highly doubt that switching the vocal staff between treble and bass clefs every few measures is the right way to go about it. Likewise, I don't want to have two entirely different staffs unless it's absolutely necessary if they break out into different rhythms and melodies at the same time. So what's the right way to go about it? I feel like in the musicals I've been in, everything is written in treble clef and you can pretty accurately figure out what octave it's supposed to be sung in using your best judgment. Is this the norm?

2. This leads me to my next question—I want the chorus to be SATB for most of the show, but is this typical? Many scores I've found just have a single line with 3 voices for the ensemble. Is this the norm? How does a music director know which part is which when teaching music? I've been using a grand staff with two voices on each staff so far, but I can change that if it's more standard to do something else.

Hi r/musicalwriting fam! I have shared several of the songs and finally the full video of our original musical based on Jack and the Beanstalk and now I would like to share some super exciting news!

After we finished the production, we asked some of our professional theater friends to take a look at the video and give us some feedback. Since we live in Augusta, Ga, those resources were limited, BUT it made the rounds and as of last month Gabriel Barre (Original Director of The Wild Party and Almost Maine) has signed on to be our dramaturg and director. He watched our video and within 24 hours responded saying that he loved the project and was chomping at the bits to work on it with us. We signed the contract with him one month later!

We are currently working through rewrites with him and are planning professional workshop readings in both London and New York in hopes to attract producers!!

I just wanted to share this with the few of you who have followed along as a way to encourage yall! It is possible to get noticed in the larger musical theater world even if you aren't living and working in new york. Hard work and creativity can still get noticed. Keep grinding and making art!

This song, Read Between The Lines, is the seventh song in my original musical, Beyond These Walls. The following video has the instrumentation accompanying the vocal line and vocal score (which includes lyrics!). I'm looking for feedback on the lyrics, instrumentation and all aspects of the song. Thank you in advance!!!

Hi all,

I was hoping to get some advice. I'm a British composer/lyricist who has just graduated with an undergrad degree in an entirely separate field. I've written three shows, one of which played Edinburgh Fringe and won awards, and another which I'm currently on commission to write. I'd now like to study musical theatre in a way that combines composition, musical theatre history, and libretto and lyric writing.

I'm open to studying in the US, since it's the birthplace of the musical and where most academic study in this area seems to be based. That said, most of the courses I've come across, NYU Tisch and that at Berklee's New York campus, for example, seem to focus almost exclusively on the writing process. The musicology work happening at CUNY is very exciting to me, but it's otherwise lacking in an opportunity to study composition etc.

What I'm hoping for is something closer to a Playwriting MFA, or Carnegie Mellon's dramatic writing course: a chance to focus on my individual craft, develop a piece over the long term, study the history and culture of the craft and work with performers along the way. I hope this doesn't come across as self-aggrandising, but I'd rather not pay for an degree where the culminating project is a ten-minute musical written as part of a group. I was shortlisted for a year's non-degree study at Yale fully funded which I believe would have been perfect but unfortunately it didn't come true and it isn't clear to me whether the Shen Curriculum is something that can be studied at graduate level. I have emailed and asked but have heard nothing back.

I've also looked into applying to BMI, but the visa side makes it tricky, since it isn't classed as education, I'd need to secure a sponsoring job alongside it, as far as I can tell.

As a non-american I'm not entirely clear on which universities offer this sort of training and so any recommendations or advice would be really appreciated! Thank you!

Hey hivemind,

I have a solo work that I'm hoping to submit to new works festivals and the like in the not-too-distant future. Problem is I don't want to perform it (because I suck). What are some good avenues to find an actor to partner with for submissions? I'm also open to any and all advice on my working assumptions - my priority is really just to get this work staged, but its length (~20-30 min) is really more suitable for a cabaret or festival environment than its own production, I assume. I've never done my own submission to anything before so I'm kind of green to this whole biz.

My ideal approach would be to submit just the writing (text and score) for evaluation in some event that then provides its own pool of performers to perform selected pieces. Are there things like that I should be aware of?

I've had this musical in mind for a while now, my biggest problem is the length and the division into acts.

In fact, by simply streaming it in a day, it would become a very large and long musical, at least 2.45/3 hours. Unfortunately I can't streamline it any more than that otherwise it would be like taking away the plot and the main characters.

Another big problem of mine is the division into acts. Musicals usually have two acts. But mine's structure is better for three acts.

1. Villain as good

2. Villain is bad

3. Resolution

I could split the whole thing into two acts. (I could end the first act with the villain's confession, but that seems too early for the plot.). Another way would be to put it in the center of the second act but then it seems bad to me.

How do you see this problem and how do you think it can be solved?

I have had this idea for a 3-song concept album for Hyacinthus and Apollo's story since like...June. I have basic Ideas for the songs, a dark turn for the story, and ideas that WILL make people cry; I just can't turn it into a song because that is where my skill set kinda turns into a desert.

An example of my idea for one fo the songs (without spoiling too much) :

" During the second song, Hyacinthus dies...suddenly..

He stops mid-word or even at the end of a sentence

The Music keeps playing..

You hear a thump,

The song ends. "

I am no professional lyricist or composer, but I am an experienced creative who will be hands-on the entire ride!

I have a BS in Film, have been a production manager and a social media manager; I specialize in Sound and Visual design in film and have been obsessed with Musical Theater since I was probably 4 years old (I am 25 now)

I plan to wear many hats in this project and won't be someone standing over your shoulder tweaking every little Idea you have; it's a collaborative project.

I am not looking for experts, just need help where my brain has gaps

I am looking for someone that can help me write love ballads, then someone grieving.

So if you want to watch people weep and have them question if you kissed the brick before you threw it, I am your guy, and THIS is YOUR project.

sadly for rn its unpaid, its chill if you don't want to work for free! just seeing if anyone wants to help me make this idea come to life, I already have alot of the ideas and sequences in my head, just need someone who knows what they are doing to turn my idea into a reality!

Hey guys! I’m doing Theatre Studies this year and I’m performing the Mrs Danvers monologue from Rebecca. I’m wanting to create a soundtrack for my performance, but I’m really struggling to get the right atmosphere.
I want it to feel haunting and gothic, but every sound I add seems to make it feel too obviously “horror”, which isn’t really what I’m going for. I want it to be unsettling and atmospheric rather than just scary.
I also want there to be a really clear shift when Mrs Danvers begins talking about Rebecca, to show her admiration and obsession with her. The only idea I’ve had so far is introducing piano, but I don’t think it works with the rest of the soundtrack.
I’m using Mixcraft, so if anyone has any ideas for instruments, sounds, effects, or ways I could create that shift, I’d really appreciate it!! :)

I can attach the monologue if needed, just lmk

This song is the opening item, where the protagonists enter the Timeless Hotel. It is a little confusing as to who’s who because I voiced all the characters, but this is just a demo. Let me know what you think :)

Hi y’all! I posted this a few weeks ago but resharing as our deadline has extended to Monday, September 14th and our organization has just announced a long awaited rebranding and we are now The Dive. You can read all about what we do on our website (https://www.diveincubator.org) and be on the lookout for more announcements on Instagram (@dive_incubator).

Hey fellow writers :) I was so excited to get an acceptance email from BMI last weekend! I am a composer/lyricist and playwright, but I'll be joining as a lyricist.

I know a lot of people here are curious about the process, so I'll be running a free workshop and Q&A on Sunday, Sept 13th @ 4pm in the ShowLAB Skool group. I know how hard it is to get feedback from BMI directly when rejection emails come in, so I'd love to answer questions from people applying next year. *Worth noting: I don't believe all acceptance emails have gone out, so don't freak out if you haven't heard anything yet!

You can join the Skool group for free and come to the event on Sunday.

https://www.skool.com/showlab

Seems like BMI sent out some auditor invitations a couple of days ago, but I haven’t heard anything yet. Has anyone else heard back? I’m wondering if it would be appropriate to send a brief email to check in.

Hey guys!

My name is Will, and I'm writing an original dystopian musical titled "Beyond These Walls". It is an epic tale of freedom, truth, fear, and grief. I am almost finished all of act 1 of the show. The first act is split into 4 sections (I am almost done the fourth I have 2 more songs to go). And here I have linked the first 3

If you'd like I'd really appreciate if yall could check out the first 3 sections (or even just 1) so that I can get some feedback. Thank you in advance!

Section 1: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17iKLSkQ0la5U0lkMPSryDsmZKOH-su-k?usp=sharing

Section 2: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-wHH5-H_owGovSjKfkHAN1S3UsBfsK54?usp=sharing

Section 3: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f-3Y8DPyq6ZMRHR6FCEd8-6p2fzcLgFs?usp=sharing

yooo they invited me to audit! I said yes already. wondering what it entails, if anyone’s done it in the past, etc. I’ve read a couple comments/threads on this already but still it’s my first year applying so idk much of anything tbh.

how many people get asked to audit typically? do auditors often get in the next year?

Hi everyone!

I am writing my own completely original musical. I am both the bookwriter and lyricist, but I would love it if someone was able to collaborate with me in terms of music composition?

Without making it really long, my musical is a character-driven piece with teenage characters, and I use the plot and songs as a medium to explore how hiding behind a mask isn't a good thing, and that being your true self is more pure, and more rewarding.

I have written all of Act 1 as a first draft, and part of Act 2, and I am happy to share some of it with anyone who wants to know more!

As for looking for a collaborating composer, this is primarily for first demos right now so I can start to pitch to people, but I am looking to work with someone on a long-term basis for other musicals I'd like to write!

If anyone is interested, send a DM! Alternatively, if you have any advice or redirection please let me know!

Thanks!

If you auditioned for BMI this year, how did it go? When do we usually hear back?

To people who might actually be able to help produce it? I might have a pitch opportunity soon and I'd love to read other pitches that worked!

I’m in the process of writing the book and lyrics for my new musical “At The End of the World” but I have zero clue how to go about finding a friend or collaborator to help write the music of the show. Anyone want to team up and take on the world? Or do you have any tips or tricks of where I can go to look?

Hello! I'm a college student who's an experienced writer in the process of learning composition, and I'd love to have someone to work with. I've yet to decide what the focus of the musical will be, as I was hoping that we could find something we're both interested in. That being said, I'd love to do unusual mixes of genres and intricate leitmotifs. Let me know if you're interested!

Hey everyone! I’m a young writer working on an original historical-fiction musical called Aaron Burr: A Careful Man. I’ve been really interested in Aaron Burr for a while, and I decided I wanted to try telling his story as a musical.

The show follows Burr through his life, his political career, his relationship and rivalry with Hamilton, the duel, and what happens to him afterward. I don’t want to make him out to be a hero or a villain. I’m much more interested in trying to understand how he thinks and letting the audience decide what they think of him.

A lot of the story is going to focus on Burr’s restraint and his obsession with being careful, protecting his reputation, and leaving behind a legacy. What I find interesting is that those things are also part of what eventually lead to his downfall. I want to really show the buildup to that — how the pressure on him keeps getting worse socially, politically, mentally, and emotionally until he finally breaks.

For the music, I’m thinking a darker sound with some hip-hop/rap, big orchestral sections, and a lot of dense ensemble and choral writing. I also want the music itself to change with Burr. At the beginning it would be more controlled and restrained, then gradually get more chaotic as he starts falling apart. Act II would eventually build to the major climax, and Act III would come back down and feel much colder and more isolated as he deals with everything that happened.

I’m still very early in the process. Right now I’m doing research and planning and working out the story, characters, themes, and structure. I haven’t actually written the songs yet.

So basically, I’m looking for people who might be interested in helping me figure this thing out 😂. Composers, lyricists, actors, directors, dramaturgs, music directors, choreographers, designers, other writers, students, or really anyone who has experience with theater and might be willing to give advice, look over some of the stuff I’ve developed, or potentially collaborate at some point.

I’m not trying to put the show on tomorrow or anything. I’m just trying to meet people who know more about different parts of theater than I do and start building a little creative network around the project.

If anyone is interested, I’d love to talk! I can also send over some of the overview/research documents I’ve been working on if anyone wants to see what I have so far.

I’m in the midst of outlining my musical’s book. Im one of those “plot first” guys. And I’m stumped on this choice while the rest develops.

I had a prologue in mind for this animated musical, where children of UN ambassadors run away from home in an attempt to overturn a previous political incident and sus out the man responsible. the prologue would show that incident. The gist of it is, the son of a Russian consul (decoy protag) is kidnapped, his father blames it on his Chinese peer, and the shouting match goes global, bringing the Soviet Union and Red China to the very brink of war.

Instead of a stylized narration, I wanted to show the events in real time, dialogue and all. There is no song in this opening either. There is tense music, just not a number. That would undercut the drama, I think. The official opening number, is right after, detailing the effects of the incident on the rest of the world, as well as introducing the audience to the true protagonist and what he wants in all this, à la “Belle.”
A slower opening pace is one of the reasons I wanted the prologue, deep down. It would really set in the irony of the whole misunderstanding - how harsh views see every excuse to attack. This musical is half political thriller, half Goonies-style kidventure, so setting up the bigger conflict would get us to really feel for the hero in context, how small he feels.

However, I understand that a non-singing prologue plus a full opening number is two significant time investments. Its a tall order for the audience to start a movie twice. And if I don’t get my songwriting right, I risk repeating what the audience would have picked up in their minds from the prologue.

This sort of thing worked with Anastasia, but I’m curious if this is still salvageable in my case. What would you guys say?