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A GUIDE TOMUSIC AND DANCEThis 12 page Guide has TWO chapters.(Musicians) The relationship between Director and MD can be a difficult one. It's like a partnership in business, about which, when I decided to set up in business for myself, my solicitor, who is also a friend of long standing, warned me: "It's like a marriage," he said, "but without the advantages!" - nudge, nudge! wink, wink! say no more! It's very rarely that you can choose your MD - most schools only have one Music teacher - so it is as well to be aware of possible sources of conflict and try to sort them out right at the beginning. Here are some of the problems which I have come across in my relations with the five or so Musical Directors I have worked with. ........................ An accomplished actor, however, can often put across a song extremely well, even if it is not musically accurate. I'm no singer (ask my MD!) but I have often performed songs on-stage, doing what I call my Rex Harrison. Have a look at ther film version of The Who's Tommy. Neither Oliver Reed or Jack Nicholson can sing, but they acted Roger Daltry off the screen, so it didn't matter! If you have firm ideas on how a particular song ought to be sung (speed, phrasing, "telling the tale", and so on), then make that clear from the start. It's no good saying in the last week of rehearsal, "Ah, but I wanted it done this way..."! That's an open invitation to a knife in the guts! ........................... Sometimes dramatic impact has to over-ride musical accuracy. Like you, your MD will want perfection (or as near as (s)he can get to it) from the kids, but sometimes musical perfection must be sacrificed to dramatic effect. It must be clearly agreed from the start that this is the case and, preferably, those places where it is to happen identified. ......................... Another problem you'll face with young rockers is the itchy finger syndrome, where their fingers automatically increase the volume on their amplifiers every time there's a pause. Who deals with these problems? you or the MD? Personally I reserve the right to blast any musician who incurs my wrath! (Dancers) Clearly if you are going to do a musical, then you will need dancers and a choreographer. Dancers are not too difficult to find - in every school there will be girls who go to dance classes and are really keen, many almost fanatical. Some, in fact, will have been learning to dance since they were three or four, and amongst the older girls there will be those who have passed all the exams right up to teacher grade. So you will almost certainly have no problem about getting dancers. There may, however, be problems about keeping them. In my experience the ones who are really good will be spending two or three nights a week at dance classes and many weekends at competitions. That can often mean that they don't have time to fit your show into their busy schedule! I'm afraid that is something you're going to have to accept. Remember their parents have been paying for classes for many years and, by the time the kids reach you, will have shelled out literally thousands of pounds! It is obvious where their priorities are going to be. .......................... The first time I did a show with dance - almost thirty years ago! - I knew nothing about it at all. No member of staff expressed an interest but one fifth form girl did. There was only to be the one routine so I gave her a tape of the music and just told her to get on with it. She did a good job - all the dancers were well trained and worked together beautifully - but it was the wrong job! The routine that she devised was totally out of keeping with the show, and, in particular, with the way I directed the song. Had I known just a little, I would have been able to give her much better guidance, and dance and song would have reinforced each other rather than working in opposition. It was at this point that I decided I had to learn more! .......................... Avoid disco! Frankly most disco dancing is repetitive and rather boring. It's a bit like aerobics: great fun for those taking part but a big yawn for the watcher. You'll find, however, that for a lot of kids disco is all there is (even after all my years in teaching, I still manage to be amazed at the limits of the knowledge and experience of some kids), and some who will tell you they are experienced dancers will mean that they enjoy disco dancing. A lot of kids will want to do the kind of thing they've seen in the latest pop video, and it will flop disastrously. What Madonna and others of her ilk do arises from their own sensuality and is carried by their charisma. Did you see Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell dancing to Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend? What looked good on Monroe, because it was her, looked merely embarrassing on Russell. Multiply that effect tenfold and you have what happens when young kids try to follow their heroines. In any case, although kids will tell you with enthusiasm that Madonna, BoyZone or whoever are great dancers, it just ain't so! The best of them are merely competent and only attempt the most basic and simple routines: on technical merit the average chorus girl will beat them into a cocked hat! ............................... Then there are certain keywords which you should consider when devising a dance routine: Dynamics Please read the terms and conditions on the Download page. |