Music Directing

Ooo Eee Ahh. Yes we all need to practise our scales if we’re going to reach that top 'A' required at the end of Act One and the vocal director is just the person whose going to get you there, along with improving overall projection and the general harmony of an ensemble piece. How? Practice.     Any musical has a director in charge of acting and a choreographer in charge of dancing. The singers are directed by a vocal coach, someone to help them rehearse their songs. This would be individually with the soloists and as a group for the chorus. It is integral to the success of any production that all songs are learnt early on so that there is time to master any complicated passages. The vocal director needs to understand music and be able to read the score. Some very brilliant singers unfortunately cannot always read music and they will require guidance as to what they are supposed to be singing. Many musicals also require singing in harmony which needs to be thoroughly rehearsed. It is key that out of a group of 50 singers the vocal director can identify the one person who is singing flat or not singing at all in order to produce a polished product at the end of rehearsals. The music director is in charge of the musicians in the band or orchestra where these are used and may be responsible for the musical arrangement. In recent years, they have been hired in for the individual show.