Victor Bobetsky - The Magic of Middle School Musicals - Inspire Your Students To Learn, Grow, and Succeed (2008)
Victor Bobetsky - The Magic of Middle School Musicals - Inspire Your Students To Learn, Grow, and Succeed (2008)
Victor Bobetsky - The Magic of Middle School Musicals - Inspire Your Students To Learn, Grow, and Succeed (2008)
MIDDLE SCHOOL
MUSICALS
Victor V. Bobetsky
Estover Road
Plymouth PL6 7PY
United Kingdom
Bobetsky, Victor V.
The magic of middle school musicals : inspire your students to learn, grow,
and succeed / Victor V. Bobetsky.
p. cm.
‘‘Published in partnership with MENC, the National Association for Music
Education.’’
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-57886-867-4 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-57886-867-X (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-57886-868-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-57886-868-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
eISBN-13: 978-1-57886-981-7
eISBN-10: 1-57886-981-1
1. Musicals—Juvenile—Production and direction. I. Title.
MT955.B575 2008
792.602⬘26—dc22
2008032795
⬁ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
This book is dedicated to the memory of my parents,
Victor and Marie L. Bobetsky
CONTENTS
v
vi CONTENTS
References 153
About the Author 155
FOREWORD
vii
viii F O R E WO R D
ix
x P R E FAC E
Regardless of the subject you teach, I wrote this book for you as
the director of a musical production in your school. Throughout
the book, you’ll see that I address both you and your colleagues in
other teaching specialties.
But it’s not an ideal world, and your school may not have a per-
fect mix of dance, art, and other teachers. Share this book with any
colleagues involved with your production, and have them read the
parts relating to their specialties.
Better yet, encourage them to get their own copies. No matter
where or what your colleagues teach in the future, as long as music
is available in your school, any teacher—English, visual art, dance,
math, physical education, it doesn’t matter—can use this book to
create musical theatre.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
xi
1
1
2 CHAPTER 1
THINGS TO CONSIDER
There are three basic criteria to use when selecting a musical for
middle school students. First, the music needs to be vocally doable
in some form by adolescent singers. Second, the plot and charac-
ters should interest the students and engage their emotions and
imaginations. Finally, the story and setting should have the poten-
tial to involve other subject areas in a meaningful way. We’ll dis-
cuss the first two of these criteria now, and the third in chapter 2.
Musical material that is vocally doable for adolescent voices usu-
ally is interesting, energetic, easily remembered, and relatively
compact in range and tessitura. Music that is more abstract or that
contains unusual and difficult intervallic leaps should be avoided.
For example, The Light in the Piazza has a wonderfully written
score, but the harmonic relationships and intervallic contour of
many of its melodies would be too challenging for middle school
singers; the melodic material would be difficult to learn and re-
member. In general, musical writing that can offer middle school
students reasonable opportunities to develop phrasing, expression,
and good tone is well worth pursuing.
Whenever you are working with middle school voices, you will
probably need to adapt and arrange a considerable amount of the
vocal material. Chapter 3 will explore the arranging process in de-
tail. Remember that you must obtain permission from the copy-
right holder in order to arrange vocal material in a musical,
especially if you plan to copy and distribute the music to your stu-
dents. This information is available from music industry organiza-
tions, often via the Internet (www.mpa.org, www.ascap.com, and
S E L E C T Y O U R S H OW 3
www.bmi.com can help with initial searches). You might start with
United States Copyright Law: A Guide for Music Educators found
at www.menc.org/resources/view/united-states-copyright-law-a-
guide-for-music-educators.
What sort of plot and characters might middle school students
find interesting? I have found that students of this age appreciate
story lines involving romance, adventure, humor, and exotic lo-
cales. For example, South Pacific, which contained all of these ele-
ments, was a great success. Student performers played the
characters of Bloody Mary and Luther Billis with great relish. The
students who played the romantic leads of Nellie and Emile and
Cable and Liat communicated these two love stories in a wonder-
ful way. I found that the musical Damn Yankees appealed to my
students because it involved baseball. The students also experi-
enced vicarious pleasure at the actors’ depictions of the temptress,
Lola, and of Mr. Applegate, the devil in disguise.
On the other hand, middle school students are less interested in
topics and story lines that are more introspective and intellectual,
contain less action, or appear too childish. For example, middle
school students might perceive the story lines of Sunday in the
Park with George or Brigadoon to be too intellectual and slow
moving. Depending on the maturity level and attitudes of your stu-
dents, a musical like Annie may be perceived as too childish be-
cause it involves young children.
It is also important to think carefully about whether or not the
musical you have in mind is appropriate for your particular school
and community. Consider the ethnicities and religions of the fami-
lies that populate your school. Some material in older musicals,
while a product of the time when the show was written, may be
considered offensive to particular ethnic groups today. For exam-
ple, the song ‘‘I’m an Indian Too,’’ from the original version of
Annie Get Your Gun pokes fun at the names of tribal chiefs and
contains lyrics and characterizations that could be considered of-
fensive to people of Native American ancestry. I would probably
4 CHAPTER 1
Once you have selected your musical, get in touch with the appro-
priate licenser in order to obtain permission to use the script. Li-
censers charge a royalty fee and a rental fee. The royalty fee gives
you the right to produce a musical protected by copyright. The
rental fee is for renting scripts, vocal and instrumental parts, and
piano-vocal scores. Older shows typically are not as expensive as
newer shows. Some, such as Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, are
public domain and do not require any royalties to produce or ar-
range. However, you would still need to rent the script, parts, and
score in order to produce a public domain work. The major li-
censers include Samuel French, Inc., Music Theatre International,
and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Library:
Each of these companies will send you catalogs and order forms
upon request and can also provide perusal materials, including li-
bretti and a piano-vocal score. In addition, the licensers can help
you gain access to a demo tape or original cast recordings.
Samuel French, Inc. handles both plays and musicals. Request
their musical catalog, which includes Grease, The Wiz, Beauty and
the Beast, and The Me Nobody Knows. The catalog offers very
brief summaries of each musical and lists the standard rental pack-
age. Samuel French, Inc. also offers band arrangements to accom-
pany Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, and The
Pirates of Penzance.
Music Theatre International’s catalog of musicals includes West
Side Story, Little Shop of Horrors, Seussical, Fame, and Damn
Yankees. The catalog provides commentary on each show, listing
the required cast, musical numbers, and instrumentation. In addi-
tion, MTI offers a Broadway Junior series containing shortened
and edited versions of famous musicals designed to be performed
specifically by middle school students. Representative shows in-
clude Willy Wonka Junior, Fiddler on the Roof Junior, Guys and
Dolls Junior, and Godspell Junior.
6 CHAPTER 1
Challenges
9
10 CHAPTER 2
Instrumental Music
The activities and objectives you list should reflect the things
you will emphasize in your band or orchestra rehearsals. For exam-
ple, you will probably want your students to perform selections
from the score to The King and I accurately and independently
with good posture, playing position, and technique, while also ob-
serving the appropriate articulation, dynamic, and tempo mark-
ings. I am going to link these activities to Content Standard 2 of
the National Standards for Music Education (Performing on in-
struments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music).
However, you could also link observing articulation, dynamic, and
tempo markings to Content Standard 5 (Reading and notating
music). You can write the objectives as follows: ‘‘Students will per-
form selections from the score to The King and I as part of an en-
semble, accurately and independently, with good posture, good
playing position, and good breath, bow, or stick control’’ and ‘‘Stu-
dents will perform selections from The King and I observing the
appropriate articulation, dynamic, and tempo markings.’’ You can
assess student achievement in these areas by evaluating individual
and small-group performances in class.
As suggested earlier for vocal music, have your instrumental
music students listen to a professional cast recording of the musi-
cal in class before teaching the music. Ask them to listen specifi-
cally for things like the basic rhythm, meter, and mode (major or
minor) of selected songs. This activity is best linked with Content
Standard 6 (Listening to, analyzing, and describing music) and
the objective can be written as follows: ‘‘Students will listen to a
professional cast recording of The King and I, identifying the basic
meter, rhythm, and mode of the selections they are learning.’’ You
C R E AT E A UNIT OF S T U DY 13
Visual Art
The National Standards for Visual Arts require students to cre-
ate art, select appropriate media for their work (including painting,
drawing, and sculpture), and participate in the process of critiqu-
ing their own work and that of their peers. Middle school art stu-
dents can work toward these goals as part of our unit of study. For
example, they can create imaginative scenery and stage sets that
enhance the production of a musical. These activities are related
to Content Standard 1 of the National Standards for Visual Arts
(Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes)
and the objective can be written as follows: ‘‘Students will create
scenery and stage sets, working with paint, paper, and fabrics.’’ You
can assess student achievement in these areas by observing and
evaluating each student’s work in terms of both process and
product.
In order for the scenery and sets to truly enhance the produc-
tion, students need to select subjects that reflect the theme of the
14 CHAPTER 2
show. In the case of The King and I, the theme would be Southeast
Asian history and culture. This activity is best linked with Content
Standard 3 (Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas), and the objective can be written as follows:
‘‘Students will select subjects for the scenery that reflect the theme
of Southeast Asian history and culture.’’ You can assess student
achievement by evaluating the selected subjects for relevance to
the project’s theme. Students can be asked to explain their choices
of subject in a brief written statement.
The art teacher should provide students with structured oppor-
tunities to reflect on and critique their own work and the work of
their peers. This activity falls under Content Standard 5 (Re-
flecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their
work and the work of others), and the objective can be written as
follows: ‘‘Students will critique their own work and the work of
their peers verbally and in writing, using teacher- and student-
developed criteria.’’ You can assess student achievement by ob-
serving students during class discussions and group critiques and
by evaluating students’ written responses.
Dance
You will probably want your student dancers to create some of
the choreography. One way to do this is to use improvisation to
generate movement for the choreography. This can be linked to
Content Standard 2 of the National Standards for Dance (Un-
derstanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures),
and the objective can be written as follows: ‘‘Students will use im-
provisation to generate movement for choreography.’’ You can as-
sess student achievement by observing each student’s degree of
participation in the improvisation exercises.
Once the choreography has been created, the students have to
learn how to remember it and how to perform the movement se-
quences to music. These activities can be linked to Content Stan-
C R E AT E A UNIT OF S T U DY 15
Theatre Arts
Most of the work that theatre arts teachers will do with their
students as part of the unit of study can be linked to Content Stan-
dard 2 of the National Standards for Theatre Arts (Acting by de-
veloping basic acting skills to portray characters who interact in
improvised and scripted scenes). For example, students should be-
come familiar with each character in the musical. They can dem-
onstrate an understanding of the characters by creating short
performances where the characters respond to imaginary situa-
tions and by reflecting on those performances in writing. These
activities reflect Content Standard 2, and the objective can be
written as follows: ‘‘Students will analyze the plot of The King and
I in order to explain the motivation behind the characters’ actions
and invent character behaviors, communicating their findings
through performance exercises and written reflections.’’ You can
16 CHAPTER 2
Language Arts
The libretto of The King and I, written by Oscar Hammerstein,
was influenced and inspired by Margaret Mortensen Landon’s
book, Anna and the King of Siam. Landon’s book, in turn, was
based on Anna H. Leonowens’s memoir, The English Governess at
the Siamese Court. This memoir was written in 1870 and, although
it had been reprinted in the early twentieth century, many public
C R E AT E A UNIT OF S T U DY 17
Social Studies
Students in social studies classes can develop a basic under-
standing of the geography, history, and culture of Thailand. For
example, with respect to geography, they can learn to locate Thai-
land on a world map and to locate and identify neighboring coun-
tries such as Vietnam. These activities are related to Social Studies
Content Standard 3 (Study of people, places, and environ-
ments), and the objective can be written as follows: ‘‘Students will
demonstrate the ability to locate Thailand on a world map and to
locate and identify neighboring countries such as Vietnam.’’ You
can evaluate student success through observation and can ask ad-
ditional questions to see whether students can explain Thailand’s
location relative to other countries and continents.
Students can also learn about the history and culture of Thai-
land and demonstrate their knowledge through class discussion
and written essays. This can be linked to Content Standards 1
(Study of culture and cultural diversity) and 2 (Time, continuity,
and change), and the objective can be written as follows: ‘‘Through
participation in group oral presentations and written essays, stu-
dents will demonstrate a basic knowledge of the history and cul-
C R E AT E A UNIT OF S T U DY 19
You can successfully create units of study for many other musicals
using this same approach. For example, while learning about and
performing Fiddler on the Roof, students might examine how poor
people lived in Russia at the time, describe the prevalent social
order, conduct research on immigration and Jewish culture, dis-
cuss specific characteristics of Russian and Jewish folk art, as well
as learn and perform traditional Russian and Jewish folk songs and
dances.
How can such a unit of study be evaluated? First, I would rec-
ommend that each student be required to keep some type of ongo-
ing journal throughout the entire duration of the project. Teachers
should check the journals periodically to make sure that students
do not fall behind. Toward the conclusion of the unit of study, stu-
dents should use the material in their journals to create a reaction
paper, which should form a portion of every student’s grade. Next,
I would recommend that the teachers go back to the original ob-
jectives and devise ways to specifically measure whether or not the
20 CHAPTER 2
21
22 CHAPTER 3
There may be other boys in your chorus whose voices have already
changed and who can sing the equivalent of a modified baritone
part. Because of all these variables, it is safe to say that every mid-
dle school chorus is unique. The composition of your group will
influence the strategies and methods you use when arranging
music for your singers.
(Part 1), which has a vocal range from the B a half-step below mid-
dle C to soprano E. All the girls should be able to sing in this
range. The boys sing Part 2, which begins with a pedal-point osti-
nato on B. This note can be sung comfortably by boys with chang-
ing and changed voices. The rhythmically active repetition of the
B (a note that the boys can sing well) will give these boys a sense of
energy and confidence. Beginning at the fifth measure, boys with
changing voices can sing Part 2 as written, while boys with changed
voices can sing the same part an octave lower. The part writing is
designed to create a boys’ part with its own independent character
rather than merely a harmonic accompaniment for the melody.
Whenever possible, write vocal parts that are interesting and fun
to sing. Middle school students enjoy parts that have unique rhyth-
mic and melodic characteristics. I arranged the song ‘‘I Gotta Keep
Movin’ ’’ from the musical Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope (Micki
Grant, Fiddleback Music Publishing, 1973) for a seventh- and
eighth-grade chorus with some boys in the beginning stages of
vocal change as well as other boys who were approaching a bari-
tone range. Figure 3.4 shows the vocal ranges of the students. Fig-
ure 3.5 shows the original melody (measures 4–12). Figure 3.6
shows an arrangement of these measures, written to accommodate
this group of middle school singers.
Figure 3.4. Vocal ranges of the students for ‘‘I Gotta Keep Movin’ ’’
ARRANGE THE MUSIC FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL VOICES 25
10–15, Part 1 has the melody while Part 2 has a rhythmically and
melodically independent ostinato.
Avoid writing too frequently in a block chord style (chorale-like)
for this age group. One reason is that most middle school singers
find it easier to sing in parts when each part has some degree of
rhythmic or melodic independence. In addition, middle school
students tend to feel that their own voice part is important when
it has its own unique character and is not merely filling in a chord.
Creating interesting and independent vocal parts will help to make
your arrangements more musically interesting as well as more en-
joyable for your middle school singers.
INCORPORATE CHORAL
PARTICIPATION INTO SOLO NUMBERS
priate character in the musical begins the solo alone but is joined
by the chorus later in the song. The chorus can then either support
the soloist or can replace the soloist as the song continues. This
approach can heighten the dramatic effect of the song because
everyone onstage is actively involved.
Arrangements
The following are a few representative samples of arrangements
for middle school voices, spanning the years 1986 through the
present, that work well for me now and have done so in the past:
AUDITIONING AND
CASTING PROCEDURES
31
32 CHAPTER 4
of reasons, might not want their child to perform in the show. This
would create an uncomfortable situation for the child, the parents,
and the teacher. Some parents may feel the time commitment in-
volved would interfere with the child’s studies. In other cases, par-
ents may have a religious objection to their child performing on-
stage in general or to some specific content in the show itself. You
can save everyone a lot of aggravation and embarrassment by hav-
ing parents indicate ahead of time whether or not their child has
permission to audition for a role.
Work with your building administrator or office staff to schedule
auditions for days and times that do not conflict with other school-
related activities. In addition, you will want to be sure to decide on
audition times that can accommodate students who go home by
bus as well as those who walk home or are driven by their parents.
If you do not follow these procedures, some students and their
parents may claim that they were excluded from the audition pro-
cess. Once you include every interested student in the audition
process, you may discover talented students that you were not
even aware of. One of these students may be just perfect for a par-
ticular role!
AUDITION PROCEDURES
dents can choose their own material (not necessarily related to the
show). The first approach is more specific because it allows you to
focus on how the students deliver some of the actual lines their
characters will need to speak in the show. The second approach is
more holistic. When a student delivers a passage he or she has cho-
sen and presumably is motivated to perform, you should be able
to get a true sense of that student’s potential as an actor.
Music teachers use a variety of materials for auditions. Some
teachers allow the students to choose and perform any song they
know and love. Others assign the same selection to everyone trying
out for a particular part. This selection is often a song that the
character sings in the show. If you do the latter, make sure to dis-
tribute and go over the music with your students at least several
weeks prior to auditions.
For lead parts that involve solo singing, you’ll need to get a clear
sense of each student’s range and tessitura (the portion of the
range that is most comfortable for the student to sing in). This can
be done by administering a simple voice test. Have plenty of blank
index cards available and make a card for each auditioning student.
Notate what appear to be the highest and lowest notes in each stu-
dent’s vocal range as well as the student’s tessitura. You should also
write down any quick impressions you have of each student’s voice.
It is easy to forget details after auditioning many students, so a
written record of your impressions is necessary in order to help
you make and to justify your casting decisions. For example, you
might make a written notation on a student’s index card that a stu-
dent has a breathy vocal quality or has difficulty projecting his/her
voice. Similarly, make note of any outstanding qualities you notice
in a student’s audition, such as a clear, pure singing tone or excel-
lent diction.
After auditioning everyone who is interested in the lead roles,
you and your colleagues will be able to decide on a short list of
applicants. Call back this group of finalists and have them repeat
34 CHAPTER 4
As soon as auditions are over and the parts have been assigned,
send out a letter to selected students and their parents, congratu-
lating the students on the role they have received. Tell the students
that although they may not have received the part they wanted,
they are now members of a wonderful cast. You can attach a tear-
off form to this letter stating: ‘‘My son/daughter accepts this role
in the musical and understands the responsibilities of attending all
rehearsals and performances.’’ Ask the parents to sign and return
this form to you. Figure 4.1 contains a sample letter and form that
you can use. The tear-off form in this sample letter has a space
where parents can volunteer their services to help with ticket sales,
costumes, publicity, and other activities. We’ll talk more about this
in chapter 9.
Some students who did not receive the role they wanted will be
very upset. They may feel inadequate and humiliated and will ei-
AUDITIONING AND CASTING PROCEDURES 35
DOUBLE CASTING
NONTRADITIONAL CASTING
Applegate (the Devil). While some could argue that this boy, who
was shorter than everyone else in the cast, might not be perceived
as very threatening, we based our decision on the student’s unique
and lively interpretation of the role. Our Mr. Applegate brought
the house down!
You can also use a nontraditional casting approach when choos-
ing actors for pairs and combinations of characters. When I di-
rected a middle school production of South Pacific, I cast a
gregarious student, who was willing to take direction and who hap-
pened to be dark skinned, as Bloody Mary. I selected for Liat,
Mary’s daughter, a girl who exhibited the sensitivity, gentleness,
and subtle coquettishness that is the essence of Liat’s character.
Our choice for Liat happened to be a light-skinned Hispanic girl.
In my opinion, the issue of whether or not our Liat looked as if she
could really be Bloody Mary’s daughter was irrelevant. It was far
more important to find and cast the student actors who could best
personify the spirit of each character.
INVOLVE YOUR
PERFORMING GROUPS
If you are the chorus teacher, you can do a lot during regular
chorus rehearsals to prepare for the show. In addition to teaching
the music to the chorus, soloists, and ensembles, you can help in-
terested students prepare for lead auditions, and get students in-
volved in the story by having them participate in dramatic readings
of portions of the libretto. All of your choral students will then be
familiar with their music, the entire story line, the solo parts, and
39
40 CHAPTER 5
mental teacher can create a simplified version of the score that the
students can perform. If this is not feasible, consider having the
students accompany specific musical numbers that they are able to
play. Whatever else you do, maintain your minimalist ensemble of
piano, bass, and drums as the core accompaniment for the show.
This ensemble, especially the piano, can help keep things moving
if the instrumentalists falter.
other parts in the score that these instruments can play. For exam-
ple, the baritone horn can double on the bassoon part. Because
these two ‘‘like’’ instruments are also both C instruments, the bari-
tone horn players will be able to read the bassoon part easily. The
baritone horn can also double on the cello part. However, since
some of the notes in the cello’s higher range are not playable on
the baritone horn, the band director may need to do some rearran-
ging of the part. If you have a lot of alto saxophones but no French
horn, it might be a good idea to rewrite the French horn part for
the alto saxophone players. These can be considered ‘‘like’’ instru-
ments since they play in similar registers. Using the same ap-
proach, the band director can rewrite the baritone horn part for
baritone saxophones.
Depending on the skill and imagination of your band director,
he or she may perceive arranging and rewriting instrumental parts
as either a creative activity or a chore. In any case, it can be time
consuming. The alternative to doing the arranging and rewriting
‘‘in-house’’ is to try to find a band arrangement of the show’s origi-
nal score. For example, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Li-
brary (www.rnh.com) has developed a band arrangement for the
score of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, there are not many such ar-
rangements, and especially not for middle school–age band stu-
dents. Music teachers interested in creating these types of
arrangements might have a good chance of finding publishers.
ORGANIZATION, SCHEDULING,
AND YOUR MASTER PLAN
PLAN AHEAD
49
50 CHAPTER 6
Let your colleagues know that you will take the lead in present-
ing the final version of the plan to your principal. Be sure that it
reflects everyone’s needs. You want to avoid last-minute crises and
potential conflicts among teachers over rehearsal spaces and times.
Schedule a time to discuss this plan with your principal and to ask
for his/her support. Your conversation should take place during
early fall, when the principal is likely to be planning the spring
schedule. This way, your requests can be considered and approved
well in advance. During this meeting, tell your principal what your
colleagues need to do in the auditorium to prepare for the show,
and when they will need access in order to do it.
The following are some points you may want to cover.
Art Teacher
The art teacher will need access to the auditorium in mid-No-
vember in order to take measurements for the scenery. During the
final month of rehearsals, the art teachers and students need to be
given specific times when they can take over the auditorium to cre-
ate and complete the scenery and stage sets.
Dance Teacher
The dance teacher will begin teaching students their parts
sometime in January. If the school has a separate dance space,
much of the initial work can be done there. However, if the only
dance space available is the auditorium, time should be blocked
out in the auditorium for dance rehearsals.
Dancers to the dance rehearsal space for their warm-up (If your
school has no separate dance rehearsal space, the dancers
could report to the auditorium for a brief warm-up on the
stage or to the gym where it might be possible to do stretch-
ing exercises on mats.)
Parent or teacher volunteers staffing the warm-up rooms to
those locations.
Warm-Up Sessions
Once the students are assembled in their assigned locations, all
performers should go through a fifteen-minute warm-up session.
Band/Orchestra After making sure that all the instruments
have been well tuned, band or orchestra teachers should lead their
students in warm-ups focusing on balance, blend, and articulation.
You can accomplish all of these things by having the students play
scales at a moderate pace and volume. Work on balancing the sec-
tions and blending the sound. Play the scales legato and staccato.
Then, have the group practice the first few measures of some of
O R G A N I Z AT I O N A N D SCHEDULING 55
Holding Pen
At the conclusion of the warm-up exercises, encourage the stu-
dents to relax until it is time to go onstage. However, it is always a
challenge to get students to relax when they are about to perform.
They will be full of energy and excitement. It helps if you tell the
students in advance to bring something to read or a puzzle to work
on. Some schools arrange to have VCRs sent to these ‘‘holding
rooms’’ so that the students can watch a movie. Activities such as
these should help the students to calm down and conserve their
energies for the performance. Here are some things to remember
as you plan for your time in the ‘‘holding pen’’:
Stage Manager
It is best to focus the stage manager’s responsibilities on items
that relate to the stage and backstage area. Here are some exam-
ples of what the stage manager should do:
• Check with the lighting crew to make sure that the stage lights
have been tested and extra bulbs are available.
• Check with the tech crew to make sure the communications
system has been tested and that replacement batteries are
available for the lead actors’ microphones.
• Check with the prop master to verify that all required props
58 CHAPTER 6
are in place (all large scenery items should have been posi-
tioned and checked earlier that day).
• After making sure all these things are accounted for, the stage
manager should then find you and personally report this to
you.
Parents
Parent support is vital to the success of your show. See if you
can recruit parent volunteers to be present and help out in the
warm-up rooms one hour before curtain time. This additional
adult supervision will make it possible for you and your colleagues
to briefly leave your rooms if necessary to attend to any unex-
pected problems that may arise. Give each parent volunteer a spe-
cific room assignment at least a month in advance. If you can find
two parents for each warm-up room, that is ideal. However, one
parent to a room is also fine.
Teachers
Find one or two colleagues who are willing to visit the different
warm-up rooms for you to verify that parent helpers you have as-
signed to those rooms and parents and other helpers scheduled to
assist the lead actors with their makeup are actually present. If you
have assigned two parents to each site and one of the two is not
there, one parent in the room is enough. If both assigned parents
are absent, the supervising teacher can go to a room where two
parents are present and ask one to cover the problem room. The
teacher should also make sure that the assigned VCR or DVD
players make it to the warm-up rooms as scheduled. If the bath-
rooms near the rehearsal rooms are not open or have not been
cleaned and equipped, the teacher should immediately report this
to the custodian. Finally, if bottled water has been ordered for the
rehearsal rooms, the teacher should make sure that the water has
O R G A N I Z AT I O N A N D SCHEDULING 59
been delivered to all the rehearsal rooms. If the water has arrived
at the school but has not been delivered to the appropriate rooms,
the teacher should ask the custodian to take care of this as quickly
as possible.
Administrators
Find out if there will be a school administrator present at every
performance of the show. As soon as you know who will be as-
signed to each performance, ask those administrators to help you
during the hour or so before the start of the show by making sure
the ticket sellers, programs, and ushers are in place. Plan to have
the administrator work together on this along with one of your
most responsible parents. That way, if one of the two doesn’t show
up on time, you will still have someone there. If any of the ticket
sellers, program distributors, or ushers does not arrive on time, the
administrator and parent can use their judgment about how to
keep things running smoothly. For example, in an emergency, they
can ask students in the audience to serve as replacement ushers.
If there is no one to distribute programs, they can put up a sign
directing guests to take a printed program from a table in the
lobby. If the ticket sellers do not materialize, either the parent or
the administrator can take over that job until a replacement
(teacher or parent) is found.
Ask the administrator well in advance if he or she would be will-
ing to serve as the evening’s MC. Most administrators will be
pleased to do this. They will welcome the audience and introduce
the show. At the conclusion, they will praise all the people involved
in the show for their hard work and thank the audience for their
support. By the way, it is politically savvy to have an administrator
serve as your show’s MC because it demonstrates to the students,
teachers, parents, and audience members that your event enjoys
the administration’s support. In addition, it encourages the admin-
60 CHAPTER 6
LAST-MINUTE DETAILS
A SMOOTH EXIT
CELEBRATION
Now that your students have savored the thrill of giving a success-
ful performance, they are likely to remain in an excited state for a
day or two. While high school students sometimes have cast parties
following an evening performance, middle school students are a
bit young to be staying out that late, especially if the next day is a
school day. You may want to consider arranging a small celebration
for everyone involved in the show on the next school day following
the performance. Whether or not to do this is entirely up to you
and not something you have to do.
If you decide to have the celebration, get parent volunteers to
coordinate the purchase of party supplies well in advance and ar-
range to have their expenses reimbursed through school funds.
Don’t forget to invite everyone involved in the show, including the
principal and the custodians. If the students want to wear their
costumes to the party, and you are agreeable, ask your principal
for approval in advance.
Have the parents set up the food and drinks on long tables dur-
ing the class period before the celebration is scheduled to begin. I
used to invite everyone to the chorus room for these events. How-
ever, you can hold the celebration anywhere in the school that is
convenient and available.
Students and teachers retain many fond memories of a cast cele-
62 CHAPTER 6
SUMMARY
How will you work with the student actors, supervise the stage
and tech crews, and handle the choreography for your show simul-
taneously? I think it is best for the production and for the curricu-
lar unit of study if the music teacher can work in collaboration with
a theatre educator and a dance educator. Some middle schools
may have certified theatre arts and dance educators on staff with
whom you can work. If your school does not have a theatre arts
teacher you may be able to recruit an English teacher who has a
background or interest in theatre. If you do not have a dance
teacher in your school, try to find a dancer or dance teacher from
the community to help out with the choreography.
But even if you are in a school or a location where there is sim-
ply no one else available to collaborate with, you can still work very
effectively with your actors and dancers. This chapter will give you
many ideas and suggestions and will also address issues related to
supervising the stage and tech crews. Let’s begin by talking about
working with student actors.
67
68 CHAPTER 7
Theatre Games
Theatre games are relaxing, fun to play, and are usually very ef-
fective with middle school students. Once the students become
absorbed in the games, they tend to forget about feeling self-con-
scious onstage. Tell them that these games aren’t just for school
and that they can play them any time they’re together or teach
them to their friends.
One popular theatre game involves an imaginary door. Tell the
students that the door is about to open and that they’re going to
imagine what is behind that door and react to it. For example, if
the students imagine that someone is threatening them, they’ll
need to back away. Or, if a good friend is behind the door, they
can show pleasure and, maybe, hug the friend. This game sharpens
students’ reactions to surprises and helps student actors think
AC T I N G A N D C H O R E O G R A P H Y 69
Improvisation Exercises
Middle school students have great imaginations and enjoy im-
provisation exercises. Play an improvisation game with your stu-
dents by giving the group a situation, an opening line, and a closing
line. For example, tell the students to imagine they are standing
on top of the Empire State Building. Let’s say you give them an
opening line, ‘‘Don’t jump!’’ and a closing line, ‘‘Oh! You look
great!’’ Then, ask the students to improvise a scene based on those
suggestions. Once the students learn the game, you can ask them
to come up with their own situations, opening lines, and closing
lines.
Another effective improvisation exercise requires students to
tell a story as a group. The story can be one that they create on the
spot or it can be a story they already know. The teacher selects
70 CHAPTER 7
one student to begin the story. At some point the teacher points to
another student who must now take over with no gap and continue
to tell the story. This exercise continues until everyone has had an
opportunity to relate part of the story. In order to successfully play
this game, the students need to focus intently on listening to the
story as it develops. They have to be able to jump in at any time
without a pause and continue the tale from the last word spoken
by the previous student.
Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook, and
Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Di-
recting Techniques, both by Viola Spolin, are excellent sources of
additional theatre games and improvisation exercises.
Your students will come up with some great ideas you might never
have thought of!
Voice Projection
Most middle school students need to work on projecting their
voices so that they can be heard in a large space. Try placing one
student onstage and another in the back row of the house. Have
them carry on a conversation with each other using normal, shout-
ing, and stage voices. This teaches them to throw their voices. Be-
fore each rehearsal, ask the group to imagine opening night, when
the auditorium will be full of people. Tell them they have to be
heard by the people in the back row. Ask your students to pretend
that their grandmother or grandfather is hard-of-hearing and sit-
ting in the back row. The students will have to project their voices
and enunciate clearly so they can be heard by their grandparents.
Teach your students to think of sound as something that occu-
pies space. This image helps students to focus more on the sound
they make. Viola Spolin suggests that you have your actors practice
‘‘sending’’ their sound back and forth to each other across the
stage. Play a game by having two or more students sit on the stage
at a distance from one another. Each player should send a sound
to his/her partner. Then, have each student onstage send a sound
to each of the other players. Finally, let all the students send
sounds to each other in a give-and-take style.
berance, slyness, and bravado was vintage Luther Billis. Also, like
Billis, our student was no stranger to trouble.
Even after we worked with him to try to get him to play the
character, he still often went over the top and resorted to mugging.
So we decided to set very strict parameters for him. We compli-
mented him immediately when he played the character correctly
or did something great (which he often did). We also made it clear
when he did something inappropriate and forced him to fix the
problem right then. Naturally, it might have saved us time and ag-
gravation to simply remove this student from the cast. However,
he did have talent, and we felt that a middle school musical should
be a growth experience for everyone involved. So we continued
to work with him. In the end, our Luther Billis gave a marvelous
performance. We even let him loose a bit in the ‘‘Honey Bun’’
number, where some mugging and exaggeration can actually be
helpful.
these students use their imaginations to take the focus off them-
selves and transfer it to building their character. For example, sug-
gest an image for students to focus on that will cause them to react
physically and emotionally as the character would, or give them a
small prop they can keep on their person that they can use to help
define their character.
One teacher was working with a shy girl who had a role in a
production adapted from Tales of the Arabian Nights. The teacher
embellished the part, giving the character an ‘‘in-your-face’’ per-
sonality and a strong Brooklyn accent. The student became so ab-
sorbed in creating this unusual character that she had no time to
be shy. The Brooklyn accent became an imaginative mental prop
for her to work with and helped her overcome her shyness onstage.
To help a shy boy cast as a prisoner in the Bastille during a pro-
duction of Tale of Two Cities, the same teacher gave the boy a cane
to use. This physical prop stimulated the actor’s imagination and
helped him build his character, drawing him out of his shyness.
Another teacher told me about a situation where a female charac-
ter needed to react strongly to another actor who was saying things
that were extremely painful for the first one to hear. However, the
student wasn’t reacting as if the words were hurting her. According
to the teacher, ‘‘The director told her to imagine that every time
the (other) actor opened her mouth, fire or flames would come
out and nearly burn her. That simple image gave the actress the
motivation to cover her face, and to turn her face away. It worked,
and yet the audience was not aware that she was using this tech-
nique.’’
A middle school theatre teacher I have worked with sums it up
this way: ‘‘The actor who is shy can often give a truly realistic per-
formance, heartfelt, and moving. The shy actor can find a voice
and very often move an audience to tears because of the simple,
bare-bones approach to a role.’’
76 CHAPTER 7
Blocking
In her book, Way Off Broadway, Lynne M. Soeby explains that,
‘‘In a musical, blocking includes all un-choreographed movement
of actors’’ (Soeby, 1991, p. 80). After reviewing the script, you will
want to think about how your actors will move about onstage as
they interact with each other. The principles of blocking presented
here are essentially the same as those you’d use with any theatre
group, professional or amateur.
Three-Quarter Stance Some students will naturally want to
face the audience in full frontal position. With some exceptions,
this is not appropriate in theatre. Have them learn to adopt what
is called a three-quarter stance: the downstage foot set back about
a foot and the upstage foot about a foot ahead. This way, the stu-
dents onstage appear as if they are talking to the actors they are
facing, but are also lending their body to the audience. The three-
quarter stance is a standard practice that directors and actors use
all the time.
Movement As one actor speaks to another, the speaking actor
crosses so that the action onstage does not appear to be static.
When the actor turns back, he or she moves downstage so that the
actor’s back is not turned toward the audience. Actors who are not
speaking shouldn’t move while another actor is speaking. If they
move, it will take the focus off the speaker. Never have another
actor move past or otherwise block the speaker.
Sightlines Always be aware of sightlines when planning your
blocking. Every member of the audience must be able to see the
action onstage. For example, think about the audience member
who is sitting very far stage left, almost next to the wall. If all your
actors are center stage, this person will not be able to see the cen-
ter speaker because the actor to the left will block the view. One
way to solve this problem is to place the actors in a triangle so that
one character is left, one is right, and the speaker is center. The
sightlines are no longer blocked, and that audience member can
now see everyone onstage.
AC T I N G A N D C H O R E O G R A P H Y 77
spective so that they don’t ‘‘steal the show.’’ Also, unless indicated
in the script, crowd members should never take the focus away
from the speakers by talking to each other.
Students who want to be involved in the musical but who are not
comfortable performing onstage can work on the stage crew, tech
crew, or lighting crew. (We’ll talk about the stage and tech crews
in this chapter and the lighting crew in chapter 8.) Schedule a time
to meet with students who may be interested in joining a crew. Get
a sense of their background and experience and try to determine
the best assignment for each child. To ensure that there will be a
balance of veterans and newcomers on crews every year, make
sure that your crews contain students representing every grade
level.
Recruit interested teachers or exceptionally talented and re-
sponsible students to supervise the stage and tech crews. Many
middle schools already have a teacher who runs the audio/visual
squad. That person might be a good choice to train the tech crew
and supervise the communications system.
Stage Crew
No prior experience is necessary to become a member of the
stage crew. Students in the stage crew usually develop a close rap-
port and team spirit. Stage crew members traditionally wear black,
which makes them easy to identify and ensures that they remain
inconspicuous when changing scenery. One middle school theatre
arts teacher always gives his stage crew the following pep talk:
‘‘You’re a very important part of this show. One of the things we’re
going to do is dress in black, black tights, black shirts, nothing
bright because we’re going to go in during the blackouts and
AC T I N G A N D C H O R E O G R A P H Y 79
change the scenery. You’re going to move the scenery and props;
we’re going to rehearse this.’’
Rehearse the stage crew separately until these students can do
scene changes quickly and quietly so as not to disrupt the mood of
the show. Then, combine the stage crew with the tech and lighting
crews for several technical rehearsals, without any actors. During
the second to last week of general rehearsals, combine the crews
with the entire cast for technical rehearsals so the crew members
can practice integrating their work with the rhythm of the show.
For the final week, everyone should be involved in every general
rehearsal.
It is important to tape down any loose wires onstage with fluo-
rescent tape so the stage crew and actors can see them in the dark.
That way, no one will trip over those wires during scene changes.
In addition, put the same fluorescent tape on the edge of any steps
that the stage crew or actors may have to climb (either as part of
the stage set or the actual steps leading up to the stage), so that
these will also be illuminated when the lights go out.
If a standing prop such as a sofa or lamp will have to be moved
during a scene change when the lights are down, put fluorescent
tape on the floor to mark the location of these props. For example,
mark the spots where each of the four sofa legs should go. If the
prop will remain onstage for the entire show, you do not need to
mark it with fluorescent tape. Use regular tape instead so the stage
crew knows where to place the prop prior to the start of the show.
During scene changes when the stage is dark, actors can signal
the stage manager or members of the stage crew by snapping their
fingers or by making a clicking sound with their tongues. For ex-
ample, once the stage crew completes a scene change and the
actors are in place, these sounds can be used to let the stage man-
ager know to bring up the lights for the new scene.
Many teachers group students in pairs and assign each pair to
perform specific tasks. For example, one pair may be assigned to
open and close the curtains while another pair will be in charge of
80 CHAPTER 7
Tech Crew
The tech crew is in charge of the sound system. As in the stage
crew, membership in the tech crew can be open to anyone. Be-
cause of the very precise nature of this job, some middle school
directors require that tech crew members maintain a record of 100
percent attendance at rehearsals.
The tech crew usually joins the regular rehearsals about two
weeks before opening night. In general, try to limit membership
82 CHAPTER 7
in the tech crew to no more than fifteen students. As with the stage
crew, middle school teachers often assign two students to each task
so that if one student forgets something, the other may remember.
For example, pairs of students can be assigned backstage to follow
specific singers and actors. When these individuals go onstage, the
crew members hand them the correct microphones, and when
they go backstage, the crew members turn off the microphones.
These pairs of students could also be responsible for minor emer-
gencies involving their actors’ microphones such as adjusting the
placement or replacing the batteries if they fell out while the
actors were onstage.
If your school has a computerized soundboard, other crew
members might be assigned to set up computer-generated cues
for some of the different sound effects needed during the course
of the musical. For example, two of the required sound effects in
West Side Story are church bells and gunshots. If you have a com-
puterized system, your students can take the specific sounds they
need from sound effect CDs, which can be purchased at a store
like Target or online. You can buy sound effect CDs containing
many random sounds or CDs specializing in specific sounds such
as musical instruments or animals. Tech crew members can then
edit the desired sound on their sound system’s computer to the
specifications needed.
Of course, many schools do not have computerized sound sys-
tems, and you may need to work with a system that is older and
less sophisticated. Often an older sound system contains an ampli-
fier, CD, or tape player; speakers; and a combination of standing
and portable microphones. You can still play sound effects on a
CD player, assuming you either custom edit the sound effects else-
where or find a sound effects CD that gives you what you need
without editing. However, you and your students can also find
other creative ways to produce sound effects. For example, to get
the sound effect of gunshots for West Side Story one of your stu-
dents could fire a toy gun near an offstage microphone. Another
AC T I N G A N D C H O R E O G R A P H Y 83
DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITY
CHOREOGRAPHY
you will have taken the first step toward building their confidence
and trust.
the dancers into the general rehearsals is usually a few weeks prior
to the performance. At that time, you’ll want to emphasize transi-
tions. For example, make sure your dancers know where they
should be before the scene where they dance and where they go
after the scene ends.
Safety Issues
Before beginning separate rehearsals for the dancers, you
should already know where the set and props will eventually be
located on the stage. Mark these locations and remind your danc-
ers repeatedly. For example, if there will be a couch onstage, you
should create a footprint of a couch from a roll of paper and write
‘‘couch’’ on it with a large black marker. If the dancers are not
made aware of these things from the beginning, they may end up
bumping into scenery and props when they perform later.
Know the size of your stage’s wing space. If the wings are shal-
low, avoid having dancers exit the stage running full speed into the
wings. They may be unable to stop in time and could injure them-
selves by running into a wall. Even if you have more wing space,
you should still station people in the wings to gently stop the danc-
ers’ momentum with outstretched hands. This could be done by
members of a student stage crew, or better yet, by adults assigned
to the wings. These and other safety issues to consider when pro-
ducing a musical are listed in figure 7.1, which you can use as a
checklist.
Things to Do
Know and observe your school’s fire regulations.
Make sure every flat item used as scenery has a jack or similar support
behind it.
Place a stage weight, such as a sandbag, on top of the jack for extra support.
Tape down any loose wires onstage with fluorescent tape.
Mark edges of steps leading to stage (or part of stage set) with
fluorescent tape.
Mark and label areas onstage that will contain props and elements of
stage set.
Inspect auditorium floor before every rehearsal/performance.
Remove any nails sticking out of auditorium floor.
Request that the custodians ensure there is no water on auditorium floor
and that the floor is swept clean before every rehearsal and performance.
Have dancers rub soles of new dance shoes with sandpaper to prevent
slipping.
Assign adults to the stage wings to stop momentum of exiting dancers.
Make sure there is adequate ventilation in auditorium and warm-up rooms.
Arrange for nurse’s office to be open and staffed on the nights of
performance.
Arrange for security guard to be present on nights of performance.
Things to Avoid
Waxing auditorium floor.
Using glossy or spray paint when students are present.
Placing plastic or other flammable materials near theatre lights.
Allowing students to climb ladders or work with electrical wires.
Allowing students to do any carpentry work (unless as part of an industrial
arts class supervised by a certified industrial arts teacher).
Flooring
If your school already has an established dance program,
chances are that the students are rehearsing and performing on
what is called a ‘‘sprung’’ floor. This is a wood floor specifically
built to give a little when you jump on it. A sprung floor is essential
for a dance program, since repetitive jumping on a nonsprung floor
can result in students getting shin splints. If your school has no
dance program, your auditorium does not have a sprung floor, and
your choreography involves relatively simple, everyday move-
ments, you should not have any problem using the facilities that
exist. Some teachers like to put down mats with foam underneath,
generically known as marleys, to cushion a hard floor. You can get
more information about sprung floors and marley floors from
dance flooring companies such as Harlequin Floors (www.har-
lequinfloors.com) or Stage Step (www.stagestep.com).
AC T I N G A N D C H O R E O G R A P H Y 91
SUMMARY
The first step in creating your show’s stage set and scenery is to
give teachers and students the opportunity to talk about and de-
velop a shared vision of how the stage should look. In order to get
some ideas, everyone should read and discuss the script as well
as any work of literature that may have influenced the script. For
example, if you are presenting The King and I, read and discuss
both the libretto and the book Anna and the King of Siam, by Anna
Leonowens, which inspired the libretto. Leonowens’s book con-
tains many vivid and colorful descriptions of the palace, the native
trees and plants, the temples, and the room where she taught her
classes. These descriptions can inspire everyone’s imaginations
and motivate students and teachers to create beautiful and expres-
sive scenery and stage sets.
The art teacher can share examples of pictures, paintings, or
photographs that can help students and teachers get a clearer
sense of the world the show takes place in. Is that world cold or
warm, sunny or gloomy? What colors are prominent? What do the
houses look like and what materials are they made of? What do
the trees and plants look like?
It is also very important to develop a sense of what the play will
look like onstage. One way of doing this is to create a storyboard.
93
94 CHAPTER 8
SCENERY
sizes, which you can click in place with a tool resembling a staple
gun. Now, you’ll need the school custodians to help hang your
backdrop from the rafters.
If your budget is really tight and you cannot afford muslin or
canvas paper, remember that it is even possible to create a back-
drop by painting on bed sheets!
Safety Issues
All scenery should be constructed with safety in mind. Let’s talk
first about stage flats (scenery mounted on flat, moveable frames).
Every flat item used onstage as scenery should have a jack or other
means of support behind it. Sometimes directors will even add an
additional stage weight, such as a sandbag, on top of the jack. If
you don’t take these precautions, students may lean against the flat
and fall.
Make sure any platforms that students will stand on have ade-
quate support underneath, so no one falls through the flooring.
Any platform or level higher than two or three feet from the
ground must have railings to prevent the possibility of students
falling off during rehearsals or performances.
Sometimes a director will try to add a different texture to the
floor, perhaps to make it look like cement. Be aware of what mate-
rials are being used to create that look as well as the physical ef-
fects they could have on students who may be on their hands and
knees either preparing for the show or acting in the show. You
don’t want to be responsible for sore hands and knees! Also be
aware that any water onstage can create a very slippery floor sur-
face.
Know and follow your school’s fire regulations at all times, and
watch what materials you use near the theatre lights. For example,
S C E N E R Y, C O S T U M E S , M A K E U P, A N D LIGHTING 99
avoid using plastic near the stage lights, as these lights can become
extremely hot.
The students’ role in set design and scenery preparation should
involve preparing and hanging scenery at their own height level.
Students should not climb ladders and should not be involved with
anything electrical, including plugging in any connections or han-
dling any wires. Students should not be involved in any kind of
carpentry work unless they are part of an industrial arts class and
supervised by a licensed industrial arts teacher.
When you paint your backdrop, have students work with either
water-based or latex-based paint. Latex is considered good be-
cause it dries quickly and is generally safer. Try not to use anything
stronger than acrylic paint. You should definitely avoid spray paint;
it can contain toxic chemicals. One art teacher recalls painting a
school backdrop with spray paint when she was a fifth grader. After
an afternoon of working with this paint, she became sick and was
confined to bed for several days. Another type of paint that can
cause problems is glossy paint. Avoid working with it when stu-
dents are around. Glossy paint gives off a strong smell and can
make some students ill.
These and other safety considerations are summarized in the
safety guidelines that can be found in figure 7.1 in chapter 7.
Develop a Good Relationship with Your School Custodians
It is extremely important that you obtain the help and goodwill of
your school’s custodial staff. It is especially essential that the art
teachers and custodians work hand-in-hand. A good working rela-
tionship with the custodians is critical to your show’s success. As
you begin to plan the musical, let your principal know that you
would like to meet with the head custodian. At the meeting, ex-
plain your plans for the show, talk about the things you’ll need help
with, and give this person an idea of your timeline.
The head custodian can help you secure the necessary permits
for using the auditorium for the performances of your musical. He
or she can then assign individual members of the custodial staff to
100 CHAPTER 8
MAKEUP TIPS
LIGHTING
ing booth, and maybe a few smaller, portable spotlights that can
be operated from the audience. The proscenium lights can usually
illuminate the stage in several basic colors. The junior high school
where I worked could light the stage in red, yellow, and blue.
Before you get started, check to make sure that all the bulbs are
in working order. To replace bulbs, you may need to crank down
the rows of lights and then crank them up again when you’re done.
The follow spotlights literally follow a singer/actor around the
stage with either white light or a variety of colors. There is no way
to blend the colors; you have to use one at a time. Follow spotlights
are approximately four and a half feet tall by three and a half feet
long and are mounted on wheels. Follow spots can be slightly
bulky (one teacher described them as ‘‘little cannons’’) and it can
require some practice to operate them smoothly. You will need to
train the students assigned to each follow spot to hold the light
steadily. Assign individual crew members to follow specific lead
characters.
Some schools may also have a few smaller, portable spotlights
that can be operated from the audience. Each of these smaller
lights can be operated by a single student. Assign a younger ‘‘ap-
prentice’’ to help and learn from this student.
Prior to the first full rehearsal, it is extremely important that the
lighting crew advisor go over the script and the cues with all the
members of the crew and make sure everyone writes the cues into
their scripts. The advisor should also spend at least one full techni-
cal rehearsal in the lighting booth, talking about the cues and
showing the students what needs to be done and how to do it. One
crew member should be assigned to call out the cues as the play
progresses. For example, Cue number five might read, ‘‘Dimmer
8: 50 percent.’’ When the assigned student calls out ‘‘Cue num-
ber five,’’ the students in charge of the dimmers will set the pro-
scenium light controls at 50 percent of their capacity.
If your school has a newer lighting system, it will probably be
computerized. You will be able to preprogram the lights for differ-
S C E N E R Y, C O S T U M E S , M A K E U P, A N D LIGHTING 105
ent settings using a digital board by simply entering all the neces-
sary information into the system. For example, you can program
light number one for a single speaker, number two for the chorus,
and number three for the band. Computerized lighting systems
can save a great deal of time, and you will need only one student
to operate the system.
You already have at your disposal the boundless energy and enthu-
siasm of all the students who will be involved in the production. In
addition, students who work on the school newspaper can be quite
helpful in promoting the show.
Once you have selected the musical, see if the newspaper can
announce the dates and times of the auditions and performances.
Invite reporters from the school newspaper to observe rehearsals,
interview members of the cast and crews, and write an article
about the show. Encourage the student reporters to take pictures
to accompany the article. Finally, offer student reporters free tick-
107
108 CHAPTER 9
ets to the performance so they can write an article about it. Give
them another opportunity to take pictures directly before or after
the performance. For example, the curtain call is a good time to
take pictures of the entire cast. Articles in the student newspaper
can help to make everyone in the school aware of and excited
about the musical and should result in increased student atten-
dance at the performances.
Since many of their children will be in the show, parents are espe-
cially motivated to help make the production a success. To get the
best results from parent helpers, you need to provide guidelines
and parameters for their involvement. Make sure that parent vol-
unteers have clear and specific assignments so that they know ex-
actly what you need them to do.
At the beginning of the year, send a letter to all parents an-
nouncing the show as well as the dates, times, and locations of au-
ditions. Also, this letter should announce any specific items you
may need in the areas of scenery, costumes, or props. Provide a
tear-off section at the bottom of the letter where parents can indi-
cate an area they would like to help with. For example, you might
give parents the option to help out with any of the following: cos-
tumes, props, makeup, ticket sales, backstage patrol, the cast party,
promotion, or advertising. Within two weeks of receiving the tear-
offs, contact the prospective parent volunteers to learn more about
their skills and talents. Now you will have enough information to
give them specific and appropriate assignments.
If you don’t get enough parent volunteers, try to recruit inter-
ested colleagues, responsible students from your school, or inter-
ested students from a nearby high school. You can then pair some
of the students and colleagues with those parents who did volun-
F U N D R A I S I N G , P U B L I C I T Y, A N D P R O M O T I O N 109
Cultivating good relations with all your colleagues and with your
principal can be of tremendous benefit. If you make every effort
to support your colleagues’ events and projects, they will in turn
help you. One music teacher described how she serves on the
school’s science fair committee every year and supports the ath-
letic events by attending and even occasionally volunteering for
locker room patrol during a game. In return, she has always re-
ceived support and cooperation from her peers. Her colleagues co-
operate when she needs to pull students for rehearsals, and they
even volunteer to help backstage on the nights of the show.
The same spirit applies to relations with your principal. Princi-
pals appreciate teachers who work cooperatively with their col-
leagues and demonstrate an interest in schoolwide events. Some
music teachers offer cameo roles to their principal and several
popular teachers. This can be a successful strategy for giving the
principal and your other colleagues a personal interest in the show.
It is also a great experience for the students who will actually work
side by side with their principal and other teachers. For example,
one music teacher included her principal and his family in a pro-
duction of Guys and Dolls. They appeared briefly in the back-
ground of a scene set in Times Square, where they walked around,
pointing at the buildings and the skyline. In Fiddler on the Roof,
the same principal along with another faculty member appeared
as patrons seated in the tavern during the scene featuring the song
‘‘To Life.’’
110 CHAPTER 9
FUNDRAISING
If you are producing a musical for the first time, chances are you
will not have much of a budget to work with. You’ll need to let
your principal know the anticipated costs for the production,
which must include licensing and royalty fees. If your school does
not have a budget for musicals, the next step will be to develop a
plan for raising money for this and future productions. Speak with
your principal about the possibility of charging ticket prices that
all the students and their families will be able to afford. Ask each
student involved in the show to sell tickets to friends and neigh-
bors. Set a goal of ten tickets per student, allowing them to return
any tickets they were unable to sell.
Start to build a steady source of additional financial support for
your musicals by developing good relationships with local busi-
nesses. Offer them the opportunity to advertise in your show’s
printed program. Set reasonable fees for options, such as a busi-
ness card (four to six on a page), a half-page, or a full-page display.
If you are not sure what to charge, contact nearby schools or local
community theatre groups and ask what they charge. Figure 9.1
contains a letter that you can adapt and use to solicit advertise-
ments from local businesses. Figure 9.2 shows some sample adver-
tisements.
Remember to approach big businesses such as chain supermar-
kets early in January for a spring performance. They will need
some lead time in order to obtain approval from their corporate
office. One middle school in upper New York State became so
adept at soliciting advertisements that their printed program grew
to the size of a local phone directory!
All of this is much too time-consuming for you to handle alone.
Delegate this operation to a group of parent volunteers. You will
also need the help of school personnel to print a nice-looking pro-
gram. After the show is over, write a thank-you note to each of the
patrons. Drop off copies of the program to those local businesses
F U N D R A I S I N G , P U B L I C I T Y, A N D P R O M O T I O N 111
We are offering the following space in the patrons’ portion of our program:
We hope you will join our community in wishing success and best wishes to a very
hardworking cast and crew. Messages should be written below and sent to me by [day
of the week, month, day, and year]. Thank you in advance for your interest and coopera-
tion. Please call with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Name of Director
Please make checks payable to [name of your school] and send to:
Name of Business
*For half-page or full-page advertisements, please write the message as you would like
it to appear in the program. Feel free to attach brochure or company logo.
that contributed so that they can see their ads in print. These small
gestures can help to generate a good rapport with your patrons and
ensure that they continue to contribute in the future. After a few
years, many schools find that they actually have to turn away po-
tential advertisers once the program has to finally go to print!
Another way of generating revenue through the printed pro-
gram is to sell space where parents, teachers, and friends can print
messages to cast members. Charge a minimal amount for each of
these messages. People enjoy writing the messages, and cast mem-
bers enjoy reading them. This tradition will become popular, and
the money will add up. Figure 9.3 contains a letter that you can
adapt and use to solicit messages for your printed program. Figure
9.4 shows some sample messages.
After the success of your first musical production, draw up your
budget for next year and meet with your principal. Having just fin-
ished the show, you will have an even clearer idea of what your
expenses might be for the next time. Do this as quickly as possible
while pleasant memories of the musical are still fresh in everyone’s
mind. It is extremely important that the anticipated expenses for
the yearly musical be included in the school budget.
Do not accept the rationale that you can support the musical
through fundraising, even if you have managed to raise a lot of
money this year! Your school’s musical is part of a legitimate unit
of study, not an extracurricular activity. The school community has
just seen how successful the annual musical can be. Take advan-
tage of the moment and make your case.
You are cordially invited to our annual [name of school] Musical. Tickets are $ [price]
and will be going on sale soon.
Once again, we are going to offer you the opportunity to have messages printed in the
program to show your support for the cast. Messages will be $ [price] for a third of a
page. An example of a message is as follows:
Sincerely,
[Name of Director]
...................................................
Name of Cast Member:
dates, times, location, and ticket prices. Then, send the different
local newspapers complimentary tickets to the performance and
see if their reporters can write another article about the perfor-
mance itself.
Do you, your students, other teachers, and parents know anyone
who works in radio or television? If so, try to enlist their help in
promoting the show. For example, one teacher learned that the
F U N D R A I S I N G , P U B L I C I T Y, A N D P R O M O T I O N 115
Some high schools have an annual ‘‘Sing’’ where each grade cre-
ates and presents its own musical production. A sing is considered
an after-school activity and often has no direct connection to the
school’s music program. Each grade’s show competes against the
other grades to be named the winning Sing. All the shows are writ-
ten, performed, and produced by students with assistance from a
faculty advisor. Generally, the students in each grade select a
theme, build the storyline around it, and create a script. A commit-
tee of students chooses popular, folk, or Broadway melodies, and
a lyric committee rewrites the text to these songs in order to suit
the plot. You can adapt the concept behind Sing to the middle
school level and use it as a way to help students create a musical.
117
118 CHAPTER 10
Many music teachers are capable of writing terrific shows. This ap-
proach can work well if you have the time and the talent to write
a musical and if you enjoy the work involved. Your students will
be excited to perform in a musical written by their teacher. This
approach does not allow for much creativity on the students’ part
in terms of creating a musical, since you have already written the
show for them. However, there may be other aspects of the musi-
cal, such as planning and designing the scenery or inventing origi-
nal choreography, where you can involve the students as creative
partners.
COPYRIGHT CONSIDERATIONS
If you think you and your students’ work is valuable beyond the
school, you should consider getting it copyrighted so the creators
C R E AT E A N O R I G I N A L M U S I C A L 121
of the work are protected. While it is true that original work in the
performing arts is, in theory, automatically protected from the date
of creation, it is still prudent to register for and receive a certificate
of copyright for your work. This establishes a public record of your
copyright claim and gives you the exclusive right to reproduce the
work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies, or to per-
form or display the work publicly.
If you or your students are considering rewriting lyrics to songs
that you intend to perform, make sure you request and receive
permission from the rights holder. If the song you want to use hap-
pens to be in the public domain, you are free to do as you please.
Traditional folk songs are generally considered public domain.
You may want to consider integrating a lesson or two about cre-
ativity and copyright into the curriculum of the unit of study. The
language arts and music teachers can talk to the students about
what it means to be part of the creative community. Students can
learn how to protect their own creative work and how to respect
and protect other creative people’s rights. MENC has written sam-
ple lessons dealing with this subject. You can find those lesson
plans by accessing MENC’s copyright center at www.menc.org.
and clicking on Creativity in the Classroom.
For more information about copyright issues, visit MENC’s
copyright center at www.menc.org or the United States Copyright
Office at www.loc.copyright.
11
123
124 CHAPTER 11
ments since the students are still developing their skills and the
unit is not yet over. The same critiques conducted at the project’s
completion would be considered summative assessments because
you are assessing the students’ final work in that unit of study. If
you assign your students to keep a running journal as they move
through the unit of study, this could be considered a formative as-
sessment. A reaction paper assigned to students at the conclusion
of the unit of study would be a summative assessment.
It is useful to design some formative and some summative as-
sessments for your project so that you and your colleagues can ex-
amine the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching at various
points along the way. Try to stagger these activities. Students
shouldn’t have too many assessments scheduled on the same day.
Vocal Music
The first objective for Vocal Music in our sample unit of study
states: students will perform selected songs from The King and I
accurately with good posture and breath control. This objective is
clear and easy to measure; the students can either do these things
or they can’t. Our suggested method of assessment was for the
teacher to evaluate individual and small group performances of the
repertoire in class. This assessment activity requires that students
apply some basic concepts and skills they have been working on all
year to the specific vocal parts they are learning for the musical.
Try using this activity, or one like it, as part of your choral mid-
term exam. It will give your students some extra motivation to
practice and perfect their parts well before the actual performance
of the musical. I used to tell my students, ‘‘This is what music stu-
dents at Juilliard or Peabody have to do and, since you are a tal-
ented group of singers, I’m going to expect the same thing from
you.’’ Table 11.8 shows a sample rubric grid you can use for this
activity.
You can even ask each student in the class to evaluate his or
her peers as they perform, using copies of the same rubric. If your
students can handle it, this additional assignment will give them
132 CHAPTER 11
Name of Presenter(s):
Name of Song:
Objective: Students will perform selected songs from The King and I accurately with
good posture and breath control.
Criteria
Accuracy Posture Breath Control
Demonstrates accurate Demonstrates good singing Demonstrates good breath
pitches and rhythms all of posture all of the time. control all of the time.
the time.
Demonstrates accurate Demonstrates good singing Demonstrates good breath
pitches and rhythms most posture most of the time. control most of the time.
of the time.
Demonstrates accurate Demonstrates good singing Demonstrates good breath
pitches and rhythms some posture some of the time. control some of the time.
of the time
Demonstrates inaccurate Demonstrates poor singing Demonstrates poor breath
pitches and rhythms most posture most of the time. control most of the time.
of the time.
Demonstrates inaccurate Demonstrates poor singing Demonstrates poor breath
pitches and rhythms all of posture all of the time. control all of the time.
the time.
Instrumental Music
Whether you are using your regular band class or working with
a small rhythm ensemble, you can still benefit from the objectives
and methods of assessment described in our table. Our second ob-
jective for instrumental music states: students will perform selec-
tions from The King and I observing the appropriate articulation,
dynamic, and tempo markings. You can use the approach we just
outlined for vocal music. Your students will simply be playing in-
struments rather than singing. Table 11.9 is a sample rubric you
can use.
Name of Presenter(s):
Musical Selection:
Objective: Students will perform selections from The King and I observing the appro-
priate articulation, dynamic, and tempo markings.
Criteria
Articulation Dynamics Tempo
Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate
articulation all of the time. dynamic markings all of the tempo markings all of the
time. time.
Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate
articulation most of the dynamic markings most of tempo markings most of
time. the time. the time.
Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate
articulation some of the dynamic markings some of tempo markings some of
time. the time. the time.
Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate Observes the appropriate
articulation infrequently. dynamic markings infre- tempo markings infre-
quently. quently.
Does not observe appro- Does not observe appro- Does not observe appro-
priate articulations. priate dynamic markings. priate tempo markings.
Visual Art
Our fourth objective for Visual Art reads: Students will reflect
on and critique their own work and the work of their peers, both
verbally and in writing, using teacher- and student-developed cri-
teria. You can assess student achievement by observing students
136 CHAPTER 11
Criteria
Cultural Aspects Organization Creativity/Originality
Students’ work reflects the Group demonstrated Work demonstrates
project’s theme in choices excellent organization and exceptional creativity and
of subject, color, shape, and met all deadlines. originality.
form.
Students’ work reflects the Group demonstrated good Work demonstrates
project’s theme in at least organization and met most substantial creativity and
three of the following: deadlines. originality.
subject, color, shape, or
form.
Students’ work reflects the Group demonstrated Work demonstrates some
project’s theme in at least average organization and creativity and originality.
two of the following: met some deadlines.
subject, color, shape, or
form.
Students’ work reflects the Group demonstrated Work does not demon-
project’s theme in at least below average organization strate noticeable creativity
one of the following: and met only a few dead- and originality.
subject, color, shape, or lines.
form.
Students’ work does not Group demonstrated poor Work does not demon-
appear to reflect the proj- organization and did not strate creativity and origi-
ect’s theme in any of the meet deadlines. nality.
following: subject, color,
shape, or form.
Dance
Our first objective for Dance reads: Students will demonstrate
the ability to remember and perform extended movement se-
quences to music. In order to assess student achievement, record
their performance on videotape or DVD during rehearsals at the
138 CHAPTER 11
beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Then, sit down with
your students to view their work. Using the categories of memory,
performance, and musicality, discuss the students’ progress and
identify areas that still need work.
Perhaps your school does not have an established dance pro-
gram, and your dance corps consists of students from the general
student population who want to dance in the show. This videotape/
assessment activity does not require specialized training on the
teacher’s part, and will make the dancers feel important and not
left out of the evaluation process altogether. Table 11.11 is a sam-
ple rubric that you can use.
Theatre Arts
In our sample unit of study, the first objective for Theatre Arts
states: Students will analyze the plot of The King and I in order to
ASSESS THE U N I T O F S T U DY 139
Names of Dancers:
Musical Selection:
Objective: Students will demonstrate the ability to remember and perform extended
movement sequences to music.
Criteria
Memory Performance Musicality
Memory in extended Performs with confidence Physical movements
movement sequences is and seems at ease onstage demonstrate awareness of
accurate all of the time. all of the time. and sensitivity to the music
all of the time.
Memory in extended Performs with confidence Physical movements
movement sequences is and seems at ease onstage demonstrate awareness of
accurate most of the time. most of the time. and sensitivity to the music
most of the time.
Memory in extended Performs with confidence Physical movements
movement sequences is and seems at ease onstage demonstrate awareness of
accurate some of the time. some of the time. and sensitivity to the music
some of the time.
Memory in extended Performs with confidence Physical movements
movement sequences is and seems at ease onstage demonstrate awareness of
infrequently accurate. infrequently. and sensitivity to the music
infrequently.
Memory in extended Does not perform with Physical movements do not
movement sequences is confidence and seems ill at demonstrate awareness of
inaccurate most of the ease onstage most of the and sensitivity to the music.
time. time.
needs extra help. If you want to return to this activity later in the
semester, for example as a midterm assessment, you can use a
scale-like rubric similar to the sample in figure 11.1. Both you and
your students in the audience can fill out one form for each stu-
dent who performs. Number 1 would represent the student’s ef-
forts as least effective. Number 5 would represent the student’s
efforts as most effective:
Name
Student’s Character
Motivation
Behavior
1. Student conveyed the motivation behind his/her character’s actions:
1 2 3 4 5
2. Student conveyed character’s behavior:
1 2 3 4 5
3. Student connected with the audience through eye contact:
1 2 3 4 5
Suggestions for Improvement:
Language Arts
Our first objective for Language Arts states: Students will locate
past performance reviews of The King and I using the New York
Times Index and other teacher-recommended databases and will
read and bring copies of these reviews to class. Collect the copies
of these reviews and verify that they came from the recommended
sources.
Here is a useful assessment activity you can use during the next
class meeting: Hand the reviews back to the students and have the
students exchange papers with their neighbors. Give the students
sufficient time to read the reviews silently and to record their re-
sponses to the following four questions: (1) ‘‘Overall, do you think
this was a positive or a negative review?’’ (2) ‘‘What are some
things the author says that led to your conclusion?’’ (3) ‘‘If the re-
view was generally positive, were there still things the reviewer did
not like about the show? What were they?’’ (4) ‘‘If the review was
generally negative, were there still things the reviewer liked about
the show? What were they?’’
At the end of class, collect the reviews and the completed work-
sheets. Grade the worksheets as you would grade a quiz. In the
case of the sample worksheet provided in figure 11.2, assign 25
points for each question.
This assessment activity engages students in research and re-
quires them to analyze and interpret what they are reading. There
is an element of surprise involved in this activity because students
are reading a review in class that their neighbor brought in.
2. What are some things the author says that led to your conclusion?
3. If the review was mostly positive, were there things the author did not like about
the show? Yes No
If yes, what things didn’t the author like?
If the review was mostly negative, were there still things the author liked about the
show? Yes No
If yes, what things did the author like?
4. During the next class meeting, hand the reviews back to the
students and have the students exchange papers with their
neighbor to the right.
5. Give the students sufficient time to read the reviews silently.
6. Have everyone complete the worksheet (see figure 11.2).
7. Collect the reviews and the completed worksheets.
8. Grade the worksheets as you would grade a quiz. In the case
of the sample worksheet provided above, assign 25 points for
each question.
Social Studies
In our sample unit of study, the second objective for Social
Studies states: Through participation in group oral presentations
and written essays, students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of
the history and culture of Thailand. To assess student achieve-
ment, we suggested that the teacher evaluate students’ oral pre-
sentations and written essays. This could play out in the classroom
in the following way.
Organize the class into teams of three students each. Assign
each team to research a specific aspect of Thailand’s history and
culture. Sample topics could include early history, contemporary
history, geography and natural resources, climate and flora/fauna,
cities and country, economy, foods/diet, religion, festivals/celebra-
tions, music, and sports. It might be helpful for the teacher to pro-
vide the students with a suggested list of approved resources to
help direct students’ research. Team members will write a brief
essay summarizing their findings and make an oral presentation to
the class.
Decide whether to evaluate each student individually or to give
a team grade. The advantage of a team grade is that it generates
peer pressure, encouraging each student on the team to take re-
sponsibility for the success of the project. Within each group, the
146 CHAPTER 11
Objective: Through participation in group oral presentations and written essays, stu-
dents will demonstrate a basic knowledge of the history and culture of Thailand.
Team:
Criteria
Oral Presentation Written Essay Teamwork
Presentation was very well The essay focused on the Team members demon-
organized and delivered. assigned topic, provided strated a high level of
Points were made clearly accurate information, and involvement in the project.
and with substantial demonstrated very good
supporting detail. organization.
Presentation was well The essay focused on the Team members demon-
organized and delivered. assigned topic, provided strated a good level of
Most points were made mostly accurate informa- involvement in the project.
clearly and with substantial tion, and demonstrated
supporting detail. good organization.
Presentation was satisfac- At times, the essay focused Team members demon-
tory. Organization was on the assigned topic and strated an average level of
average. Several points provided accurate informa- involvement in the project.
were either not made tion; at other times, it did
clearly or lacked substantial not. The essay demon-
supporting detail. strated average organiza-
tion.
Presentation was weak. The essay did not always Team members demon-
Organization was below focus on the assigned topic strated a lower than
average. Many points were or provide accurate infor- average level of involve-
either not made clearly or mation, and it demon- ment in the project.
lacked substantial strated below average
supporting detail. organization.
Presentation was unsatis- The essay rarely focused Team members demon-
factory. Organization was on the assigned topic, strated an unsatisfactory
poor. Most points were not provided mostly vague or level of involvement in the
made clearly and lacked inaccurate information, and project.
supporting detail. demonstrated unsatisfac-
tory organization.
148 CHAPTER 11
Informal Conversations
The show and unit of study will be popular topics of conversa-
tion in the halls, cafeteria, and classrooms of your school for at
least a week or two afterward. You’ll be part of many of these con-
versations and will hear people expressing their honest impres-
sions about and reactions to the project.
Debriefing Meetings
Debriefing meetings of the various groups involved in the show
and unit of study can be an effective means of getting people to
discuss their experiences with the project, both positive and nega-
tive. You should hold the meetings during the week after the per-
formance so the experience is still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Holding debriefing meetings can be a time saver since you will be
hearing many people’s views all at a specific place and time. If you
hold debriefing meetings, make sure to guide the discussion so
that everyone has a chance to comment on what worked well and
what could be improved for the future. Take notes so that you will
remember these comments and suggestions.
ASSESS THE U N I T O F S T U DY 149
Surveys
Unlike informal conversations and debriefing meetings, which
are usually open-ended, surveys ask participants to respond to spe-
cific questions. The following are some suggestions that may help
you design a survey for the teachers involved in the project.
Include every teacher who played a role in planning and imple-
menting the unit of study: not just the ‘‘performance’’ teachers
(music, dance, and theatre arts) but also the classroom teachers
who were involved in the project. Ask them specific questions such
as:
Was sufficient time reserved for planning the unit of study to-
gether?
Were the planning sessions well organized and productive?
Were the students motivated by the activities in the unit of
study?
Were the logistics and scheduling of time in the auditorium sat-
isfactory?
eye toward the next project. You don’t want people to spend time
completing a survey that will be filed away and never discussed or
used.
recorded either on a DVD or videotape. You will get the best re-
sults if you use a professional sound engineer. Explain to your prin-
cipal that it is important for assessment purposes as well as for the
school’s archives to get the best possible recording made. After
your first musical, include these expenses in the budget request
you make to your principal for the following years. If your school
truly can’t afford this expense, try to find a teacher or parent who
is skilled at doing this and who has good equipment.
In hindsight, it would have been great if I had paid more atten-
tion to getting the best possible video and audio recordings made
of the middle school musicals I produced. Unfortunately, we
waited until the last minute to make arrangements and ended up
with a crew of unsupervised students using mediocre school
equipment. The students did their best, but the resulting record-
ings were not very good, and I regret that. You can avoid a similar
situation with some advance planning. Remember that while it is
okay to use your recordings for educational purposes, it is not per-
missible to use them for commercial purposes or fundraising.
The information in this chapter should help you find ways to assess
the success of your performance and unit of study. Share these
ideas with teachers in other subject areas who are involved in the
project. You should all be able to explain how you plan to evaluate
the project. This will lend a greater sense of academic legitimacy
to the entire endeavor.
ASSESSMENT AS ADVOCACY
153
154 REFERENCES
155