Thank you so much, this is great! can you maybe talk some more about being a music director? It's a dreamjob for me, and there isn't much info out there :)
i have a request/idea for a teaching video! it would just be video to identify misunderstood singing and music terminology for upcoming singers/musicians who don't have access to training. buttons, marking, backphrasing aka all the stuff we hear and say but some of us might not understand. thanks!
As an amateur pit musician i REALLY appreciate this video. I've worked with many MDs who do what you do! Bravo and i look forward to checking out the rest of your vids!
Thanks for this and part 2! The timing is perfect - I’m music directing my first real show starting up in January and kind of nervous. It’s Spelling Bee at an arts high school and should be fun. Love your content!
Love this so much, so helpful to fellow musicians! I'm about to MD How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying so there's not a tonne of serious moments to reflect on, but there's still a lot of this that I will have in my head when we start. Keep it up :)
Can you do a video on tips for a director? (From the perspective of the music) I’m directing my first show next year, and I would like to know if there’s any rookie mistakes I should avoid
Thanks for this video Kevin! Your suggestion of using Main stage 3 saved me last fall when I played keyboard 2 for Big Fish. 209 patches...I survived. Barely.
Another episode of dramatic timing/dramatic tempo in Les Miz is Madame Thenardier’s solo in the Innkeepers Song (Master of the House). A quick RU-vid search will show tempos that are all over the freaking place. If you’re directing that work of art, know what works for the character in that moment of the song (and what doesn’t)!
This video was so helpful! I really want to start music directing myself and you have so many great tips! Would love more stuff like this in the future! (As well as all of your fantastic other content!)
OMG this is so helpful! I’m directing Matilda in a month and this is going to be my first ever musical as MD. I am literally freaking out as there will only be a couple rehearsals with the professional orchestra before tech rehearsal and dress! Thanks for your great advice!
Hey! I'm an MD (and a fan of Kevin's) who has a channel devoted to breaking down songs, then having people coming on to sing them. Perhaps you'd enjoy this one I did for "Stars" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ApZj7MJPTM8.html
God, thank you for the voice cues comment. No one does that and it is so fuckin helpful in the pit, even in early rehearsals where not everyone knows the timing! If you're learning your book and you get lost you can listen for those cues which fuckin no one gives you, please give your pit voice cues!
Hey Kevin! This was such an informative and interesting video! Do you think you could do a video on how to become/how you got into the music director business? It’s something I’m very interested in and I would love more information on it. Thanks!
I LOVE your candid style. Thanks for this😁 So I have a question-I’m a woodwind doubler and music major with several years of pit orchestra experience and I’m wanting to get into conducting. I’d love to get my piano chops up to the level of a piano/conductor, how would you suggest going about doing that? I have a few years of childhood piano lessons and college group piano, but nothing really substantial. Any advice? Thanks!!
I would see if you have a local piano teacher and start taking lessons again. Also, there are free scores online of musicals you can download and can practice reading a score and playing it. That’s my suggestion!
So I'm 12, but my school director expects us to figure out the music by ourselves. Having the most experience, I took over the music director and did it all by myself. It turned out pretty okay, I also did props, choreography, and ran some rehersals.
How do u react when a performer knows they have messed up and signals to you. Talk about a good trusting relationship between actor and musical director
I played in my first high school pit (little mermaid) when I was thirteen and in 8th grade and the music director was horrible. Since it was my first time I looked through the book and I saw vamps and I had no idea what it was so I asked her to explain it to me and she told me to shut up. Also she would cut stuff out without even telling the band and she would get mad when we played the song she cut out and didn’t tell us. Also talk about mixed meters look at the score of broadways little mermaid
Whenever you said the word “vamp” I shuddered because of the vamps I played in Annie in NYC. I would love to see if you have ever looked at the Annie score or if anyone else out there has felt with this. I was playing bass clarinet and I had a solo in NYC that was preceded by 2 vamps of 2 measures of eight notes from my solo... no rests... they were right after another and then it went right after into the solo which was long with no rests and was just eighth notes with some tied quarters with ZERO RESTS... needless to say I died about every performance and run through because I cant circular breathe lol... but despite this I loved playing in the musical and it made me such a better musician and I am sad I can’t do pit this year.
