Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre

Musical theatre students and performers are frequently asked to learn musical material in a short space of time; sight-read pieces in auditions; collaborate with accompanists; and communicate musically with peers, directors, music directors and choreographers. Many of these students and performers will have had no formal musical training.

This book offers a series of lessons in music fundamentals, including theory, sight-singing and aural tests, giving readers the necessary skills to navigate music and all that is demanded of them, without having had a formal music training. It focuses on the skills required of the musical theatre performer and draws on musical theatre repertoire in order to connect theory with practice.

Throughout the book, each musical concept is laid out clearly and simply with helpful hints and reminders. The author takes the reader back to basics to ensure full understanding of each area. As the concepts begin to build on one another, the format and process is kept the same so that readers can see how different aspects interrelate.

Through introducing theoretical ideas and putting each systematically into practice with sight-singing and ear-training, the students gain a much deeper and more integrated understanding of the material, and are able to retain it, using it in voice lessons, performance classes and their professional lives.

The book is published alongside a companion website, which offers supporting material for the aural skills component and gives readers the opportunity to drill listening exercises individually and at their own pace.

Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre allows aspirational performers - and even those who aren’t enrolled on a course - to access the key components of music training that will be essential to their careers.

Christine Riley is a Music Director, Vocal Coach and Arranger currently residing in NYC. As a music director she has worked Off-Broadway, on national tours and regionally in the US. She is currently member of the full time faculty at Marymount Manhattan College where she serves as the instructor for Fundamentals of Musical Theatre as well the music director for many productions and the program director for the Pre-College program. In addition she is a music director for Camp Broadway and maintains a private vocal coaching studio.