Best Schools to Pursue Musical Theatre Writing?

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...yeah, that sounds about right
IMHO, NO school can take the place of determination and passion...look at Jill Santoriello! :)

I heard Werner Herzog giving a student what I thought was very good advice when asked that question:

"Just go out and DO IT."

The student asked "What if I don't know what I'm doing and I fail?"

Herzog said "I am the product of constant failure."

Having said that, I think that learning some of the basics of music theory and writing for dramatic performance is important, at least at the beginning, but at some point you need to put the books down, get on the horse and take the reins. To get those basics there are a number of schools, it doesn't need to be one of the glamourous schools populated with trust fund babies.

Updated On: 6/7/08 at 02:08 AM

NYC_or_Bust, that was so uncalled for.....

Everyone else, thanks for your input.
I agree with what you are saying. However, I hope you can understand why I would want to select a school that offers training in the specific field I am interested in. A general music composition, though very valuable to me, is quite broad. I am confident enough to write musical theatre with my own skillset, but isn't it valid to want to get as much education as possible in the area of one's interest?

If you can give me any more info, it would be much appreciated.

Based on recent success:
Yale
Univ. of Mich.

At Michigan I don't think there is a major, but William Bolcom knows the field and plenty of opportunities for aggressive undergrad to get pieces performed.

Regarding University of Michigan - there is no musical theateer composition major, although I've got a friend (who wants to write for musical theater) who is in their music composition program and thinks it's fantastic. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the most noteworthy MT songwriters/lyricists to come out of UM, were part of the BFA Musical Theater program and graduated in 2007, and Nick Blaemire (of the belated Glory Days) was a 2006 MT. They took the standard MT performance classes but supplemented them with more music theory and composition classes on top of that.

Belmont University in Nashville, TN has a VERY strong music program. It's a small school with a great reputation for all types of music.

Ryan4 - you scared the crap outta me! I just saw the avatar and not the username and I thought someone hijacked me account!!

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Write a musical and get it workshopped somewhere (even if only at a college or high school). The process of actually working on a new piece with actors and a director (at whatever experience levels) and incorporating their energy and input into your production will rack every last nerve in your body...and teach you far more than any academic course will. And if you don't have the stomach for it, you will never, ever survive as a musical theatre writer.

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Thanks everyone. This advice is invaluable to me. I will be getting a BMUS in composition; but I am equally interested in pursuing English/drama/history. It is all worthwhile education. Cross your fingers for me - hopefully I'll have a show on the great white way sometime in the not so distant future.

I see you haven't mentioned Northwestern.

If I may advertise my own school... It's not only got a fantastic music theatre program (for you to use all the talented individuals who are in it for your work), but it's got a top-notch music school and, from what I can tell, a really great Music Composition major. I don't know to much about the music school, but as far as theatre goes, there are student groups devoted entirely to writing your own plays, and then there's the Waa-Mu Show -- it's a tradition every year, with a new theme each year, where student writers put together an entire show from scratch. They write sketches, they write songs, and put the two together in an entirely professional-directed and -designed show. It's one of the most rewarding experiences a young writer can feel, to see his or her work be performed on a scale like that.

I implore you to look into Northwestern. You'll completely fit in being a Music Comp and English/Drama/History major. Most people double, and you sound like you'd fit in perfectly.

Oh man. I remember four years ago.
I was about to graduate from Interlochen Arts Academy. A music composition major. At that point in my life, all I wanted to be when I grew up was Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Webber or better yet, Boublil & Schonberg.
I, too, was OBSESSED with musical theatre writing (book, music, lyrics, orchestrations). At Interlochen, my private teacher did whatever he could to derail me from this obsession. They did not consider musical theatre "real music". It had "melodies", something that is unfortunately frowned upon in most composition departments today. So when it came time to apply to college, I got worried. Would all music departments be like that? Was there a department somewhere that encouraged more 'popular' writing? Instead of atonal string quartets?

Eventually, I decided I should apply to a school with a strong theatre department. That way I could write scores for their straight plays and use the acting/singing talent to workshop things after hours :) This was a good idea. But as soon as I got to Carnegie Mellon, I realized that wasn't gonna be enough for me.

After one semester as a music composition major at CMU, I had it. The dramatic writer/director in me swallowed the composer. I applied to Carnegie Mellon's BFA directing program and got in as one of six.

It was the best decision I ever made.

Studying drama is the only way to learn 'what is dramatic'. If you know WHAT is dramatic, what is effective, then you will slowly but surely learn how to create what is effective.

Now this all depends on your interest in the musical theatre world. Are you more of a composer? More of a storyteller?

Overall, I recommend applying to theatre programs and taking as many acting/directing classes as possible. That's the only way to learn how to write for the theatre.

Currently, I am still a student at Carnegie Mellon. A junior. I'm about to direct my first NY fringe show and I've already had a play produced in NYC and a lot of other projects in the works. So hey, it seems to be working for me :)

Email me @ olilley@andrew.cmu.edu if you want to talk about this further. I'd love to give you more advice.

And good luck!

~olivia



What is your favorite aspect of writing musicals? Is it the music itself? The lyrics? The script? Are you torn between any of the three?