Blog Post #2

These two weeks have been about getting organized and the very beginning rehearsals. I typed the lyrics of all of the songs for the children (as most of them do not know how to read music) and we handed out the activity packets for those who showed up early to their first rehearsal. The children were extremely excited to find out who was going to play a role with a speaking part. This made me think of the excitement in beginning a new show, and I quickly realized that if I were the teacher or director of a show, I would have to get everything organized very quickly for the first rehearsal, as the excitement can (and usually does) lead to a slightly less productive rehearsal. As the children began putting away their activity packets to save for next time, the other directors of the show announced that to celebrate the beginning of the musical, we were going to have a "Christmas party" complete with homemade cupcakes and Capri Sun. I thought that this was a very effective way to establish a fun atmosphere for the children (it was also a good way of saying "Come join our show...we have cupcakes!"). Later in the rehearsal, the speaking parts were announced and the students with those speaking parts received their scripts and read through the first couple of scenes before the rehearsal ended.
The next week's rehearsal was the start of learning the music for the show. The oldest and youngest children were separated and went to different rooms to rehearse. I was asked to go with the younger children, and they were all smiles as I handed them their coloring packets. I noticed that in the beginning of each rehearsal, the CD with the soundtrack of the show is constantly playing in the background. I thought this was fabulous, especially for the little children who cannot read, for they were soon dancing and singing the songs without realizing that those were the songs they would have to learn for the show. I had not thought of this technique before (when directing a children's show). I knew that they would have to learn the songs by rote, but this technique took that one step farther. I also got the chance to teach the young children part of the first song they are learning. It was such a wonderful experience watching the light bulbs come on as each child slowly realized they mastered a portion of the song. It was all the other directors and myself could do to keep them standing still as we taught them the chorus, they were so excited. Next week the children are learning the rest of the first song plus another song. I can't wait work with the children again and see all of the excitement on their faces!

Above is a picture of a child singing in church. The look on his face is similar to many of the "singing faces" of the children I worked with this week.