I've been teaching a looong time , and my #1 genre has always been musical theater!
IN MY DAY (haha!), we just didn't have the resources available today. Technology, namely apps, have made SO MUCH possible as far as making practicing and auditioning a lot easier!
No more lugging around a lot of books or wondering where on earth you'd order a backing track for you to practice a particular song. No, those days are OVER! Here are some of my go-to apps and websites for musical theater students and professionals!
If you have not heard about Appcompanist, get it now. Get it yesterday. This amazing app is everything. The quality of these tracks is phenomenal! Sure, there are lots of great FREE tracks on YouTube, many very high quality, but sometimes you need some customization. For example, maybe the track is a little too fast or slow, or in the wrong key. No worries- Appcompanist lets you change that on the spot...!
Appcompanist is great for you to practice with at home, AND is excellent for you to use as far as video submitted auditions. It really does sound like the accompanist is right in the room with you!
A similar resource that is also incredible is Pianotrax. The library is amazing! In fact, if you can't find it on Appcompanist , Pianotrax just might have it. It's a little different in that you have to search for the key you want for your song, but one plus of Pianotrax is that there are audition cuts available- an excellent resource! The quality of this is also outstanding!
As far as sheet music , because you DO need it for live accompanists, and you need it to learn your music: I have recommendations here as well!
The best resource overall for musical theater sheet music is Hal Leonard! They also publish the famous Singer's Musical Theater Anthologies for every voice type, from tenor to belter.
It's wise to purchase a few in your voice type to have a nice variety of repertoire.
If you're looking for sheet music that's a little less well-known, I've got you covered there as well! Newmusicaltheatre.com is an outstanding resource. Here, you can purchase sheet music from shows by up and coming composers, many which have off-Broadway shows. Don't believe for. a second that a show is "better" just because it is more popular. You never know what gems you can find here, so check it out!
Lastly- a REALLY fun resource for you. Have you checked out musicaltheatreradio.com ? It's awesome! It's completely free and you can stream it through the site, Alexa, iHeartRadio and more. I'm listening as I write this- the variety is outstanding, from new shows ,to Disney, to classics like "1776"... to shows you may never have heard of, like "Drat! The Cat!". You're going to love it, musical theater nerds!
If you want some guidance in your musical theater career, whether you're a young student or if you're seasoned pro, be sure to schedule a lesson so we can meet! I'd like to help you reach your goals!
IN MY DAY (haha!), we just didn't have the resources available today. Technology, namely apps, have made SO MUCH possible as far as making practicing and auditioning a lot easier!
No more lugging around a lot of books or wondering where on earth you'd order a backing track for you to practice a particular song. No, those days are OVER! Here are some of my go-to apps and websites for musical theater students and professionals!
If you have not heard about Appcompanist, get it now. Get it yesterday. This amazing app is everything. The quality of these tracks is phenomenal! Sure, there are lots of great FREE tracks on YouTube, many very high quality, but sometimes you need some customization. For example, maybe the track is a little too fast or slow, or in the wrong key. No worries- Appcompanist lets you change that on the spot...!
Appcompanist is great for you to practice with at home, AND is excellent for you to use as far as video submitted auditions. It really does sound like the accompanist is right in the room with you!
A similar resource that is also incredible is Pianotrax. The library is amazing! In fact, if you can't find it on Appcompanist , Pianotrax just might have it. It's a little different in that you have to search for the key you want for your song, but one plus of Pianotrax is that there are audition cuts available- an excellent resource! The quality of this is also outstanding!
As far as sheet music , because you DO need it for live accompanists, and you need it to learn your music: I have recommendations here as well!
The best resource overall for musical theater sheet music is Hal Leonard! They also publish the famous Singer's Musical Theater Anthologies for every voice type, from tenor to belter.
It's wise to purchase a few in your voice type to have a nice variety of repertoire.
If you're looking for sheet music that's a little less well-known, I've got you covered there as well! Newmusicaltheatre.com is an outstanding resource. Here, you can purchase sheet music from shows by up and coming composers, many which have off-Broadway shows. Don't believe for. a second that a show is "better" just because it is more popular. You never know what gems you can find here, so check it out!
Lastly- a REALLY fun resource for you. Have you checked out musicaltheatreradio.com ? It's awesome! It's completely free and you can stream it through the site, Alexa, iHeartRadio and more. I'm listening as I write this- the variety is outstanding, from new shows ,to Disney, to classics like "1776"... to shows you may never have heard of, like "Drat! The Cat!". You're going to love it, musical theater nerds!
If you want some guidance in your musical theater career, whether you're a young student or if you're seasoned pro, be sure to schedule a lesson so we can meet! I'd like to help you reach your goals!
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