First workshop working with a Musical Director

My Target: To arrange Summer Nights and start to work on characterisation through song.

In my first workshop with the Musical director we looked at singing the opening number Summer Nights as an ensemble. Firstly, it was important to find each of our ranges so that when singing Harmonies we were singing comfortably. In order to do this we all did a warm up where we would sing up the scale, whenever we were starting to feel that we were putting strain on our voice we would stop and that is where we would know where our voices are the most comfortable. As we sang it was evident that I was the only one that could sing around the soprano range so I was placed on the top harmonies.  After this we split ourselves into Danny, Sandy, Pink Ladies and T-Birds. This was so that it made it easier for Danny and Sandy to work together when singing, and for me, the Pink ladies and the T-Birds to sing the harmonies underneath. One problem we did face was that Ellie who is playing Sandy is an Alto and couldn’t reach her final note in the song, In order to make it work and still include the Harmony we brought mine and the other Pink ladies’ final note up so that we would sing above her instead. In order for us to not forget what parts we are singing, Mrs Guy our Musical director told us to record ourselves singing our parts the song and then practice it.

I feel that I achieved my target of arranging the song Summer Nights and having my recording that I can practice with in my own time. In my next workshop I would like to start arranging other songs and continue to practice characterisation within song.