WHAT IS A MUSICAL: SAMPLE PARAGRAPH

We are learning about musical theater in general music. As an introduction I asked my students to write a paragraph on what they thought a "musical" was. Our next goal was to edit them and then, using their school Google Doc accounts to save to, create a document that I might be able to place into my Blog. Here is an example of a paragraph I created. (It is still in progress.)

What is a Musical?

A musical is a story,


often historical in nature,

either original, written specifically for the theater,

or previously written, as in an adaption from a play or a novel,

set to music and choreographed dance

with spoken dialogue

and singing.

It generally is performed live on a stage


but may also be recorded on film.

An orchestra,

led by a conductor,

which in a live production performs beneath the stage in a place called an

orchestra pit,

provides the musical accompaniment for all the song and dance numbers.

Songs

a combination of poetic words called lyrics and music
written by a composer,

not only help introduce the main characters in this genre but also play an integral part in the telling of the story where as the dance numbers function to emphasize the strong emotional qualities conveyed in the plot line.

With beautiful costuming,

lighting,

sound design,

and scenery

added into the mix, a musical, with its intention to be an art formlarger than life, is a real spectacle to behold.

LINKS

http://www.musicals101.com/musical.htm

http://upstagereview.org/Glossary.html

http://www.rationalmagic.com/Bursting/Glossary.html

http://learn.midsouthcc.edu/learningObjects/theatre/The-Musical.html