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Acting Through Song: Investigating Musical Theatre Repertoire - MUS00150H

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• Department: Music
• Module co-ordinator: Ms. Susan Young
• Credit value: 10 credits
• Credit level: H
• Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
  • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module summary

The attraction of musical theatre is often in its powerful immediacy with vivid story telling being at the heart of the experience.
In this module we will examine the synthesis of music and drama, discovering confidence with regard to specific stylistic vocal demands and choices and enhancing our understanding of dramatic techniques. 

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Summer Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module is suitable for singers who wish to:

• explore some fundamental acting skills with practical exercises and collaborative group work to facilitate the connection between theory and practice.
• engage with vocal colours and techniques relating to the genre including speech quality, cry/sob, falsetto and belt, as appropriate.
• consider matters of style and changes in performance technique as they relate to the history of musical theatre from the Golden Age to the present day and demonstrate critical listening and insight.
• consider the integration of music and drama with creativity and imagination.

Lectures and working sessions will involve active listening, textual analysis, vocal and drama coaching and above all, practical exercises designed to develop and integrate your dramatic and vocal awareness and skill culminating in a module recital performance.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the taught part of the project all students should:

• have developed an awareness of and be able to explore appropriate vocal techniques with technical security, efficiency and health.
• be able to demonstrate and explain vocal choices made which complement the acting decisions. 
• be able to convey a dramatic narrative, connecting thought with breath, the emotional with the imaginative.
• be able to demonstrate in performance matters of style, vocal set up and presentation relating to the genre across its history.

On completion of the module, in their independent work, students should demonstrate learning outcomes C1-6 and 8: https://www.york.ac.uk/music/undergraduate/modules/learning-outcomes/

Indicative assessment

Task	Length	% of module mark
Practical Recital with commentary	N/A	100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

This module will be assessed by performance lasting between 12 and 15 minutes demonstrating a range of vocal and dramatic styles from across the history of musical theatre as appropriate, revealing an enhanced understanding of communication in a vital and credible way.

The performance will be accompanied by a commentary of c.750 words detailing the approach(es) taken and relating these to ideas studied in the module.

Indicative reassessment

Task	Length	% of module mark
Practical Recital with commentary	N/A	100

Module feedback

Report form with marks to student no later than 20 working days from submission of assessment.

Indicative reading

TBC