GET READY FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE COMPETITION

Now is the time to prepare for the National Musical Theatre Competition (also Classical) sponsored by the world's largest publisher Hal Leonard.  Two of my students placed in the TOP TEN in the U.S. and Canada last year. The deadline is Feb 1st, which will come up sooner than you think. There is a set list of songs and I have all the music, and rehearsal tracks to help you get started. We will video in my new video studio to send in to enter. This is prestigeous and is a great teaching tool. We will also record live in front of an audience and stream it on the web.  I have a few openings for those who are interested in entering. Let me know at 425 788 4942   Larry Bridges, B.M.E., M.A.

Summertime Blues

Back to blogging, after a long-dry spell.  Everyone here in Seattle is waiting for summer, which has apparently arrived (and then some) in the rest of the country.  SO... no better way to spend time indoors than by singing some blues.  Start with songs like St. James Infirmary or even summertime (how appropriate).  Try singing these melodies with vowel combinations like  "Whoa" (Oh and Oo, with Oh being given more time than Oo)  AND  "Yea"  (Ay and Ee vowels, with Ay getting more time than Ee"    Ex.  Yay----------ee   Yay--------ee,  or Woh--------------oo   Woh---------oo.  Work in the middle of your range at first and don:t push it too high.

Broadway in New York

My trip to New York for the Educational Theatre Association was incredible. It was fun to be in the heart of Broadway at the Marriott Marquis. I saw "Wicked", "Time Stands Still" with Laura Linney, "West Side Story", and "Billy Elliot". "Wicked" was, as expected, wonderful. My friend, Jason, is the Stage Manager and is rightfully proud of this amazing production.
The play, "Time Stands Still" was about a pair of married war-correspondent photographers. Laura Linney, Brian d'Arcy James, Eric Bogosian, and Christina Ricci were all excellent. This was a powerful drama about the horrors of war.
I also saw the new production of "West Side Story". This production had additional lyrics and dialogue in Spanish, which added to the realism. "Maria" was incredible, but "Tony" didn't live up my expectations vocally. He was an amazing dancer, but was too nasal of a sound.
The final show I saw was "Billy Elliot". This was one of the best productions I've ever seen. The quality of the ballet, tap, singing, and acting was unbelievable. This show is coming to Seattle and I highly recommend seeing it.

Healthy Idea

If you are going for an audition or interview why not insure your breath is fresh by trying some Greek yogurt with some lemon juice? It's cheap, healthy, and might prevent embarrassing bad breath.

BACK TO BASICS-SECONDS

The first week's exercises are working on intervals of a second, which is working with the adjacent note of the scale. We will be using major and minor scales. A second exercise with the C major scale, might go like this: C D C D C D C D, D E D E D E D E, E F E F E F E F, F G F G F G F G, A B A B A B A B, B C B C B C B C B C, C----------. An interval is the distance between notes, with a minor second also a half-step (C to Db) and a major second a whole step (C to D). This can be confusing when doing this exercise. With this exercise, we are working with adjacent notes of the scale, some which may be major seconds, some minor seconds. For the major scale example, C to D is a major second, E to F is a minor second, but we are adhering to the pattern of the major scale, which is "whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half" steps. Apply this pattern anywhere on the piano and you will have a major scale. I will be adding a video shortly to demonstrate the exercise. In the mean time, I recommend you getting www.smartmusic.com to help.

BACK TO BASICS-PRACTICE TOOLS

Whether you are a pro or beginner, it's crucial to have a strong foundation in the fundamentals of singing. Reviewing scales and intervals daily is a must. I have my voice students buy "SmartMusic" by the people who created "Finale". It's on about $25.00 a year, and is really helpful in the studio. More importantly, a student has specific, clear-cut exercise assignments each week, plus a number of songs to access, change key or tempo, take out the melody, and record their voice.

Recent Musicals

The last few weeks has been packed with summer musicals. I was really proud of my son Austin who has been performing and mentoring junior and high school kids at Western Washington University's production of Disney's "High School Musical".

Next on the last was Core Theatrics production of "Les Miserables". This was a large production, with some terrific performances. I was proud of my student Sophie. This girl has a future. Marianni, Cathy, and Heath did a terrific job.

The next night was "Grease", done by Bellevue Community College. These kids had such enthusiasm and I was proud to see my student Jaron grow as a dancer, as well as a singer.

I'm sorry I missed "Anyone Goes" done by Studio East, but I heard it was terrific. This past weekend, I saw "Hair", done by Seattle Children's Theater. This was a bold and ambitious production, with most of the cast on stage dancing and singing for the whole show. I was impressed with old friend Terrance Kelley's choreography and David Duvall's band. I was especially proud of my student Miranda who played the role of Chrissy. Last night which as closing night, she sang "Frank Mills". She sang like an angel and received one of the loudest, longest ovations I've heard from an audience in years. She will remember that for a long time.

Next on the agenda is to see "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and Woodinville Repertory Theater's one-act plays.