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Writing A Musical
For Kids One of the most enjoyable and fulfilling projects I, as a writer, can work on is material to be performed by and/or for children. Theatre is a wonderful medium for kids to express parts of themselves and other characters as well as a way to bring stories off of the page and right before their eyes. Being a professional singer and musician, as well as a teacher, I work with performing arts students of all ages from the young 7 year-olds to my wonderful senior adults and every conceivable age in between. Over the years, my writing has come to include material suitable for the students in my studio. Children love to move and they love to “make believe,” so our musical theatre dramatix classes are extremely popular. The students are exposed to dance, music, singing and acting, culminating in a final performance at the end of the semester. Different numbers of students including varying combinations of boys and girls make choosing performance materials quite challenging. With this in mind, this writer decided to create musicals suited to those students participating in our musical dramatix classes. What better way to try out new material than with a willing group of real live kids? When writing for children, many have the misconception that the finished product should be simple. That is not, however, the case. One doesn’t need to talk down to kids so that they will understand. Children enjoy stories with vibrant characters, lots of action, and a plot that takes them by surprise and makes them think. Consider talking to children before choosing a topic for your musical. Fairy tales; either adaptations of existing ones, new ones, or a twist on an existing fairy tale are all great places to start. Children also love circus stories, stories about beings from other planets or worlds, and stories about kids like themselves. Much children’s theatre falls under the one act category and most productions can be played out in entirety within less than an hour. Longer shows should offer lots of action, a variety of music and dance, and an intermission where kids can get up and move around. If they have to sit in one place for a long time, your material will have to be exceptionally entertaining. Adding songs to a children’s musical is not a difficult task. Often, my music is just an extension of the character’s personality. If, for example, my character is a witch, then her song could be in a minor key, consisting of a simple melody that could be almost spoken in a witch-like voice. A palace guard, on the other hand, would likely sing a song with a very strict, march-like rhythm. If the heroine is a princess or beautiful maiden, a slower ballad with a beautiful, flowing melody and a slow, arpeggiated accompaniment could work. Listen to your songs as you sing and play them on tape to decide if they speak the language of your character. When writing any musical production, the song is always an extension of the character and his/her feelings. The songs replace what would be spoken dialogue in a regular play. Songs can be narrative and allow the character to help the plot progress; songs can be emotional outlets for your characters’ feelings and songs can be used to allow characters to interact with one another in a production number. Often, musicals have a finale that features many or most of the cast. There are many great sites on the internet that offer writers valuable information on writing for children, whether in the genre of theatre or short story or many others. Other sites allow teachers of theatre downloadable scripts and stories that can be of value to the aspiring children’s writer as well. Knowing children’s tastes and reading or experiencing scripts and stories by other professional writers is the best way to explore this fulfilling type of writing. On the web, try the following sites: http://www.writing4kids.com http://www.childrensmusic.org/keith.html http://www.storiestogrowby.com/script.html http://home.earthlink.net/~baymax/ http://byu.edu/tma/arts-ed/units/unithome.htm http://www.chdramaworkshop.homestead.com/forms.html http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html Also, go to your local library and browse around in the children’s department for a while. You probably won’t find too many plays, but you will get some insight into the types of stories kids are reading. But, most of all, test out your material on children by offering free play readings, or offering to do an acting workshop, using one of your original pieces. Seeing and hearing the actors often directs the writer to change awkward dialogue or gives birth to new ideas and concepts. If you enjoy writing, and you love kids, writing a children’s musical can be a wonderful experience with many rewards. Jacqueline runs a performing arts studio/boutique, "Slightly off Broadway," with her best friend. See her website at http://slightlyoffbroadway.tbmall.com/. She is also the host of Suite101's Performing and Writing Musical Theatre website at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/musical_theatre, and writes for http://www.musicaltheatreinfo.com/. Originally appeared at Suite101.com, February, 2001. Reprinted with permission.
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