Advanced Musical Genres for Composers, Music Directors & Comedy Improvisers

When I worked at The Second City as a Music Director, one of my jobs was to provide thematic underscoring during comedy sketches and write both dramatic and comedy songs for full length reviews. (Think: Paul Shaffer on David Letterman mixed with a little Andrew Lloyd Webber).

Despite having a Master of Music Degree, none of my years of training had prepared me to literally improvise on demand in virtually every musical genre based on the whims of a random audience suggestion.  I also had to coach actors and singers with limited vocal experience to sing in character and impersonate other styles of voices in very short order.  This required years of on-the-job training to learn and perfect, which I now distill into a customized laser course for other professional musicians and music directors.

This curriculum provides one-on-one coaching for professional pianists, singers and composers, music directors and film scorers seeking to expand their vocabulary of musical styles and genres appropriate to the diverse theatrical settings found in theater, comedy, television, advertising and film.

It is particularly good preparation for those switching careers within the music business, theater performers, those entering graduate school, or anyone seeking a well-rounded compositional background.

Please see the listings under Theater & Screen for additional offerings.

 

“Laura is an excellent voice and piano teacher. She helped me to find my voice and challenged me to think “outside the box” with respect to career goals and making a living as an artist. She urged me to audition for a music directing internship at Second City and helped me to develop my skills as a Music Director through her knowledge of different musical genres and styles.”

–Katy Marquardt
Music Director, Actress & Singer