<p>Prospective student on the University of Southern California thread was very excited that Jason Robert Brown is going to be directing a production on USC's campus this spring. My son is a freshman singer/songwriter in the popular music performance program at USC and mentioned that his program head had told himi to sign up for a musical theatre composition course this spring, something special about it. I didn't pay that much attention but after reading the post on the USC thread and looked up his schedule. The class is called Songwriting for Musical theatre, is being taught by Jason Robert Brown and has 4 people in it. Pretty exceptional opportunity for a freshman songwriter. Son has had exceptional exposure to popular music people in first semester at USC, but it is a surprise to get this opportunity to work with a Musical Theatre person of this stature. I think of New York schools when I think of musical theatre opportunities, but this is a pretty exceptional one on the west coast</p>
<p>That is a wonderful opportunity for your son! Congrats!</p>
<p>raddad, your son will have a great experience. Jason actually spends much of his time these days working with young artists all over North America. He was in Toronto in the fall. While I don’t think that there’s any doubt that there are more opportunities such as this one at schools in NYC, they do also exist at schools elsewhere. Bill Finn is another contemporary composer who is also very involved, and has been for years, in the education of future composers/lyricists.</p>
<p>The youth theatre company here in SoCal that my daughter has done many productions with is doing the musical “13” and Jason Robert Brown is teaching a master class for the kids in the production. My daughter is not involved in “13” (too old!), but says that the young actors she knows in it are very excited.</p>
<p>That sounds like an awesome opportunity for your son. i realize he is a singer/songwriter and is studying popular music, but the chance to work on MT composition will be fruitful as a lot of contemporary musical theater these days overlaps popular music in terms of style. The chance to work with someone like JRB will be exciting. </p>
<p>Your post caught my eye as my daughter is also a singer/songwriter and a MT composer (but also a singer/actor/dancer who studied in a BFA in MT program), and at her school, she was able to take some courses in performance composition. There is not a lot on the MT forum about this aspect of MT, but it is one that my kid is very involved in. She is based in NYC and went to school in NYC.</p>
<p>Very cool for your son. Also…for the students in the production JRB will direct at USC.</p>
<p>Bill Finn is on the adjunct faculty at Tisch’s Graduate Program in MT Writing. (alwaysamom, you likely know this) My D has run into him there.</p>
<p>So is Polly Pen! Soozievt private message me and let me know what your D. is working on. My S is now at CMU for masters in directing but is still writing! Hope to hear from you.
Cam</p>