Today, I went back to the Performing Arts Library and did some more research for my project. I am finding the many writings of composing and music directing legend Lehman Engel especially helpful. Also, since there is not a lot of literature on music directing, I have been going through books made about specific Broadway shows and going to the Music Team sections. The book on A Chorus Line had a wealth of information on music directing and the process of creating a Broadway score.
I have decided to write a research paper as the way I will present my findings, and I will hopefully be able to present in a music directing class I am taking this fall as well. I want to publish the paper as a PDF to spread on forums, Facebook groups, email, and other media to reach as many music directors as possible. I am going to start putting this paper together in my remaining weeks here in New York, and will continue working on it in Evanston.
I also went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens this afternoon. I went to see the Mad Men exhibit that will be there for just a few more days. I took a class on Mad Men this past spring and I’m a huge fan of the show, so it was a great way to immerse myself further in that world. It had 3 fully recreated sets with the actual pieces that were filmed, and tons of artifacts and clips from the show. It was another great way to see a part of the city I have spent very little time in so far.
Tomorrow, I am Skyping in with my family for my mom’s birthday and then observing Les Mis from the orchestra! I have assembled another huge list of music directors whom I wish to observe, so hopefully I will have many more observations before my time is through here in 3 weeks.
The clock is ticking, and I am doing my best to absorb every single minute of this life changing experience.