Five Steps for Planning a Successful Musical

• Jessica Palmer
• Posted 7/12/21
• 0 comments

Surprise! You’re in charge of planning the spring musical for your school.

Putting together a successful school musical can be overwhelming, but here are a few tips to help turn your program into the talk of the town.

Gather Your Team of Experts

Chances are, you aren’t a lighting designer, choreographer, and musical director all in one. Successful musicals are made by pulling together a team of people that know more than you do about their craft. By working with designers, you will be able to focus on helping students learn what they need to know.

Choose the Right Show

Consider the students you have to work with and their wide variety of talents. The number of speaking roles, the danceability of your students, and the size of the venue are all important considerations to make before choosing a musical. A smaller school may struggle to pull of “Annie,” but it is a great fit for “A Year with Frog and Toad,” which has a much smaller cast.

Plan Ahead for Setbacks

As you are putting together your rehearsal schedule, make sure to budget some TBA rehearsals. Illness, unexpected conflicts, or unexpected loss of rehearsal time are bound to happen. By scheduling some flexible rehearsal time, you allow yourself to catch up on whatever you might have missed without throwing off your entire schedule.

Use Your Parent Volunteers

Parents can be a huge asset to getting your show on its feet. From building sets to organizing carpools to selling concessions at the show, volunteers are a great way to spread out the workload. Consider surveying your parents at the beginning of the production to see how they can best help.

Let Students Participate in Every Way

Students don’t just need to be the actors. The more involved your students are in the production, the more invested they will be in its outcome. Students are great at creating props, assisting with technical aspects, passing out flyers to local businesses, and more. Get creative and ask your students how they can help your production.

Above all, don’t forget that school musicals are for the students. As long as you are able to provide an enriching and positive experience for the participants, you will succeed! Ready to pick out your next school musical? Check out our Musical Plays & Revues selection at westmusic.com for shows created and adapted with kids in mind!

West Music Liaison

Jessica Palmer

Jessica is the Director of National Sales at West Music and one of the foundational members of the Music ConstructED team. She specializes in curricular resources, children’s literature, and puppets – her passion is helping teachers find new and…

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