Caveat Academy course · Grades 7 to 12

Musical theater: sing, act and dance the story

A semester of musical theater: trace the form from Gilbert and Sullivan to Hamilton, breathe low and keep your voice healthy through a long rehearsal week, count a bar and find a song in your range, play a lyric beat by beat and time a 16-bar cut, learn a combination in eights, follow a stage manager's standby and go, and plan a song, a license and a budget for your own show. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Arts & Creativity collection, $69 for 23 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: How musicals work, and where they came from

    Explain the parts of a musical and its creative team, and trace how the form grew from operetta and revue to book, concept and contemporary musicals.

    • The parts of a musical
    • From operetta to the golden age
    • Concept musicals and today
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Singing for the stage

    Apply healthy breath, posture and vocal care, identify voice types and ranges, and count rhythms in a vocal score.

    • Breath and posture
    • Voice types, range and vocal health
    • Reading a vocal score
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Acting through song

    Analyze a song's objective, obstacle, tactics and beats, and prepare and time an audition cut.

    • Why characters sing
    • Analyzing a lyric
    • Auditions
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Dance for musical theater

    Compare musical theater dance styles, learn combinations in counts of eight, and plan a safe warm-up.

    • Dance styles of the musical stage
    • Counts and learning choreography
    • Warm-up, safety and stamina
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Putting on a show

    Describe the rehearsal process and production team, follow cue sequences, and use stage directions and blocking.

    • The rehearsal process
    • The production team
    • Stage directions and blocking
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Writing, licensing and working in musical theater

    Plan an original character song, evaluate licensing and budget decisions for a production, and plan a healthy path in theater.

    • Writing a song for a character
    • Licensing and producing a musical
    • Careers and a performer's well-being
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · Stage directions and blocking

Worked example: following blocking notes

  1. Note: "Enter UR, X to DC on the line 'I'm home,' sit on the bench SL."

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Enrichment · Arts & Creativity$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of musical theater: you can name the parts of a musical and its creative team, trace the form from operetta and revue to concept and contemporary musicals, breathe and support for singing and keep your voice healthy, find a song's range in semitones and count rhythms in a score, analyze a lyric for objective, obstacle, tactics and beats, prepare and time an audition cut, learn combinations in eights and warm up safely, follow the rehearsal process and a cue sequence, use stage directions, plan an AABA song, and read a license and budget a production. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 7 to 12 who love musicals and want to perform, students preparing for a school show, a summer program or an audition, and homeschool families who want a complete performing arts semester. Activities need only a quiet space and a phone to record practice.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 149 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Arts & Creativity collection ($69) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Arts & Creativity space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Library of Congress, Performing Arts Encyclopedia and its collections on the American musical: loc.gov
  2. The Pulitzer Prizes, Drama winners including A Chorus Line (1976), Rent (1996) and Hamilton (2016): pulitzer.org
  3. National Center for Voice and Speech, vocal health information: ncvs.org
  4. U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright Basics (Circular 1), on performance rights in dramatic and musical works: copyright.gov
  5. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo, on warming up and preventing dance injuries: orthoinfo.aaos.org

Musical Theater is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester musical theater elective but does not replace a school course, a voice teacher, dance classes or rehearsing with a cast, and awards no credit. Example budgets, ticket numbers and audition figures are labeled as examples. Stop any singing or dance exercise that causes pain or hoarseness. Lyrics in the lessons are original examples written for this course. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.