| Q: If I want a play, can't I
just write it myself, or have my students write it? A:
If you want your students to read a novel, do you and your students write it? Of course
not, for some excellent reasons: you probably don't know how to write a novel, and even if
you did, it takes too much to be worth the effort. If you want your students to write a
play, have them read, analyze, and put on several plays first so they understand the
form. We think that's a terrific idea, if you have the classroom time.
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Q: Plays take away time from real
teaching, don't they?
A: What exactly is "real teaching?" We think it means helping your students
grasp the curriculum in your state standards. More generally, it means helping your
students to be competent at reading for information and pleasure, and becoming comfortable
with their number facts and mathmatical problem solving.
Does that seem like a fair description? If so, these are exactly the things that are
plays are designed to do. Your students will become better, and more motivated readers by
doing such an entertaining project. And they will solidly learn the curriculum included in
the play. And because they learned this curriculum through melody, rhyme, and interesting
stories, they will truly retain it.
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Q: Is there any solid evidence that
doing musical plays is good for students?
A: A whole series of recent studies show strong links between arts training and smarter
people. Here's the information:
For the first time, coordinated, multi-university scientific research brings us closer
to answering the question: Are smart people drawn to the arts or does arts training make
people smarter?
Research recently published by the Dana Consortium find strong links between learning,
arts, and the brain.Read more information at their website: www.dana.org
You can ask the organization for their full report. It's interesting, although quite
technical and not much fun for casual reading.
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Q: We have to teach strictly to standards.
Are the plays connected to my state standards?
A: Yes, they almost certainly are. All fifty states have their own standards, so we
can't guarantee that everything in every play will perfectly match your state's standards
on a particular subject. But we do align them with California's standards, which are
pretty comprehensive.
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Q: I'm supposed to have the kids present something, so can't
we just sing a few songs from Disney or a favorite children's
performer?
A: Well, yes and no. You'll be in violation of copyright law if you present material
that you don't own the rights to. (You probably won't get caught.) But what exactly will
the kids be learning from doing these sorts of songs? Our plays are specifically designed
to teach and reinforce your mandated curriculum.
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Q: I don't think my principal will
allow me to do something like this. Any suggestions?
A: We find that teachers worry about this, but very few principals are not pleased when
you show them any of our plays. Most principals would be thrilled if all teachers did our
kinds of plays, but they're afraid of asking for one more thing. At least that's what we
hear from the principals we talk to, and the teachers who put on our programs.
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Q: Do I need a musician to present a
musical?
A: Absolutely not. That’s why we include the CD. (Crack members of our Bad
Wolf marketing department estimate that three out of four performances are accompanied by
the recording. The composer (and sometimes a talented friend or two) sing all the songs;
then you hear the instrumental accompaniment so you can rehearse and perform the entire
show without singing or playing a note. However, if you or a parent or community member
wants to play piano or guitar, the sheet music to each of our musical plays can be
purchased with the book and CD. See the order form for details.
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Q: Are there enough parts in the
show for all my students?
A: We’ve really worked hard to use all your students as often as possible.
Each of our musical plays has enough parts for any size class, from 8-40 students. All our
shows have several parts that can have multiple actors. You decide (or merely let student
interest dictate) how many Lions, Farmers, Bakers, TV Announcers, Squash, Storytellers,
etc. you need: One? Three? Seven? Everyone gets a chance to star. There is also a Chorus
in each of our shows comprised of all the students who are not in the scene being acted on
stage at that moment. So, not only can all students play important parts, they are all
singing along with the rest of the class throughout most of the play.
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Q: I've never done a musical before---are you sure I won’t be in over my head?
We’ve written these shows with you in mind. Putting on a musical play is a
wonderful experience for your kids, and it’s a lot easier than you think. We
consulted teachers whose classes have performed each show and asked them what they wished
they had known before they started. We listened carefully and put it all in our
Teacher’s Guide that comes with each play.
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Q: Will your shows work in a Bilingual
or ESL class?
A: We think musical plays are a great way to have fun with language and practice
speaking clearly. We’ve seen several successful shows put on by kids that barely
speak English, and they were terrific. However, if the kids’ families will be
watching, it’s wise just before the performance to summarize the plot in whichever
non-English language the audience speaks. (If you happen to be in a multi-lingual school,
a number of students could tell the story in their native language.) And then put on the
show in English.
If you’d like further advice, contact us by phone or email.
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Q: How long does it take to prepare
for a performance?
A: We’ve found that most teachers take about a month from first introduction
to final performance. This varies a lot---some teachers will take as few as three days or
as much as three months. But we think one month is about right.
If you can, play some of the music for the students before you actually begin you
preparation. They could just listen while working on other projects. Then when you really
begin to work, the kids will already be familiar with the music---and may know most of the
words!
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Q: Which of your musical plays is best for the grade I teach?
When we first started publishing these shows, Ron's brother, who taught fourth grade
for many years, said, "This doesn’t make sense. You can’t recommend the
same show for first and fifth grades. The kids are completely different! No teacher will
believe you."
We wish it was that simple. Actually a number of our shows work very well from first
all the way to fifth grades. The productions come out looking very different, of course,
and the older kids will add all sorts of details that little ones are incapable of.
Hard as it is to believe, our shows really work over a wide range of grades.
We have a handy chart in the Shows section that lists
each grade and suggests appropriate plays. We also group the plays by curriculum
in the same section. If your class is studying early American history, for example, our
"13 Colonies" might be just what you want.
Need further advice? Look over our shows on this Web site (we have the first several
pages of each available to you) and if you’re still stuck, contact us by phone or
email.
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Q: Do we need a stage?
A: No, actually we’d prefer that you didn’t use one. We think the best
place to put on these plays is right in your classroom. The big advantage is the kids will
be audible. This is really important! On stage in your school’s auditorium the
kids’ voices will be very difficult to hear unless you start messing around with
microphones. (Microphones can solve the hearing problem but are difficult to do properly.)
How can you fit a performance in your classroom? For little kids you can push several
students’ tables together against a wall to make a stage. The audience can sit in
students’ chairs and on the floor. (You may have to temporarily move some furniture
outside.) If your students are too big to stand on the tables, then they can simply
perform on the floor against a wall. See our teachers’ guide section from the plays
for more details.
In case anyone’s interested, I have snapshots from a 6th grade teacher in
Massachusetts who put her show on in the round. The audience sat in the center of the
classroom and the action took place around the outside of the room.
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Q: Any tips for the first-time
director?
- Relax and simplify!
- Keep the sets and costumes as simple as possible. No costumes is just fine.
- Get another teacher at your school to put on the musical at the same time. You can
bounce ideas off one another, and if you use sets and costumes, you can share them. Each
class can watch the other rehearse and students can give feedback to their peers.
- We especially recommend that you videotape a rehearsal and have students analyze it.
What was good? What could be improved? When the students see themselves fidgeting and
fooling around, or when they can’t hear themselves sing, they will discover for
themselves what they need to work on.
- And remember, each Bad Wolf musical comes with over ten pages of teacher-tested hints on
all aspects of production.
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Q: Can I photocopy for my
students?
A: The purchase of a Bad Wolf musical gives you lifetime performance rights for
your classroom---and yes, you can photocopy for your own students. But---and
here’s the fine print---these lifetime performance rights and photocopying privileges
apply to you, the purchaser, alone. The reproduction of any part of the script or tape for
more than one classroom in a school or school system at a time is prohibited. In other
words, if you and another teacher are putting on the show at the same time, you each need
to purchase a copy.
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Q: Why does the same music appear
again and again?
A: It’s like this: we all enjoy the music that we’re familiar with. If
every bit of the music in a show is unique, then the audience will never get a chance to
become familiar with any of it. So for hundreds of years, writers of musical theater
(opera/Broadway musicals/etc.) have used their best tunes over and over within a show. The
best melodies traditionally showed up in the overture, the finale, scene-changing music,
and any other opportunities the writers could come up with. Then when the show was over,
the audience walked out happily whistling the tunes. Bad Wolf doesn’t have overtures
or scene-changing music, but we can and do use the same tunes more than once per show to
help your audience become familiar and comfortable with what they’re hearing.
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Q: Who is Bad
Wolf Press?
A: Bad Wolf is a tiny publishing company that
hopes someday to grow to become a small company. It was started in 1995 by
lyricist John Heath and composer Ron Fink, who have been writing songs together since they
were high school students.
Fink & Heath wrote their first kids' musical (Jack
and the Beanstalk) in 1992 for a first grade teacher in Camarillo, CA. Response
was extremely positive and the writers did another show the next year. Kids had a great
time, parents got excited, and teachers began to talk. Fink & Heath started contacting
publishers, all of which turned them down.
Eventually they forged ahead and started publishing on
their own. Ten years later, with some 85,000 productions worldwide, their main focus
continues to be listening carefully to teachers so that they produce shows that fulfill a
clear need in the classroom. Feel free to phone or email to tell them how they can better
serve you.
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