MCI is committed to making musical theater education as accessible as possible. We do not want income to be a barrier to our community. We are able to offer payment plans to our students. Please reach out with any concerns or questions at admin@musicalcreatorsinstitute.org.
Should you wish to audit any of our classes, please email admin@musicalcreatorsinstitute.org for details and pricing.
Spring Classes
CORE II with Sam Carner & Faculty Panel - SOLD OUT
February 6 - May 7
Tuesdays 6:30pm - 9:30pm ET
In-Person/Hybrid
ABOUT THE CLASS
The foundation of our program. This course brings our diverse faculty of industry experts together with our passionate student writers to create a new virtual community of creators. A combination workshop and master class, you will be paired with new collaborators regularly to write and revise in response to prompts, while also being offered the opportunity to present your outside work for discussion and critique by our experts and your fellow students. This is your chance to explore new collaborations, learn from the best, inspire and be inspired by your peers, and be part of the exciting community that can only exist when passionate creatives are all in the same space. Core II culminates in the creation of a short one-act musical.
BOOKWRITING I with Sam Carner
February 7 - May 1
Wednesdays 6:30pm - 8:30pm ET
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
How are musicals different from plays or movies? How does adaptation work? What is the real function of songs in a musical? Are there any non-negotiable plot points? Why is romance such a common theme in musicals? Through reading and discussion of classic musical theater libretti and analytical texts, alongside regular assignments in outlining and song placement, we will examine how musicals really work and interrogate common (mis)conceptions about the form. Without seeking any magic bullets, we will identify trends in musical theater’s history and present, asking ourselves what an audience expects when attending a musical and how to find room for something new.
LYRIC WRITING I with Adam Gwon
February 8 - May 2
Thursdays 6:00pm - 8:00pm ET
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
This 12-week class will cover the foundations of lyric writing—including song structure, scansion, and rhyme—and how to apply your storytelling impulses most effectively to the lyric medium. You’ll examine classic musical theater song forms; analyze great lyrics and what makes them successful; and explore how music, book, and collaborators can be considered in the lyric writing process. Through a series of writing assignments, you’ll gain a solid foundation in lyrical storytelling and the tools to be a stronger dramatist and collaborator.
LYRIC WRITING II with Sam Carner
February 8 - May 2
Thursdays 6:00pm - 8:00pm ET
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
Building on the foundations laid out in Lyric Writing I, this course will dig into lyrical genre and style, prosody and sound, and economy and specificity in lyrics. Through a continued analysis of great lyrics; weekly writing prompts and discussion; an exploration of poetry; and a look at pastiche, style, and genre; you will expand your strategies for building songs, finding inspiration, revising your work, and expressing your ideas with greater clarity and power.
COMEDY WRITING with Kevin Hammonds
Feb 8 - May 2
Thursdays 8:15pm - 10:15pm ET
In-Person/Hybrid
ABOUT THE CLASS
Performing comedy is hard. Writing comedy is even harder. How do you create unique and surprising humor that doesn't feel cliche or dated? In this highly specialized course, students will learn trusted techniques, then put them to the test. In addition, Students will study some of musical comedy's most successful and informative scripts from the golden age of Broadway to current comedy juggernauts. Taught by the internationally acclaimed musical comedy writer, Kevin Hammonds, whose musical comedy Brenda Bly: Teen Detective is available for licensing through Concord Theatricals and is regularly performed worldwide, which proves he must be funny in three different languages.
FINALE SKILLS with Andy Collopy
6 Weeks - February 5, 19, March 4, 25, April 8, April 29
Mondays 8:30pm - 10:30pm ET
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
An exploration of Finale and music notation as it relates specifically to musical theatre. We will discuss the conventions of score preparation and how to best execute them, including the preparation of lead sheet, piano/vocal scores, and full orchestral scores with linked parts.
BUSINESS OF MUSICAL THEATRE with Kent Nicholson
6 Weeks - March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22, May 6
Mondays 6:00pm - 8:00pm ET
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
So you wrote a musical, now what? Navigating the readings, workshops, productions, directors, orchestrations, music publishing, agents, licensing, can make writing it seem like the easy part. What are some best strategies for creating a workable path for your new piece. And what can you reasonably expect along the way?
FREELANCE ARTIST MANIFESTO with Marlo Hunter
8 Weeks - February 6 - March 26
Tuesdays 1:00pm - 3:00pm ET
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
Led by award-winning Theater & Film director, Marlo Hunter, The Freelance Artist’s Manifesto (“FAM”) Boot Camp provides creatives with mental and practical tools for mastering life as a freelancer. This workshop takes the mystery and fear out of life as an artist, helps you address mental blocks, learn how to utilize your multiple assets, and avoid the most common pitfalls that hinder artists and create unnecessary doubt. You will be armed with logistical knowledge, laying a firm foundation for networking in your field, creating a healthier relationship with self-promotion, managing your finances, filing your taxes, and building a concrete map of action for pursuing your dream. FAM will ensure you emerge informed, focused, and ready to pursue your passion. It’s the stuff no one takes the time to tell you, that you absolutely need to know!
ADVANCED COMPOSITION TUTORIAL with Andrea Daly
7 Weeks - February 7, 21, 28, April 3, 10, 17 and 24
Wednesdays 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Online
ABOUT THE CLASS
The Advanced Composition Tutorial is designed for composers who are ready to take their work to the next level. Prerequisites include composition experience and a solid working knowledge of music theory; students should be familiar with fundamentals of tonal harmony and harmonic functions and should be able to notate their own composition to share with the class using notation software such as Sibelius or Finale. Given the nature of musical theatre, we will be crafting music that furthers story and character; however, within that context, all musical styles are welcome and encouraged. Over the course of the spring semester, Andrea will examine your writing along with you, and together we will look for avenues to expand and hone your skills, clarify your choices, and strengthen your voice. You will have opportunities to learn from work that your classmates produce as well. Our semester goals are to complete a significant writing project for the course, as well as to make significant progress on a writing project (or projects) that you are creating outside the course. Thus, it is a definite benefit to you if you have an ongoing musical project on which you are interested in receiving feedback. (Having an external project is useful, but is not a hard requirement, as Andrea can always assign additional in-course work.) Our work will typically involve lyrics, whether written by you or by another collaborator of your choosing. Besides exploring how your music engages with these lyrics, we will be examining harmony, structure, melody, rhythm, and above all, how each musical choice you make can serve the drama at hand: we are composers, but truly we are storytellers. If you have an existing background in theory and composition and are looking to hone your writing, this course is for you.
Where are we located?
All of our in-person classes take place at the Dramatists Guild of America at 1501 Broadway, 7th Floor, Suite 710 Mary Rodgers Room. We are centrally located in Midtown Manhattan with easy access to all major subway lines.
Not in NYC? No problem. All of our classes are offered with the option of joining us virtually.
Interested in multiple classes?
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS
For 1 class, we offer 10% off
For 2 classes or more, we offer 15% off
For 3 classes or more, we offer 20% off
Are you an alumni? We’ve got a code for you too.
Email us for details.
*Please Note: the disount will not show up below the subtotal on your shopping cart. Do not be alarmed, when you click checkout the discounts will be applied.