An Interview with Musical Theatre Arts Director Angela Beaton

by Alice Hamlet, Associate Director of Marketing

Wharton Music Center

How long have you been the Director of Musical Theatre Arts at Wharton Music Center?

I have served as the Director of Musical Theatre for two years and am in my first year serving as Director of Musical Theatre Arts at Wharton Music Center.

Tell us about your background in voice and musical theatre. How did you get started in the performing arts?

I have been singing since I was in competitive choirs in high school. I stated off with piano lesson at age 5, and ballet classes. I began drama studies in high school and performed in my school's musicals and dramatic productions. During and after high school I continued dance training in Manhattan in many different styles, including ethnic and world dance, and studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. I continued my performance training and education by pursuing a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Voice. I began to love teaching during my numerous vocal pedagogy classes and decided to make that my main career focus. I traveled to France as a vocal instructor for the Franco American Vocal Academy as one of their primary instructors in French Mélodie during while in graduate school. As part of the Franco American Vocal Academy faculty, I performed solo recitals in the French Mélodie and Cabaret styles. 

I have been an active instructor of voice for over ten years, teaching in various community music schools including the Mason Gross School of the Arts Extension Division at Rutgers University. I served as the Director of Drama and Musical Theatre at the Allegra School of Music and Arts summer camp, during which time I directed and choreographed three to four shows each summer. During my graduate studies, I developed a strong interest in vocal health and vocology as they relate to singing and speech. In addition to my own pedagogical resources, I completed levels 1 and 2 of the Estill Voice Training method, a method that stems from scientific research of the vocal mechanism and uses exercises similar to those implemented by speech language pathologists. This training is applicable to all styles of singing, from opera to musical theatre, pop, and jazz and also assists professional public speakers. I was invited to lecture at the Mason Gross Extension Program on various vocal subjects during the summer of 2011. 

My approach to vocal pedagogy is holistic. I am an avid yoga practitioner and am currently pursuing certification as a yoga instructor. I plan to use this knowledge to assist my students in understanding their physical and energy alignment as it relates to singing and speech.

  

The Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition is coming up on February 8. Can you tell us a bit about the competition?
This is a wonderful event which gives young singers a platform to perform in a friendly competition, and is divided by age into two divisions. The junior division ranges in age from 9-13 and the senior division ranges in age from 14-18. There are a maximum of 16 students total in the competition, which is performed for a public audience and a distinguished adjudicator. 

Winners of the 2012 Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition Senior Division

How do you think competitions fit into a voice student’s overall performing arts education?

Any performance opportunity gives students the ability to put their studies into action on stage. The Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition gives students measurable feedback on their vocal arts progress by way of written comments from the adjudicator and the opportunity to win prizes and trophies. We provide a professional recording of the event to each student, allowing them to listen and learn from the experience. This recording can also be used as a demo recording for audition purposes. 

What do you hope the competitors take away and/or gain from the competition?

Many student begin to sing because they want to find a outlet for vocal expression. Many are terrified of performing in front of an audience, and only through public performances are able to break through the barriers and limitations created by this fear. I hope each competitor feels a sense of encouragement, challenge, and accomplishment after participating in the competition. The trophies are also really cool!

The WMC Musical Theatre Arts Department has a series of performances coming up in January. What are you most excited about seeing from your students this month?
I am extremely excited to see the artistic growth and development from many of my students who began with me in 2011! We have so many dedicated, talented and disciplined students who have blossomed through the years by taking our classes and passionately applying what they have learned in class to their performances. 

Wharton Music Center students in a past performance of Cats

Which show do you think demonstrates the greatest growth from the WMC students?

Definitely The Little Mermaid--we have students in The Little Mermaid who started at WMC four years ago in the youngest Broadway Kids Musical Theatre classes and now are in the advanced class. They have shown such growth and discipline. It will be  a very special performance!  

Which show was the most challenging for the students, and why?

Each performance has its share of challenges, but I would say that The Little Mermaid is the most challenging in terms of it being a junior level show with a difficult score arrangement, set and costume design, and script length. Many of our students are actually doubling or tripling character parts because the cast for the show is so large, and we only have 12 students in our production.

   

Are there any other exciting developments that we can look forward to from the WMC Musical Theatre Arts Department?

We are planning to have a new course offering starting in Fall 2015 which will be a by audition only, the Advanced Musical Theatre Conservatory. The program will meet weekly for two hours for 18 weeks. Students will be accompanied by a live band of student musicians, who will learn the score of the musical to be performed by the Advnaced Musical Theatre Conservatory with performances at the culmination of the course. Stay tuned…

Wharton Music Center is pleased to host the Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition each year to showcase the vocal talent in the north-central New Jersey region. Up to 16 students are provided the oppurtunity to sing in all styles for a distinguished adjudicator in a public performance and receive written comments. Singers gain audition performance experiences in a supportive environment as well as the opportunity to win cash prizes, tuition credits and trophies. A professional audio recording will be provided to each contestant.

The registration deadline for the Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition is January 25, 2015. The competition and performance will be held on February 22, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in Wharton's black box theater at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights. To register for the Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition, please visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.