The Lived Experience of High School Musical Theater

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 76
  In Roundtable Session: Music Teachers and Music Students: Experiences and Beliefs

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a dissertation study that attempted to answer the phenomenological question what is the lived experience of rehearsing for and performing in a high school musical? Data was collected from five high school students throughout their participation in a production of South Pacific. After analysis, three primary themes were identified. First, high school musical theater is characterized by attempts to grapple with the skills of musical theater performance. Second, high school musical theater is characterized by essential and unavoidable social interaction. Third, high school musical theater is characterized by attempts by teenagers to assert independence and take ownership of artistic creation. These themes are used to make suggestions for both practice and future research.

Author

• Kary Haddad, Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School