The Moment Before the Music Begins: A T.E.A.M. Approach to Song Study

For over twenty five years Lisa Campbell Albert and Bill Lynch have been collaborating on and in Musical Theatre; working in professional productions, conducting workshops, teaching song study, and coaching both professional and aspiring Musical Theatre artists. Over the years (and the occasional beers), they maintained an ongoing dialogue. They noticed that they were both almost invariably drawn to the same artists. So they asked each other the simple question “why?” What was it that these artists had, or perhaps more importantly, what was it that these artists did that compelled Lisa and Bill to both become involved with the song? While the question seemed simple, the answer seemed elusive. After much debate and discussion, eventually the answer became clear: Lisa and Bill understood why the artist was singing. That’s because the artist knew why they were singing. The need to sing arose in the artist long before the first chord of the song was struck, and was sustained until the final chord resolved. Lisa and Bill cared about why they were singing, therefore cared more about what they were doing in the song than how they were singing the song. In short, the need to sing began for the artist in the moments before the music began. Lisa and Bill set out to develop a vocabulary and a process that guides singers to discover their personal reason for why they are singing a specific song. Through a series of specific questions, the singer then develops a series of actions to play using the lyric, the melody and the accompaniment as tools to achieve an objective. This empowers the singer to make a song their own while honoring the given circumstances provided by the composer, lyricist and librettist. After years of testing and refining this process with students of all ages and levels of experience, Lisa and Bill are excited to share their T.E.A.M tm approach to song study.

Originally from Seaford, Long Island, NY, Bill Lynch received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from University of Maryland, College Park campus and his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in Sarasota, FLA. Recently, Bill retired as Professor Emeritus from the faculty of Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts. During his tenure, Bill taught acting, text analysis, vocal production, speech/dialects, and song study. Bill is a recipient of the William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching. Originally from Belleville, IL, Lisa Campbell Albert received her Bachelor of Music from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL and her Master of Music from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. Presently, Lisa serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor on the faculty of Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts where she teaches song analysis and vocal coaching. Previously, she resided on faculty in both Performing Arts Dept and Music Dept at Washington University where she received the ArtSci Council Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Taylor Louderman made her Broadway debut originating the role of Campbell Davis in Bring It On: The Musical by Lin Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, and Amanda Green. She went on to play Lauren in Kinky Boots on Broadway, and most recently originated the role of Regina George in Tina Fey's Mean Girls on Broadway, for which she received a 2018 Tony Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Television credits include: 'Tami' on NBC's Kenan alongside Kenan Thompson, The Good Fight (CBS), Sunny Day (NickJr), Evil (CBS), Peter Pan Live (NBC), and High Maintenance (HBO). She is the co-founder of WRITE OUT LOUD Project: a nonprofit songwriting competition for new Musical Theatre songwriters. Taylor is a volunteer and Board Member at Ozark Actors Theatre in Rolla, MO where she participated in her first professional show at the age of ten. She teaches Musical Theatre workshops

Originally from Belleville, IL, Lisa received her Bachelor of Music from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL and her Master of Music from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. Presently, Lisa serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor on the faculty of Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts where she teaches song analysis and vocal coaching. Previously, she resided on faculty in both Performing Arts Dept and Music Dept at Washington University where she received the ArtSci Council Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Originally from Seaford, Long Island, NY, Bill Lynch received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from University of Maryland, College Park campus and his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in Sarasota, FLA. Recently, Bill retired as Professor Emeritus from the faculty of Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts. During his tenure, Bill taught acting, text analysis, vocal production, speech/dialects, and song study. Bill is a recipient of the William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching. Originally from Belleville, IL, Lisa Campbell Albert received her Bachelor of Music from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL and her Master of Music from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. Presently, Lisa serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor on the faculty of Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts where she teaches song analysis and vocal coaching. Previously, she resided on faculty in both Performing Arts Dept and Music Dept at Washington University where she received the ArtSci Council Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Taylor Louderman made her Broadway debut originating the role of Campbell Davis in Bring It On: The Musical by Lin Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, and Amanda Green. She went on to play Lauren in Kinky Boots on Broadway, and most recently originated the role of Regina George in Tina Fey's Mean Girls on Broadway, for which sh