Michael Feinstein Advises on Interpreting Lyrics

Resource for Grades 6-12

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Michael Feinstein Advises on Interpreting Lyrics

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 5m 54s
Size: 21.8 MB

Source: Broadway or Bust

This media asset was adapted from Broadway or Bust.

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Collection Funded by:

Funding for Broadway or Bust was provided by the Anne Ray Charitable Trust and public television viewers.

Related Resources:

Acting in Vocal Performance
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Connecting Emotion to Lyrics
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Vocal Coaching
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Michael Feinstein, a well-known performer and expert on musical theater, coaches a student performer who is singing “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” a song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. In this video adapted from Broadway or Bust, Feinstein notes that for Ira Gershwin, with whom he worked, the words of the verse were as important as the words in the chorus. Feinstein also points out how key details, such as the alteration of a single word or a single pitch, can affect the interpretation of the song.

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Teaching Tips

Here are suggested ways to engage students with this video and with activities related to this topic.

Ask students to research the backgrounds of musical theater songs they are working on. If you wish, provide a sample template with spaces for brief biographies of the composer and lyricist, the date of the composition, the show the song was written for, and other details, as applicable. Alternately, you may ask them to research this information for “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” or another Gershwin song.
Have students choose a musical theater song they are working on or know well and listen to at least three different performances of the song. (Many performances are now available online on such sites as YouTube.) For each of the performances, ask students to write down what the focus of that song might be for that singer and what emotion it evokes in the listener. Ask them also to note how the focus and emotional character vary from performance to performance. (Students may be tempted to start their analysis with whether they liked the performance and how they would evaluate the quality of the performance. Instead, encourage them to focus on what the singer is trying to do with the song. You can model this approach for students first.)
Have pairs or small groups of students share their experiences working with (or as) accompanists. Points to consider include how to agree on a tempo, achieve balance, listen to one another during performance, and find common ground in the overall interpretation of a song.