AN ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY OF MUSIC THEATRE RECRUITMENT

Objective: New musical theatre college programs are developed each year as popularity for the major continues to grow. While some literature is available detailing how to build curriculum for such programs, there is currently very little research on how such programs navigate the recruitment process. The purpose of this exploratory study is to dive into how one school attracts and recruits their musical theatre students. This case study, employing an ethnographic research design, may provide an understanding of the process(es) involved in this activity, and may serve as a resource related to successful and inhibiting factors in the recruitment process for future, fledgling, or fully developed musical theatre programs.

Methods: This case study will follow the recruitment work in a particular post-secondary musical theatre program for the course of a full recruitment cycle, from receiving applications and prescreen audition videos to sending out acceptance letters. Using an ethnographic approach, field research and data collection methods will consist of observations, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis of relevant documents and artifacts, such as the musical theatre program’s website, the university’s college application, and adjudicator audition notes. Data analysis will follow the qualitative technique of coding through reflexive thematic analysis, which will be filtered through the recruitment faculty’s process and perspective.

Results and Conclusions: The findings and conclusions may inform perceptions and paradigms related to the musical theatre recruitment process and inspire and inform future research and musical theatre recruitment practices.

Megan Richards, DMA Candidate, Shenandoah Conservatory
John R. Goss, III, PhD, Shenandoah University Professor, Research
Kathryn Green, DMA, Chair of Vocal/Choral Division; Director of Graduate Vocal Pedagogy Programs; Executive Director of CCM Institute; Professor, Voice