What Music Theory Do Musical Theatre Performers Actually Need?

I have a degree in music theory. I do not think musical theatre performers need a degree in music theory. Honestly, I don’t even think most performers need half of what gets taught in a traditional theory curriculum. You probably do not need to analyze a Bach chorale before your 10 AM dance call. You need the concepts that actually come up in the room.

So, what music theory should a musical theatre performer know?

At minimum, you should be able to look at a piece of sheet music and make some sense of it. You should know how measures work. You should understand basic rhythm. You should know what a key signature is, even if you cannot identify every key on sight. You should know enough musical vocabulary that a music director can give you a note without having to translate it into another language first.

That is a much more realistic goal than “learn music theory.”

A lot of performers have a weird relationship with music theory because they have only encountered it in one of two ways: either somebody explained it like they were teaching a conservatory theory class, or nobody explained it at all.

Then you get into a music rehearsal and hear:

“Let’s take it from 47.”

Cool. Where is 47?

Or:

“You’re coming in on the and of four.”

Also cool.

What does that mean?

There is nothing embarrassing about not knowing. You cannot magically know terminology you were never taught. But once you do know it, rehearsals get a lot easier.

So what actually matters?

For musical theatre, I would put the emphasis on reading a score, rhythm, pitch relationships, intervals, key signatures, time signatures, dynamics, and the vocabulary you hear in rehearsals. Yes, I know, that is still a decent amount to learn. But notice what is missing: you do not need to sit down and identify augmented sixth chords. You do not need to write four-part harmony. You do not need to know what somebody means by “modal mixture” to give a great audition.

Could those concepts be interesting?

Absolutely.

Are they the first thing I would teach an actor?

Absolutely not.

Music theory should make your job easier. That is my test. If knowing something helps you learn music faster, communicate better with a pianist, understand a correction, or feel more confident when somebody hands you a score, it is worth learning. If a concept has nothing to do with anything you are likely to encounter as a performer, it can probably wait. Music theory is a huge subject and you do not need all of it. You need the part that helps you do your job.