At the end of tonight's rehearsal, we had completed four days of music rehearsal with four or five more to go.  And, much like the song we rehearsed tonight, "things are looking up!"

I got to work with most of the ensemble on the song "What's Up, Duloc?", which introduces Lord Farquaad and his perfect, plastic kingdom to the audience.  Aside from rhythm and notes, the point I really wanted to drive home was that the characters are Farquaad's "yes men" and love everything about Duloc because their fearless leader made them perfect!  This is another instance of character and emotion influencing music.  Not only does it change the tone of their voice, but it helps make the directions I give them easier to understand (why we have strong cut-offs, why we emphasize the consonants, etc.).  After we went through each section of the song rhythmically and musically, I reminded them to be as cheerful and upbeat as possible to give the song energy and make their performance more believable.  The difference was day and night; we had ourselves a happy little kingdom of dolls.  I give full credit to the cast for being patient and observant in order to learn the music quickly.

After working with the ensemble, I switched gears to work with the Three Blind Mice, who help Donkey coach Shrek on the art of romance in the song "Make a Move" (because, after all, love is blind).  The mice act as Donkey's Motown-esque backup singers, so there are lots of tight and soulful harmonies.  The three mice have a gorgeous blend, but finding notes when they're so close together proved a bit of a challenge initially.  What I did to help them hear the relationship between notes was to have one girl sing her line in a trouble spot over and over and over again, then I would add the two other girls.  Repetition is key for learning a part.  We did this several times to hear how everything fit together.  Another trick I used to help them go from note to note was to play the interval and associate it with a popular tune, like "Here Comes the Bride" or "Star Wars".  Once they recognized that tune, they found their notes faster and more confidently.

So, things are indeed looking up in Duloc!  I'm so proud of this cast and can't wait to see what else they have in store! 

                                                         You gotta make a move...