Studio Learning Platform Launches New Musical Theatre Focused Classes

Today, Studio (formerly known as Monthly), the online creative learning platform where students build skills in hands-on classes, announced the launch of two new musical theatre focused classes taught by in-demand songwriter Zack Zadek and Broadway music director Brian Usifer. These classes join the existing Studio roster of Broadway focused courses from Pasek & Paul, Idina Menzel and music hitmakers Ryan Tedder and Charlie Puth. 

In Zadek’s class Modern Musical Theatre Songwriting, students will learn everything you need to write musical theatre songs for today. Composer/lyricist Zack Zadek takes you into his studio and teaches you his entire step-by-step process for writing musical theatre songs — songs that infuse pop and indie sensibilities into compelling character moments. Follow along as Zack develops the first song from a brand new musical completely from scratch, and then coaches Broadway star Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill) on crafting a fully produced demo performance, explaining everything he’s doing along the way. 

“There are so many great educational programs out there for songwriters and musical theatre writers specifically (I’ve been honored to teach masterclasses at many of them like NYU, The Dramatist Guild, ASCAP, etc) but I’ve felt there’s a gap in learning about the process of fusing theatrical lyrics that move a story forward with the melodic and production forward approaches of modern songwriting. Whether you’re an experienced songwriter looking to write a musical, a musical theatre writer interested in bringing pop methods to your process, or a Broadway fan curious about how musical scores are made - this class is for you.” said Zack Zadek. 

In Usifer’s class Arranging Contemporary Musical Theatre, students will learn how to discover musical ideas that support and enhance the storytelling in the song. In this class, Brian takes you through his process of arranging contemporary musical theatre songs from the perspective of storytelling while combining modern pop production techniques. Follow along as he takes two songs from the composer's demo to fully produced, story-driven arrangements. 

Both classes are offering special launch pricing of $149 and $179 respectively until next Friday, June 23, and students can sign up for Zadek’s class at studio.com/zackzadek, and Usifer’s class at studio.com/brianusifer. 

Zack Zadek is a composer/lyricist, bookwriter, and songwriter signed with Warner/Chappell. As a musical theatre writer, Zack was named by Playbill magazine as “a contemporary musical theatre writer you should know” and won the Weston New Musical Award for his show DEATHLESS which had its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2017 directed by Tina Landau (The SpongeBob Musical). He is a two time MacDowell Fellow in addition to residencies at Yaddo, UCross, VCCA, and the Dramatist’s Guild Foundation. A three-time Kleban Prize and Jonathan Larson Award finalist, he received the inaugural New Voices award from NMI/Disney Imagineering. Zack is currently writing musicals under commission from Ars Nova, Jill Furman (Hamilton), Arena Stage, Manhattan Theatre Club, and has several film/television projects in development. As a pop songwriter, he has co-written songs with artists on every major label group including Tate McRae’s single Slower, which has been certified gold and streamed over 150 million times. Other collaborations include Lauv, FLETCHER, Kiesza, Sara Kays, Boyce Avenue, and more. His songs have been featured in primetime shows including The Bold Type, ads for Wells Fargo, and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC. His first studio album will be released this fall on Warner Records. 

Brian Usifer is a New York City based Arranger, Orchestrator, Music Director, Pianist, Producer and Composer. As an orchestrator and arranger, Brian's projects have included A Beautiful Noise: the Neil Diamond Musical on Broadway, The Heart of Rock and Roll with music by Huey Lewis at The Old Globe, Swept Away with music by The Avett Brothers at Berkeley Rep, Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money with music by Motown legend Lamont Dozier at The Atlantic Theatre, May We All featuring the music of Florida Georgia Line and other country stars, Afterwords at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Into the Wild by Niko Tsakalakos and Janet Allard, A View From The River by Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott, Fantasy Football: the Musical?, by David Ingber, Pool Boy by Niko Tsakalakos and Janet Allard, The UnCivil War by Rick Kunzi, Barnstormer by Douglas Cohen and The First Snow by Niko Tsakalakos. Additional shows in development include Galileo featuring music by Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak with a book by Danny Strong, and Hearts Beat Loud by Ngozi Anyanwu and Niko Tsakalakos. He was the Music Director of Disney’s Frozen on Broadway and he is currently the Associate Music Supervisor of The Book of Mormon on Broadway.

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