Project by: Jack Trowbridge (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Nick Wight
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Ann Carroll

Description of the Project:

For this project, I played guitar in the “pit band” for LREI’s production of “Footloose.” To prepare, I studied 5-6 songs from a book of sheet music, focusing on accurately reading melodies and refining my picking technique. The reading was very challenging because although I had been playing guitar for three years, I hadn’t learned to read treble clef until this summer. Nick and I met every Monday during X-Block to go over the music, which was especially beneficial because he played drums in the show. On the week of the performances, I attended three dress rehearsals, where I met the professional musicians playing in the “pit band.” We performed the show four times: once on February 27th, once on February 28th, and twice on February 29th.  

Final Product:

Audio from “Somebody’s Eyes,” in which I played sparse guitar and conga.

 

Final Reflection:

Playing guitar in “Footloose” was an invaluable experience for me as a musician and as a member of the LREI community. It was my first big opportunity to improve my reading skills, and having to rely on written sheet music exposed some of the little flaws in my technique that I would not have noticed otherwise. Developing a relationship with the other musicians in the band gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to work in a professional production, and working alongside the cast made me feel part of a music community larger than just instrumentalists. 

Finally, being part of this show allowed me to appreciate music for what it is, not what I want to sculpt it into. Initially, I disliked the “Footloose” music for being cheesy (which it absolutely is). But after playing the show seven times, I still find myself jamming out to “Holding Out for a Hero” or “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.” I grew to recognize the music’s sincerity and its suitability for the narrative. Overall, instead of just playing for myself, I was playing in service of a story much larger than any one person in the room. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to become a more selfless musician and active LREI community member. 

Progress from Weeks 1-3:

I began by studying the opening number, “Footloose/On Any Sunday.” It was the only piece that I was specifically required to play on, and the studio version was over seven minutes long. Thus, I predicted it would be one of the more challenging pieces. On top of that, the opening riff to “Footloose” is so recognizable that if I didn’t learn it well, the audience could easily recognize a mistake. After hours of practicing the opening riff to a metronome, I was able to play it in time and with the essential “rock and roll” vibe to match the tone of the show.  

The second half of the piece, “On Any Sunday,” was easier than I expected. Much of the song was cut, and many of the remaining parts were either rests or single-note passages. Although the rhythms were simple, I initially had to write letters above the corresponding notes because I was not used to reading sheet music. 

Progress from Weeks 4-6:

At this point, I was comfortable enough with the opening number to move on to the others, beginning with “I Can’t Stand Still.” In retrospect, perhaps I should not have dedicated so much time to the opening number because “I Can’t Stand Still” was much more difficult rhythmically. The main riff looks like this:

As seen from the pencil markings underneath the score, I had a lot of trouble reading the rhythm. The studio recording was not very helpful because the guitarist was playing something much different than what was written for me. It took me a while to be able to count the sixteenth-note rhythm cleanly, and Nick’s experience with reading rhythms was very helpful.

Although I eventually mastered the main riff to “I Can’t Stand Still,” the number featured a passage that I never fully mastered. It looks like this:

The strange notation definitely shows that musical theater composers have a knack for poorly writing guitar parts. I practiced this passage many, many times at slower tempos, but I never really found a position on the fretboard that would allow me to hit every note. I opted to mainly accent the downbeats and the resolution to G.

Although there were many challenging sections when learning “I Can’t Stand Still,” it was my favorite number to play. This was especially due to the ending, which had many bluesy, “colorful” chords to underscore the singer’s triumphant falsetto.

Progress from Weeks 7-9: 

I attended the dress rehearsals on February 24th-26th, in which I finally put the pieces together. Sections that didn’t make sense on paper were much clearer with the context of the vocals and choreography. I also got to meet the rest of the band, which consisted of another guitarist, a pianist, a bassist, and a horn/wind player (who played saxophone, flute, and clarinet). Playing with the professional guitarist, Matt, was very helpful because he opened my eyes to techniques and voicings that I would not have realized one my own. 

Since I was already familiar with the songs that I was assigned, I tried to approach as many of the in-between numbers as I could. I also played percussion on several of the songs, including the conga drum on “Somebody’s Eyes,” tambourine on “Holding Out for a Hero,” and (of course) the “bread shaker” on “Mama Says.” 

After three dress rehearsals, I was ready. The first few shows were a little bit rocky due to starting songs too fast, playing a bit too loud, and technical issues. However, each show built my confidence, making me less nervous and more willing to take risks such as sight-reading pieces I hadn’t previously studied in depth or adding more percussion flavor. The show on Saturday evening was my best by far, as I had already played the show six times.