A Comprehensive Musical Theatre Program

Mondays 5-6:30PM (Grades 1-5)
Mondays 7-8:30PM (Grades 6-10)
Classes begin September 9, 2024

• Fall 2024 Musical: PETER PAN JR (Grades K-12)

Please call 516-292-2777 to register.

Our Mission

To give our students the tools they need to be successful on and off Broadway by creating well-rounded and confident performers who excel at singing, acting and dancing.

Our Core Values

Musical Theatre at The Music Academy Foundation is Long Island’s only comprehensive program catering to students ages 5-17. The values instilled in our program inform our teaching method and the quality of our instructors. Each part of the program has been designed specifically to create exceptional performers in each main aspect of Musical Theatre: Acting, Singing, and Dancing.

Our core values include:

Music Literacy. Sight-reading, ear training, music theory skills and most importantly score reading and comprehension are emphasized. These skills are vital to becoming a successful Musician/Performer/Singer. The skill set and tools we teach our students help them to tackle even the most difficult repertoire within the musical theatre canon with ease and confidence.

Emphasis on Technique. Correct vocal technique is underscored through our program and includes teaching vocal health, breathing skills, proper diction, vowel placement and more. These aspects will be explored through age-appropriate repertoire, and in private lessons, which are designed to work hand-in-hand with the theatre classes. This ensures our students learn how to master their instrument and receive specific one-on-one training necessary for their unique voice.

A Diversified Skill Set. Our students are always audition-ready, whether it be for their high school musical, community theatre programs, or even Broadway.  In addition, we foster our students as they pursue and work within the Dramatic Arts. We provide assistance reviewing and creating the materials required to be taken seriously in any audition setting, including:

• Headshots/Publicity Shots 

• Resume 

• Self Tapes  

• College Recordings  

• Audition Prep  

• Cold Read Prep 

• And MORE!

Multiple Performance Opportunities. We strive to provide our students with multiple opportunities to put what they have learned into practice and help cultivate their stage presence and confidence. Throughout a typical school year, our students participate in a fully-staged musical, a scenes/cabaret concert, master classes with Broadway stars, dance workshops, acting classes, audition classes, summer camps, recitals and more. Recently, we have hosted a dance workshop with Corey Hummerston (dance director for Book of Mormon on Broadway), a singing/acting class with Telly Leung (Aladdin on Broadway), acting and audition preparation class with Nic Rouleau (Book of Mormon on Broadway, Hello Dolly touring show), a dance workshop with Terrance Spencer (currently appearing in Hamilton on Broadway), and an Audition Day with Shirley Faison (Carson Adler Agency).

A Higher Standard. In everything we do, we adhere to a higher standard. All of our instructors hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in music, most hold a Master’s and beyond. All of our vocal coaches are classically trained ensuring your child receives proper training from day one. Additionally, many have performed, toured and recorded internationally.

A higher standard also means that our performances are done at a professional level. Musicals are fully staged with a live pit band which mixes our faculty and talented students, full costuming, set design, professional lighting and sound, including body mics for performers. We do not cut corners with any of our productions, and have a large faculty presence to ensure the shows are enjoyable, and done at an extremely high level.

Our facilities also adhere to a higher standard. Our Main Campus (32 Nassau Blvd South) has nine lesson rooms which are sound-proofed and have Yamaha pianos. Theatre students rehearse at our Creative Arts Center (20 Nassau Blvd South) located just a few doors north of our main campus. This large facility is perfect for classes, workshops, staging our shows, and even serves as a black box theater.

Detailed Program Requirements

• Weekly Small Group Classes

  Our weekly classes are the core of our musical theatre program. Throughout the school year, students meet under the direction of our world-class faculty for 50 minutes each week. Classes are kept purposely small, include 2 instructors and take place at our Creative Arts Center, a large rehearsal/performance space located a few doors north of our main campus. Classes cover many topics including diction and basic IPA skills, scene study, monologue training, building a repertoire, song and character analysis, audition technique and etiquette, improvisation, vocal and acting technique, the use of active verbs, musical theatre history, and reading a musical score. In addition, students also rehearse for upcoming performances at this time.

• Fall  & Spring Musicals

  Students participate in two fully staged musicals during the Fall and Spring semesters. Our shows are held at Hofstra University's Fortunoff Theatre, and feature a live pit band, professional lighting and staging, professional costumes, props, and much more. Our Fall 2019 production, Beauty and the Beast Jr, featured two full casts (one younger cast and one older), with the younger class including ensemble members as young as five and lead roles as young as eleven.

• Workshops and Master Classes

  Throughout the school year and summer, students have many opportunities to participate in classes and workshops which cover a variety of important topics. Many times the classes are related to the musical or scenes being studied so that the content is relevant to what the students are learning at that particular time. We also hold periodic Audition Days, and recently had a representative from Carson Alder Agency (one of Manhattan's premier talent agencies for kids) audition and critique our students in a “real world” audition setting.

• Summer Day Camps & Musical

  We are currently working on our Summer Theatre Camp and will have more information soon. This year, we are presenting a caberet style show with performances at a Friday Night Promenade in Garden City.

• Headshot Day and Video Recording Services

  Each student enrolled in our theatre program can participate in a bi-yearly Headshot Day, where they have their photo taken by a professional photographer and experience what a real photo shoot for a performer is like. Students receive a world-class headshot which they can use for auditions, programs, and more. We also offer Self Tape services, and a full video production service which includes videos for auditions, college pre-screenings, and online resumes. In short, our program is truly comprehensive in every sense of the word