For major network shows, you’re going to need a good, persistent agent and
a whole lot of experience behind you to get your music in those action/love/
flashback scenes. However, the world of cable TV is a whole lot more
approachable to the beginning or mid-level composer. Your locally produced
cable or public-access stations are good places to start. Their budget is likely
to be small or nonexistent, so you’re probably going to have to do a lot of
free work right off the bat — but people do watch these shows, and this is a
credit you can put on your résumé.
Scout out programs that you personally think are interesting or show great
promise and then call up the station and find out when those shows are
taped. You can then either show up in person on the day of the taping and try
to hand your demo CD to the hosts or actors of the show in person, or leave
a phone message and a copy of the CD in the program’s station mailbox.
Make sure you call back to confirm that they received the CD and to see if
you can set up an appointment with the people in charge of the program’s
music. Don’t be a pest, but be persistent. If you don’t hear anything back
within a reasonable frame of time, brush the dust off your jeans and go
knock on another door.
Local news programs are another place to try and place your music. Call
ahead of time and try to get an appointment with the music director. If an in-
person interview isn’t possible, try mailing a copy of your CD and a résumé
to the director. Always include your contact info (address, phone number,
email address) and follow up with a phone call about a week after sending
the demo.
Musical Theater ...........................................................................................
Musical theater is another area where your mastery of music composition can
be utilized. Generally, the composer writes the music, and a lyricist writes the
words, although it’s not unusual for one person to act as both composer and
lyricist. In most cases, composers leave the dances or underscoring to the
orchestrator and dance arranger. Only a very few people have succeeded as
both composer and lyricist as successfully as Noel Coward, Robert Meredith
Wilson, or Jonathan Larson. If you can find a good lyricist to partner up with
early in the game, you can save yourself a lot of hassle.
Most show tunes are written on an AABA structure, with a verse and a chorus/
refrain. The verse (A) sets up the premise of a song and helps move the story
of the musical along, and the chorus (B) states the main idea. For example,
consider the title song to Oklahoma!, where the verse begins “They couldn’t
pick a better time to start in life,” and says how happy the leads will be living
in a “brand new state.” The chorus starts with a joyous shout of “Ooooo-
klahoma,” and then sings the praises of that territory.
Chapter 21: Nine Career Opportunities for Composers ............................................
