New Era Academy

Musical Theatre Group

The Group Musical Theatre section of this syllabus provides learners with the opportunity to:

A group must contain a minimum of three persons and up to a maximum of twelve persons.

All selections must be performed from memory
Selections must be taken from published and recognised Musical Theatre works, and must be sung in English
Own compositions are not permitted
Learners must bring legible copies of the libretti to the examination for the examiner, and must adhere to all copyright laws
Unless specified in the individual musical, selections must be accompanied; this can be live or recorded, and must be arranged by the learner
Any pre-recorded backing tracks should not include vocals or vocal harmonies
Accompanists and sound operators are only permitted to remain in the examination room for the duration of the specific selection in which they are involved
The use of vocal amplification is not permitted
Full costume is not permitted, although a suggestion of costume and hand props are allowed
In line with current standard Health and Safety advice, all learners must ensure they are warmed up both vocally and physically before the examination
Teachers should ensure that the key of the song is within the learner’s comfortable range to avoid vocal damage. (Songs may be transposed from the original key to accommodate this.) Similarly, “belting” or “chesting” should be avoided unless the learner has received specific training in that technique
Should the examiner feel that there is a risk of damaging the learner’s vocal apparatus they have the right to curtail the examination