Phantom of the Music Room

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIqX4ueyAZw

Relating to the readings for class today, this is a "musical".  However, it isn't your typical musical.  

Phantom Of The Music Room

From Alfred Music Publishing

A Musical For 2-Part Voices

by Janet Gardner

Who or what is that shadowy figure playing the piano in the school music room after dark? Several students and Deputy Barney set out to solve this musical mystery with surprising results. Phantom Of The Music Room features six songs with clever texts set to musical classics by Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, Dvorák, Sousa, Grieg, and others. (30 minutes, Grades 3 and up)  

http://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=1349#.UWbpQb_v5LQ

I remember doing this in elementary school as an extra curricular activity.  In the youtube link, the music starts at around 2:50.  While the music itself is good, now that I look back on it with the ears of a future music educator, I realize that this may not be the best quality. In the video, the quality of singing isn't terrible, but at times, it seems that it is not in a great range for some of the guys who are singing both on and off stage.  There was obviously emphasis on the choreography, but it was not overdone to the point where it took away from the vocal line.  One thing that I am not a big fan of is the fact that much of the accompaniment was "can" music. While I understand that getting a pit orchestra or band together can be almost impossible, singing with a CD is never ideal.  Overall, if the school that did this had it as an extracurricular I think it is okay. If they did this in place of General Music, the administration/teacher should probably re-evaluate musical priorities.