Welcome to the MTR Repertoire Guide FAQ page! Here, you will find answers to many questions I frequently receive regarding my premium Repertoire Guides.
1. What is an MTR Repertoire Guide?
MTR Repertoire Guides are premium digital resources created by myself (Kevin Michael Jones). They are intended to point performers, teachers, coaches, etc. in the direction of great specific types of musical theatre repertoire. Locating unique songs that are appropriate for different ages/voice types can be challenging, so I have tried to make that process significantly easier by offering these dedicated guides to anyone interested. Guides come in the form of PDF documents. A listing of current available guides is available on the MTR store page.
2. How many songs are included in each guide, and what song information do you provide?
It depends on the guide in question, but I generally release each guide with either 300 or 500 songs. I always include the following information for each song: title, songwriter, tempo, type (comedic/dramatic), and sheet music location. From there, I will often include other practical information that I feel is helpful for the individual guide in question (i.e. character name/age, song style, voice information, etc.). Please always view provided sample pages before purchasing a particular guide.
3. What makes your guides unique from other songbooks/guides?
- My guides are more up-to-date than any other resource out there. The Contemporary MT guides even include songs from 2019 musicals.
- I hand select ALL songs in my guides. While I do use pre-existing songbooks and other resources as well, most of the songs I choose come from personally listening through cast recordings, solo albums, songwriter compilations, etc. I believe in going to sources directly when possible.
- I am a professional voice teacher and coach with years of experience and a master’s in Voice Pedagogy (Musical Theatre emphasis). I understand how to select and sort songs in practical ways that are appropriate for different performers.
- I provide the option of accessing recordings for most songs in my guides (via Spotify playlists). This means performers and teachers can actually HEAR what many of these songs sound like– rather than just looking at hundreds of song titles on a document with no audio reference.
4. How do you find the songs in your guides?
Very carefully. I listen through thousands of cast recordings from Broadway, off-Broadway, West End, etc. I also delve into musical theatre solo albums, composer compilations, and more. From there, I consult as many other available resources as possible to find the best songs for each guide.
5. Do I need a premium/paid Spotify account to listen to audio recordings on Spotify playlists?
No. You only need to sign up for a free Spotify account to listen to songs on my playlists. The sign-up process can be completed in minutes. SPOTIFY DISCLAIMER: Payments made on this site are NOT for the playlists/recordings themselves (which are free and accessible via a standard free Spotify account). Rather, payments are exclusively for my hours of service crafting and curating playlists. I claim no ownership over recordings and/or playlists. Availability of individual recordings in playlists is based on Spotify’s library.
6. Do your guides include PDFs of sheet music/scores?
No. Improperly sharing/distributing sheet music online is illegal. I do provide suggested sheet music locations for songs (i.e. specific songbooks, online stores like MusicNotes.com, etc.). At the beginning of each guide, I also provide an index of songbooks that I suggest purchasing to save the most money.
7. How much do your guides cost, and do you accept international orders?
It depends on the guide in question. The guides with 500 songs tend to be more ‘involved’ and time-consuming to create, so they are usually a bit more expensive. Please see each individual guide’s page for more information. International orders are accepted.
8. How are payments made, and do you offer refunds?
Payments are made securely via Paypal (international purchases accepted). I generally do not provide refunds except in very rare individual cases.
9. Can I share your guides and/or Spotify playlists with others?
We live in a digital age where things are constantly being shared online, but I do make the professional and personal request that my guides/playlists please NOT be shared with others without my express permission. If you know someone interested in my guides/playlists, please send them to this site. My ability to create further resources is completely dependent on funds I receive to support these projects.
10. Will you update these guides in the future?
Yes. Each guide includes an edition number (i.e. ‘First Edition’). These guides will continue to be updated at some point in the future. Stay tuned for more updates on that.
Have more questions? Feel free to contact me directly via the Contact Page. A listing of current available Repertoire Guides and Spotify Playlists is available on the MTR Store page here.
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