Published: May 08, 2009 11:05 pm      

The right direction: Teacher guides students through musical productions

The musical “Jekyll and Hyde” has transformed Christopher McAllister of Indiana from a high-school junior playing a role into a 23-year-old director who has control of all the parts.

McAllister is musical director of Greater Johnstown High School’s production of “Jekyll and Hyde,” which will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the school’s auditorium.

While attending Laurel Valley High School, McAllister acted in “Jekyll and Hyde,” playing the role of John Utterson, Jekyll’s lawyer and friend.

“This is what decided me on music as a career,” McAllister said while taking a break from preparing for Greater Johns-town’s run of the musical.

“Laurel Valley had turned down a larger show, and a friend of mine who was taking voice lessons had music from ‘Jekyll and Hyde,’ and I enjoyed it.”

McAllister and his friend convinced an adviser the show would be perfect for the school to do.

“It will always hold a special place for me,” McAllister said.

“Jekyll and Hyde” is something of a departure for Greater Johnstown, whose musicals are usually of the big, classical variety featuring jazz or pop music.

“This is a different style of show than what Johnstown has done,” McAllister said. “The time period is the 1880s, and it’s more serious. It has a classical-sounding score.”

In addition to serving as musical director for “Jekyll and Hyde,” McAllister served in the same capacity for Laurel Valley’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” in March.

“This was a smaller show and cast,” McAllister said. “There was a demand on each performer with their own vocal line.”

McAllister has taken on double duty – directing for the two schools for several years.

He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2008 with a degree in music education, concentrating on the French horn with a minor in organ performance.

“My intention was to be a band teacher, but I had taken an interest in musicals,” McAllister said. “The first time at Johnstown, I only played piano for ‘Anything Goes.’ Something clicked when I put the two together.”

At Laurel Valley, where he had performed in musicals throughout high school,

McAllister started in the orchestra pit and teaching singing before becoming music director.

In 2006, McAllister applied for the position of music director at Greater Johnstown and has been in charge of the school’s musicals since then.

For both schools, McAllister has to look at the show’s budget, see how many musicians are available and decide whether to use all high-school students or bring in professionals to help.

“I always like to feature high-school students,” McAllister said. “It’s their show.”

With pits getting smaller with the use of computers and keyboards, McAllister said each musician is required to play two to three instruments, quite a demanding task for a less experienced player.

“If the pit is of high quality, the singers have an easier time,” McAllister said. “If you give attention to the pit, it helps the actors to sing and get into their character.”

For “Jekyll and Hyde,” McAllister will get help from local music teachers and members of Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.

McAllister explained that with high-school musicals, a group of directors picks the shows, making sure they are appropriate.

“Everyone would like to do ‘42nd Street,’ but you have to make sure you have the tappers,” McAllister said. “It’s not just about what the director wants to do. You have to pick the right show that makes the students look better. To be good for them, you don’t want it to be easy. It needs to be challenging. It should be a learning experience.”

McAllister described the course of a musical as going slowly up a ramp – tossing around ideas of which show to do, what cast is available and what their vocal ranges are.

“It picks up like a snowball going downhill,” he said.

“Everything is happening at once, and I have to remember everything that was changed, all the details. You want to make the students look as good as possible. It’s for them. The performance is the best part.”

Because he started on his musical career while still a student at IUP, McAllister has had some rough times as a teacher, especially with his underclassmen at Laurel Valley.

“I like to think that being younger, I can connect with the kids,” he said. “We can reach an understanding on different topics since our ages are close, but I do require that they behave like students, because I am the teacher.”

On his resume, McAllister’s stated professional objective is to provide music and music instruction to students in all grades and to enrich their education, experience and lives by teaching the power and influence of music, the universal language.

McAllister has considered going to New York City to become involved in professional musical theater, but he enjoys working with students in a school setting.

“I like teaching, and I like music,” he said. “I like a five-day rehearsal week so I can get as many students as possible.

“It’s challenging to put together a schedule to balance athletics, academics and community activities.”

Rehearsing a play is an after-school activity for the students, and McAllister admires their dedication, intensity and talent.

“I enjoy working with them,” he said. “They want to be there.”

McAllister likes to use a collaborative process while directing, but it is his job to make sure deadlines are met and everything happens at the right time.

“It’s music that dictates the show in the end,” he said.

Because he lives in Indiana, McAllister spends the mornings before late-afternoon rehearsals doing paperwork or visiting at his parents’ Seward home.