Hi! I’m Joe!

Artistic Statment

I have been writing musical theatre for the past 10 years, and I have had the chance to learn from some incredible writers. I want to share it with you!

Learning how to write musicals can be extremely difficult. My goal is to offer low-cost, high-quality training to early career writers

*Oak Island: A New Musical
Book by Brandi Underwood
Music & Lyrics by Joe Barsanti

We will explore the tools that the modern musical theatre composer needs

  • Songwriting

  • Compositional methods

  • Musical dramaturgy

  • Working with lyrics

  • Creating a process

  • Basic demo production

  • Finding and applying to opportunities

I teach students at all levels of skill…

Maybe you’re a successful pop songwriter who wants to dive into the world of musical theatre…

…or you are a musical theatre fan who wants to write the musical of their dreams.

My teaching is “genre agnostic”

I want you to become the writer YOU want to be. Regardless of what genre you write in, or want to write in, we will explore the ways that you can use music to support and explore emotion.

What I offer!

One on One Musical Theatre Composition/Songwriting Lessons

Lessons tailored to you! We will explore the topics and shows that excite you, so you can learn to write the songs that support and motivate drama on stage. We start by writing dramatically motivated songs, and move on to writing song cycles, 10 minute musicals, and even full length shows!

  • $45 per hour, one on one training

  • Weekly or Bi-weekly (whichever works for you!)

  • Once you have material, I can help you find submission and performance opportunities

Musical development
for creative team

Are you part of a creative team?
Is your show not working, but not sure
how to fix it?

This is for you!

Whether you have a full draft ,or just a concept, I want to help you develop the show. Think of me as an accountability buddy who will hold you to a high standard.

  • $60 per hour for the full team

  • Monthly lessons/check ins

  • We will discuss how musicals are crafted, how to collaborate, and what to do once your show is finished

If you want to learn more, and find out if lessons are for you, reach out!

A note on A.I.

I know that writing music can be intimidating, and it takes a lot of trial and error. Every song I have ever written is the culmination of dozens of failures. While A.I. does have many useful applications, the creation of music is not one of them. We will not be using generative A.I. during lessons. If you believe you are unable to write music because of specific accessibility needs, please reach out.