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Words of Wisdom from Composer Mitch Leigh

Composer Mitch Leigh brought a sense of humor and a whole lot of wisdom with him to Ranney School’s campus on March 5, 2013. He was here to talk to approximately 100 performing arts students, including the cast and crew of the upcoming Upper School Musical “Man of La Mancha.” Leigh was the original composer of the Tony award-winning “Man of La Mancha,” which he wrote in the early 1960s.
 
A self-proclaimed dreamer and Brooklyn native, Leigh said he experienced the same plight of many struggling artists in his early career, but went on to hone his musical craft at Yale University, obtaining a Bachelor and Master’s degree in music under the mentorship of German-born American composer and conductor Paul Hindemith. After the worldwide success of the award-winning score of “La Mancha,” he composed and directed several other plays, including the 1985 version of the “King and I” starring Yul Brynner.

Leigh’s message for the emerging artists of Ranney was three-fold: knowledge, craft and honesty. He echoed those three words throughout his 40-minute talk with the students, who wanted to know how they too could forge a successful path in the musical arts. Leigh emphasized that knowledge and craft are must-haves for any Broadway hopeful and that such aptitudes must precede talent, for talent alone, according to Leigh, is not enough.

“You can only expect to get lucky or fall on good fortune once—the rest is up to you,” said Leigh. He encouraged students, therefore, to study, to work hard and to think things through. He also urged students to do what they believe in and to follow their true selves. “The dream is important,” he said.

Leigh went on to refute the myth that artists don’t need intelligence, pointing to his Yale degrees as examples, and told students to extend their talent as far as they can go. “If you can hit an E, go for the F sharp,” he advised. Of particular interest, Leigh told the audience that writing the infamous song from “Man of La Mancha”—“The Impossible Dream,” only took him about 10 minutes. “It was easy to write, it almost wrote itself. But ‘Aldonza,’ that’s the truly great song of the play,” he said. That was the song that showed craft and knowledge and honesty, he noted.

“Time is short,” concluded the 85-year-old musical icon at the end of his talk. “What are you going to do with it?” he challenged the audience. It was clear that for Leigh, he has spent every day of his life pursuing his dreams, and has no intention of stopping. His latest project involves developing Jackson Twenty One: A Dream Village, which aims to create a community for artists in Central New Jersey.

Upper School students will perform “Man of La Mancha” in the RSPA Panther Hall on March 7, 8, and 9 at 7:00 p.m. The five-time Tony Award-winning show is being directed by John Doyle, with musical direction by Tess Nielsen and Kevin Cotter.
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.