Most Recommended
The Resources and Tools You Need to Succeed at Every Level
Welcome to the MusicalWriters.com Recommended Resources section, a curated list of the tools and websites we strongly recommend for helping you reach new goals both for your musical and for you professionally. Many of the resources listed here are considered crucial by our MusicalWriters.com community.
Before digging into the awesome resources I know and trust, an important disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
Writing Tools
Final Draft
Script Writing Software
Trust me, having your script formatted correctly matters significantly to producers, artistic directors, and contest and award judges.
Having the templates built in is a huge time-saver, and the scene inspector, beat board, story map and tagging capabilities make it easy for writers to track particular story elements. Final Draft’s improved collaboration tools also allow writing teams to work remotely in real time and able to edit drafts simultaneously.
The Ultimate Musical Writer's Planner
Idea to page to stage workbook
The Ultimate Musical Writers’ Planner is a central location to brainstorm, develop, plan and calendar all of the exciting things that go into creating a new musical!
You’ll find guides on outlining story structure and character development, charts for determining vocal ranges and rhyme patterns, checklists for readings and marketing, goal planning sheets, a 12-month planning calendar, and much, much more. It’s the ULTIMATE planner and workbook to take you from concept to stage.
Rhymezone
Online Rhyming Dictionary
Find rhymes, synonyms, adjectives, and more!
Rhymezone is a completely free online rhyming dictionary that I use every time I write a song. It’s simple, powerful, and comprehensive. They also have a great iPhone app they’ve developed to keep rhymes (and thesaurus) at your fingertips.
Also recommended by our writers: Crossword Solver Word Lists
Composing Tools
Finale
Music Notation Software
We love the Finale’s shortcuts, plugin options, hyperscribe abilities, and the ease of seamlessly sharing files with other music professionals using the same software.
Finale offers a 30-day free trial, as well as an incredible academic ($350) and student discount ($99!!).
Marketing Tools
Reed Creative Group
#1 for WEB and GRAPHIC DESIGN
Kinsta
#1 for WEB HOSTING
Thinking about building a website for your show? My preferred hosting provider is Kinsta for my musical clients, my professional design clients, and MusicalWriters.com!
Yes, they are a little pricier than your discount-store type hosting companies (bluehost, godaddy, etc.), but trust me—you’re going to either spend a little money to PREVENT the problems, or alot of money to FIX the problems (read: hackers, security, server downtime, lack of service). And all of their sites include an SSL certificate (yes, you need that).
Brown Paper Tickets
Online and Paper Ticketing
Their system is super easy to use. You can create unique discount codes and custom pricing for different groups as well as order high-quality paper tickets for your event. And your ticket-buyers have the option of downloading paper tickets, using a digital ticket, or free ticket printing and shipping direct to their door.
