QuaverEd is a leader in elementary and middle school education, offering curricula in general music, student success skills, health, and physical education. As such, the organization has the expertise to explain how school cultures transform when embracing both students and teachers.

In what follows, we will be tracking the story of the musical. The journey will give a “behind the curtain” look at what it takes to make a successful musical.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

The story of the musical starts in the Fall of 2021. David Mastran was looking for a way to differentiate the QuaverReady program from countless other competitive offerings. QuaverReady is a standards-aligned PreK–8 curriculum that provides songs, lessons, and activities for educators to teach students the skills for success in school and beyond. Professional development is also included for teachers and administrators.

Dr. Mastran reported, “I originally got the idea for a musical to show how our QuaverReady program could change entire school cultures. Why not explain it with songs in a musical?”

After reading several books on writing musicals, he selected 25 songs from the QuaverReady curriculum and crafted a plot, revising lyrics to fit the storyline. 

Having no formal training in the arts, he sought feedback from Quaver staff, family, and friends. He showed the first drafts of the script to Graham Hepburn (VP of Content), Jonathan Nesta (VP of Production), and Cliff Bond (Director of Audio). The team was cautiously optimistic, knowing this would be a considerable undertaking, but excited to see what could come from it. 

Over the next two years, the musical One Step at a Time slowly began taking shape. The story revolves around Mrs. Jackson, a school counselor determined to transform her children’s school culture.

Song Preview: Change

“The initial reviews were harsh but constructive and necessary,” he said. At this point, he hired a theatrical consultant in Los Angeles to review the script and songs. Elise Dewsberry reviewed the musical three times about six months apart. Each time, Dr. Mastran revised the musical based on her suggestions while Cliff Bond’s team edited, recorded, and produced revisions of the songs.

Mr. Bond said, “Some songs are on version 20 now.”  There is no end to untangling the complexity of a two-hour musical.

Table Read from March 2023

In March 2023, a Table Read took place, where Quaver employees read the script. The exercise yielded over 40 additional improvement suggestions. The team continued to refine dialogue and ensure logical flow, emphasizing the importance of “showing, not telling.” 

After all these revisions, Dr. Mastran had exhausted his ability to make further improvements and decided to seek additional help. In Chapter 2, we’ll see what he did.