High School Musical: The Music in You

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Real-life teens bring HSM to the stage.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this documentary about real-life teens putting on a production of High School Musical airs in sporadic 5-minute "interstitial" installments (also available on DisneyChannel.com) -- just enough time to grab kids' attention before signing off and making them crave more, which might leave them frustrated. And if you're looking to soothe the HSM fever in your house, this won't help. That said, the reality-style show (which will culminate in a half-hour special) celebrates the cooperative effort required to put on a successful show, and the teen stars often comment glowingly about how the experience has changed them and introduced them to new friends they otherwise wouldn't have met.

  • Some jealousy/resentment and talk of cliques. On the upside, some teens say the cooperative effort between two rival high schools has bred teamwork and friendship among the cast members.
  • Not applicable.
  • Teens occasionally talk about flirting with the opposite sex and which of their peers are in serious relationships.
  • Not applicable.
  • No outright product-pushing, but the commercial-length interstitial episodes make heavy mention of the High School Musical name. Original cast members Monique Coleman (who plays Taylor) and Olesya Rulin (Kelsi) make a guest appearance in one segment.

What's the story?

Airing in brief installments between shows on the Disney Channel, the documentary HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSIC IN YOU follows two schools' real-life production of a stage adaptation of Disney's hit musical High School Musical. The program treats viewers to a backstage tour of try-outs, rehearsals, and opening night, and also shows how the theater can unite teens from different backgrounds. Brief interviews give some of the students, who hail from two rival high schools in Fort Worth, Tex., a chance to express their love of drama, their personal goals for the show, and their feelings about their castmates. Some episodes focus on particular aspects of the stage production process while other installments focus on the journeys of a select few key cast members. For some, landing a lead role is less a goal than an expectation; for others, just stepping from the stage crew into the cast is a major accomplishment.


Is it any good?

 

Seeing the process behind the show in The Music in You may inspire some young High School Musical fans to check out try out their own stage legs. The documentary also evokes hopeful messages about the unifying nature of drama by showing how these teens were able to set aside their previous judgments and school rivalry and create a cohesive cast and a stellar show.

But much of that may be lost on young tweens, whose patience for the show's disjointed nature will be as brief as the 5-minute installments themselves. Parents' patience, on the other hand, may be tested by the barrage of High School Musical branding...


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about whether this type of series -- short-form episodes that air unpredictably -- is fun or frustrating. Aside from the length of the episodes, is it different from "regular" TV? If so, how? Families can also discuss the idea of adapting High School Musical to the stage. How does your familiarity with the movie affect your impression of the "live" version? What other stories have you seen in both stage and movie form? Do you think it's more harder to act on stage or in a movie? Why? Tweens: Are you interested in drama? What movie role would you like to play?


This review was written by Emily Ashby
Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
 
i laugher
i realy like Troy he is so fine

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
realy good

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Great show! We look forward to each short and can't wait to see the docume

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Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
 
a must-read book for every 8 year old.
i defintely think this super short is such for an 8 year old kid like me.i think it should be shown often!!!!!!!!looooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeee iiiiiit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kid, 11 years old
April 9, 2008
 
a must read book for every age if they can read yet
i love high school musical but #2 they souldent show in schools cause they kiss at the end

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
HSM IS GREAT
Hsm (high school musical) Is Great For all ages Good Message and its great for kids and there parents i know i said for all ages but i say ages 7+ because some of the love seens

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Adult
April 13, 2009
 
the cats
hi damit

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This review was written by Emily Ashby
TV rating:NR
Network:Disney Channel
Cast:Lauren-Claire Poitevant
Genre:Reality TV

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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