Musical Improv Level Three

Musical Improv Level Three with Michael Lutton and Frank Spitznagel

Apply Class Days: Saturdays 3:30pm - 5:30pm (Applications due 1/15, notifications 1/17)
Begins: Jan 25, 2025
Ends: Mar 15, 2025
Price: $325

Check below to see the full schedule for each session, see if your class skips a week for a holiday, and check out the date and time of your class show(s).

Class Description


In this 8-week course you will build on what you learned in Musical 2 and expand your repertoire of narrative structures. You will learn how to do a Hero's Journey, a Genre Piece, and a Musical Monoscene in addition to the Fairy Tale. By the end of the course, you will have the skills and confidence you need to make each show a unique musical experience! 8 weeks of classes followed by THREE class shows. Prerequisite: Magnet Musical Levels 1 and 2 + Instructor Approval.

Applications Due: noon on Wed (1/15)
Notification Date: 1/17

Instructor: Michael Lutton

Michael has been a Magnet instructor since 2011. He has travelled the country performing in festivals and has taught workshops in Boston and Washington, DC. He has also taught several corporate and team-building workshops.

He began improvising in 2006, and was lucky to train with teachers such as Armando Diaz, Rachel Hamilton, James Eason, and Tara Copeland.

Michael currently teaches Level 1, Level 4: Monoscene, Musical Improv Level 1 and Musical Improv Level 3.

In addition to his teaching duties, Michael is the Director of the Musical Improv Program at the Magnet.

Instructor: Frank Spitznagel

Frank Spitznagel is the Musical Director at Magnet Theater and a piano accompanist who frequently plays for such improv groups as I Eat Pandas, Veal, The Made-Up Musical, Gusto, and many others. He is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano performance. His work can be heard on several studio recordings. Frank has composed for Comedy Central and the Aspen Comedy Festival. He accompanied Itzhak Perlman in an original jazz composition by Benny Golson at Lincoln Center. He also played the American premiere of The Hired Man Off-Broadway. He has been musical director for productions such as Nunsense (all incarnations), A Chorus Line, Chicago City Limits, and several original musicals.

Full Session Schedule


Session Schedule*

  1. Jan 25, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  2. Feb 1, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  3. Feb 8, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  4. Feb 15, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  5. Feb 22, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  6. Mar 1, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  7. Mar 8, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)
  8. Mar 15, 2025, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
    at Michael Howard Studios - Studio 2
    (152 W. 25th Street, 10th fl)

Show Schedule*

  1. Mar 21, 2025, 6:00 PM
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  2. Mar 28, 2025, 6:00 PM
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  3. Apr 4, 2025, 6:00 PM
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  4. *scheduling subject to change