Lyric sessions also have two parts to them: the global issue of how a character speaks through song as a storytelling device, and the more technical aspects of using words with music to convey a moment in a story.
These sessions tend to be more practical, because only in the choosing of a song moment, and in the finding of the character's thoughts, and in the shaping of the lyric can one really explore the nature of musical theatre lyrics and the storytelling purpose they serve.
'Musical theatre lyric' doesn't mean any particular style of music, though. As long as the song is intended to tell a story as part of a collaborative score, it's the kind of lyric addressed in these sessions. (Cabaret lyrics, stand-alone songs, pop songs, and even folk songs are a different animal.)
There are as many ways to tell one story through many songs as there are ways to tell a story through any medium. Most often, a combination of the unique attributes of the story, combined with the unique storyteller, serve to narrow the field of possibilities down and down until there can be only one structure, only one voice and, ultimately, only one word to fit the moment perfectly. The trick is in knowing how to whittle everything down to that perfect moment.
The tools of the trade are musical as well as lingual, but a knowledge of the technical aspects of music is not necessary for these sessions. Everyone has ane emotional appreciation of music, and that's all you really need.
But there are some technical aspects of lyric writing that are covered, from basic song structure through musical genres, to the choice of song moment, character language, the relationship of words and music, the technicalities of rhyme, and so on.
Ultimately, the greatest joy of a lyric writing session is finding your way into a character, a moment, until you reach a pinnacle in the story that cannot help but sing.
