Yale Curriculum Initiative The Shen Family Foundation has provided the funding for the Yale University undergraduate musical theater curriculum ("Shen Musical Theater Curriculum") since the inception of the program in 2004. Developed and supervised by Professor Richard Lalli of the Yale Department of Music, the 2008-2009 curriculum will offer seven accredited courses in musical theater composition, musical theater book and lyric writing, and musical theater direction and performance, plus an eighth course entitled "Issues of Musical Theater."  The book and lyric writing courses are cross-registered with the Yale School of Drama and co-administered by Paula Vogel, professor of playwriting and chair of the Drama School's Department of Playwriting. The courses are augmented by a series of lecture/master class seminars given by guest professionals from the musical theater community. Past instructors in the musical theater program include: Victoria Clark, Joel Fram, Ricky Ian Gordon, Annette Jolles, Michael Korie, Tina Landau, Joshua Rosenblum, Vicki Shaghoian, Joseph Thalken, Richard Pearson Thomas and Anne Tofflemire. Instructors for 2008-2009 include Daniel Egan, Andrew Gerle, Annette Jolles, Michael Korie, Lonny Price, Joshua Rosenblum and Rachel Scheinkin. A principal goal of the curriculum, besides developing basic skills, is to encourage its students to challenge both their own creative limits and the boundaries of musical theater convention in their approach to musical composition, lyric and book writing, and direction and performance.