You know those educational songs teachers made you sing along to in elementary school? One could describe “Hamilton: The Musical” as just that: a very long educational rap. But there is something special about this show– something that makes it more than just a history textbook condensed into a musical; something so unique that it was awarded Best Musical Album at the Grammy’s.

Hamilton opened in Broadway in August 2015. Based on the biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the historical musical encompasses the life and achievements of one of America’s founding father. The musical’s founding father both behind the scenes and onstage, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a prominent figure in the theatre community, known most for creating and starring in the hit musical In The Heights. The Hamilton soundtrack is mainly rapped, making the show very upbeat with very slow spots.

My friend at Cupertino High School, Sophia McDaniel, introduced me to the musical a couple months ago.  She began listening to the soundtrack while reviewing for her AP US History final and thought it would be “cool to listen to it while studying.” Needless to say, memorizing the lyrics to the soundtrack did help her on her final; thus proving its historical accuracy. Although apprehensive at first, she was quickly hooked– she rapped the entire opening number (as well as several other songs) by heart. After some thinking, she decided that her favorite song is “The Room Where It Happens,” a song sung by Aaron Burr complaining about not being invited to a dinner party to discuss the location of the capital and financial decisions.

I am an avid musical theatre fan; I participate and watch shows as much as I can. When clicking on Hamilton’s soundtrack, I did not know what to expect. Like McDaniel, I was quite apprehensive about it because I am a fan of more harmonic music. The four minute opening number blew me away; it was a quick summary about Hamilton’s life that introduced all the characters and conflict that Hamilton would later confront in the musical. The full ensemble and soloists entranced me during the big hits. As I delved deeper into the soundtrack, the energy of the music barely fell–besides a few slow numbers–and even included a rap battle between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. The lyrics were so catchy I secretly wished that the musical was written a couple years before so I could memorize them for the AP US History exam.

My favorite number is “Right Hand Man.” The song, set in the midst of the Revolutionary War, discusses how General George Washington chooses Alexander Hamilton over Aaron Burr to be his right hand man– albeit Burr offered his services. This event is one of the first moments that ignites the rivalry between Hamilton and Burr that eventually leads up to their duel. The song has the perfect mix of rapping and singing at the best head bobbing tempo.        The lyrics also emphasize the character’s back stories and motives that history textbooks usually do not emphasize. However, the song is hard to follow without seeing the musical acted out because so many people are talking at the same time, which made me want to watch the musical even more.

Hamilton: The Musical breaks all stereotypes of a typical musical and I would recommend listening to its soundtrack even if you do not like musicals. Miranda did an excellent job in weaving America’s past with music’s present. Unfortunately, the show was just scheduled for tour, so west coast fans like me will have to wait until 2017 to locally watch this award-winning show. However, the original soundtrack can be found on YouTube. I am extremely excited to watch Hamilton: The Musical in the near future.