A Composer on Conducting: An overview
One of the chief responsibilities of a band director while on the podium is to bring out the best performance in the players by focusing their collective energy to convey the artistic and emotional intent of the music. While there is considerable work done off the podium in terms of pedagogy and instrumental technique, band directors must be able to project what the musicians are to re-create in the performance. Before the first gesture for breath is given, band directors must carefully consider the repertoire they are attempting to communicate.
Two questions that must be on the mind of any director are 1) What will the director and ensemble take away from the music, and 2) What will they be able to give back or contribute? Over the course of an entire year of concerts and performances, it is vital that directors create a soundtrack in their mind to which there is authentic connection and inspiration that can be drawn (regardless of the technical difficulty!). While there are limitations to written notation, the decision of how best to communicate the various artistic, emotional and pedagogical components of the work can begin here.
Reimer (1991) offered up four characteristics to determine the quality of a piece of music which included craftsmanship, sensitivity, authenticity, and imagination. These qualities are essential characteristics that a director should use as they consider repertoire, although there are other considerations to be made as well (Repertoire Preparation – Weller, Simple Repertoire Selection – Weller, How do you pick repertoire? – Weller). While these aspects were intended to be used as barometers for the evaluation of repertoire, each have additional application to directors in the communication of the music through physical gestures from the podium with their ensemble.
Craftsmanship demands that directors exhibit dexterity as it relates to posture, patterns, and gestures. Sensitivity requires directors consider the emotional depth of the work and the entire range of feeling possible within the repertoire. The aspect of authenticity is demonstrated through the physical gesture and movement that the director chooses to show. Imagination is seen through how the director conveys the emotional character of the work through genuine gesture and movement that compliment and invite the ensemble to realize the artistic intent of the repertoire.
The posture of the conductor matters in their ability to communicate the music. With proper posture, the conductor portrays confidence in the players and full awareness of the artistic and pedagogical demands of the score (regardless of the level of the piece). Players within the ensemble have limited time to look up to the conductor for tempo, cues, and expression. By maintaining an upright and open posture, it is more conducive to provide the clarity, insight, and reminders in those brief moments in which the players are referencing the gesture of the conductor. An upper body that is free, open and relaxed may provide the best posture from which to communicate to the ensemble.
At the apex of any director’s posture is the face. The facial expressions of the director must be a reflection of the music’s character (sensitivity). As directors consider the emotional character of the music, it is often a good practice to imitate those gestures in a mirror so they are reflections of what should be heard in the music. The appropriate facial gestures complement and enhance the movements made by the hands as the music progresses. In a reciprocal fashion, the appropriate facial expression of the music can be further complemented by authentic and sincere movement and gesture in the rest of the body (authenticity).
The baton becomes an integral part of how the music will be expressed and shaped, including the character of the first downbeat, adjustments to articulation, and even an invitation to grow the expressive contrast of the ensemble in a given passage (craftsmanship). The baton should be used as often as practically possible. In matters of sensitivity, the baton is an essential partner with facial expressions in establishing a thoughtful first gesture to begin the music. Directors must be insistent that the ensemble respond to both the temporal and expressive dimensions established through the patterns utilized.
While the baton hand (right) is primarily responsible for coordinating time across the ensemble, the off-hand (left) has different responsibilities. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing cues, shaping dynamics, and showing releases for sections. Gestures and cues should help to communicate and coordinate the efforts of the ensemble to ensure that the music is presented appropriately. To a further point, gestures and cues from the off-hand communicate to other sections that something important has occurred, they should listen for it, and they should prepare for their future entrance or release. The off-hand is critical for inviting emotional and expressive response from the ensemble (imagination).
There are points in which a mirrored pattern may be necessary, but this should be utilized sparingly. Directors should be aware that repeated use of mirroring in the conducting plane will desensitize the ensemble’s ability to react to cues and gestures (sensitivity). The players in the ensemble have peripheral vision to notice changes in your conducting plane while still looking at their music. When the bulk of the conducting is done with mirrored hands, the communication of the music in the conducting plane is stagnant. By reserving the off-hand for cues, gestures, and shaping, the player will notice its entrance into the plane and recognize the reminder for expression or entry that it provides.
Cues can be provided to the ensemble through one of three ways, akin to how one might greet another person at a social event. At points, a person might greet a friend with a simple head nod. So, to can the director cue a section through use of a simple head nod or use of eye contact. In a more active section of the music, the baton hand might provide a cue for a section to enter. This is similar to greeting another person through use of a hand shake or fist bump. Others might greet a friend through a warm embrace to convey how pleased they are to see them again. This is similar to the off-hand inviting a section of the ensemble to return to the sound canvas in an impactful section of the music.
Patterns can be repetitive, and unintentionally restrictive. Every phrase is different in both its temporal and expressive dimensions. It is important for conductors to adjust their pattern accordingly to convey the true identity of the music. The field of the conducting plane is where the pattern resides and communicates the music. The pattern music be clear (craftsmanship), it must be distinct (sensitivity and imagination), and it must be appropriate (authenticity). Directors must adjust their patterns in a responsive fashion to communicate with their ensemble and bring about the best possible re-creation of the music in the score.
While these thoughts on conducting are not exhaustive, they are a departure point for a larger conversation about communication from the podium for directors. Directors may not have considerable time in their daily schedule to analyze their own conducting to compare against the thoughts and suggestions that have been stated here. A brief video recording of one’s own conducting could be shared with a trusted peer for critique and commentary. While self-evaluation is difficult for many directors, it may be helpful to collaborate with another director that shares a similar teaching context and compare conducting technique. Conducting is but one aspect of successful teaching in instrumental music, and similar to discussion on rehearsal techniques or studio pedagogy, will only improve through sustained conversation and self-analysis of one’s own work.
Reimer, B. (1991) Criteria for quality in music. In R.A. Smith & A. Simpson (Eds.), Aesthetics and arts education (pp. 330-338). Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
