Klarinet Archive - Posting 000519.txt from 2005/03

From: "Patricia A. Smith" <arlyss1@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] OT: good or bad conducting; was, Conducting without a baton
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 07:25:26 -0500

Tony Pay wrote:

>But to say, contra the world-class conductors who don't use a baton, that a
>baton is *necessary*, is stupid -- just as it would be stupid to argue that a
>baton is useless. There are good conductors, there are bad conductors. Some
>of the first group don't use batons, some of the second group do. And
>vice-versa.
>
>Now, if you wanted to talk about what good or bad conducting actually
>consists of, then that might be more interesting.
>
>
>
And this really is the *hitch*. What *does* good or bad conducting
consist of - on many levels, one could ask?

Now, as a teacher, and on a VERY basic basic level, I can answer this
rather well, IMO:

A good teacher/conductor shows music students (who are attempting to
play together as a band/orchestra for the very first time) a CONCISE
beat pattern. BUT not ONLY this...

S/he also helps them understand the relationship between what they are
seeing on the musical page, and what the conductor's right hand is
showing in front of them.

If the teacher has to go slowly for the students - as in, ONLY beat
patterns for a while - FINE. The idea is, in the very beginning, to get
them to play TOGETHER (Much more easily said than done - believe me,
I've done this - it's fun, but it takes time :)
A good teacher/conductor also teaches the students, a bit down the
road, once they have some "playing together under their belts", watching
the teacher/conductor's left hand for cues, and being able to do
crescendos/decrescendos as a group when indicated. This may happen
quickly or slowly, again depending upon how well the group as an
entirety picks up on things.

Now, again, a lot depends upon how students are taught in "your neck of
the woods". The reason I outline things here the way I do, is because
the majority of students in middle school band that I come across have
had NO private individual music lessons on an instrument, and are
learning the instrument AND music reading all at the same time.

I would be interested to read other folks' ideas with what constitutes
good/bad conductor/teachers (sometimes they ARE both, sometimes not),
and have some of my own as well (though I do plan to omit the names to
protect the guilty and the dead!)

Patricia Smith

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