Effective Conducting I Instrumental Conducting

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Effective Conducting IInstrumental Conducting

• SHUICHI KOMIYAMA
• MSU Symphony / Jazz Lab Ensemble
• E-mail BassoBasilio_at_yahoo.com

2008 MMEA Convention
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Effective ConductingRehearsing

• We will examine the most effective conducting and
  rehearsing techniques used in the three
  instrumental ensemble disciplines however, this
  seminar may contain intrinsic values to other
  conducting disciplines.
• Wind Band
• Orchestra
• Jazz Ensemble
• Applications to other areas of conducting

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QUESTIONS

• What is effective conducting?
• What is affective conducting?
• Is it accessible to all of us?
• Is it time consuming?
• Do you conduct with feeling or just beat the
  beats?

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Effective Conducting

• This is when you must prepare for each
  rehearsalso that you can be effective in your
  rehearsals.
  
• Effective Conducting happens before your
  rehearsals
  

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Affective Conducting
While Affective Conducting occurs during your
rehearsals.

• It is about affecting your ensemble or your
  audience in ways that they sense an
  understanding of your intensions. They must feel
  as if they feel ownership.
• If you do not have their attention and
  affection, you did not prepare effectively to
  affect your ensemble/audience.

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Define Affect noun or verb?

• Synonyms influence, impress, touch, move,
  strike, infect
  
• To produce a mental or emotional effect
• To affect is to act upon a persons emotions.
• To effect a change
• Act of effecting (consequence of being effective)

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Define Effectnoun or verb?

• Something brought about by a cause or agent
• The power to produce an outcome or to achieve a
  result
  
• The condition of being in full force or
  execution
  
• Something that produces a specific intention

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Effect-Affect Process

• Thought/Thinking
• TO
• Brainstorming (antecedent to effect)
• TO
• Searching for Effective Ways to Affect
  (Effecting)
  
• AND
• FINALLY TO
• AFFECT
• Influencing your intent to the larger masses

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Accessibility

• Is this seminar accessible to me? YES
• Can I really do this? YES
• Do I have support? YES
• Is it easy to learn and to implement? YES
• Why doesnt everyone do this? We try
• But we sayTry Not Do
• To do
• To do means that you must be organized,
  methodical and structured about your art

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UNO MAS

• To do
• To do means that you must be organized,
  methodical and structured about your art
  
• That is what will make this so accessible

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TIME Yes! you do have the time

• Do you pick substantial repertoire?
• and
• 2. Do you make the time to live with your
  scores? Do you know each one of your students
  ability and potential?
  
• If you dont make the time, this seminar will
  have inconsequential effects as well affects.

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Rate YourselfHow Do You Conduct?Beats
Patterns?

• Do you mostly beat the correct patterns but
  mostly just patterns? 1 pt. for YES 0 for NO
  
• Are your patterns mostly 2-dimentional? 1 pt. for
  YES 0 for NO
  
• Do you use the mirror often for your stick
  study? 0 for YES 1 pt. for NO
  
• Do you seldom record (video/audio)
  yourself/rehearsal? 1 pt. for YES 0 for NO

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RATING SCORE

• 0 You can lead this seminar
• 1 A very advanced conductor
• 2 You are on your way to the affect
  factor!
  
• 3 Were glad youre here!
• 4 We have to begin somewhere!

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Know Yourself!Conducting is also a study of
self-awareness and humanity

• Do you know what you look like on the podium?
  (video taping)
  
• Do you practice in front of a mirror?
• (self analysis)
• Do you prepare your gestures for rehearsals?
  (coordinate your movements)
  

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Know The MusicAesthetically

• Do you pick music that affects you emotionally?
  (even rehearsing grade 1 or 2?)
  
• Do you connect with the music you rehearse?
  (understand what the music is saying?)
  
• Are you passionate about the music you rehearse?

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ThusEffective Conducting

• Consists of two ingredients
• Stick Technique
• Analytical Technique
• You must attain both to be effective in rehearsals

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Stick TechniqueEffective Conducting

• Question Could you explain how you conduct and
  what you do to your colleague or a student?
  
• Fermati (cuts, starts etc) (Refer to Handout)
• Body Movements (All of your joints) (Refer to
  Handout)
  
• Ictus Takt
• Dynamics, Cueing Anacrusis (Refer to Handout)
• Left Hand vs. Right Hand
• Entering Silence (How do you enter silence?)
• Expressive Conducting (What is this?)

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Analytical TechniqueEffective Conducting

• What is studying the score? yet, what does
  analyzing the score mean?
  
• What is a Flow Chart? (Frank Batisti Robert
  Garofalo)
  
• As you study, do you mark potential problematic
  areas in your scores? (for rehearsal?)
  
• Do you analyze your conducting movements while
  you analyze your score?

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REVIEWAffective Conducting RehearsingAnalysis
Stick Technique

• Prepare your score (Marking)
• Prepare your rehearsal (Have a Plan)
• Always Keep Time (SUBDIVIDE!!) Do you subdivide
  all the time?
  
• EYE CONTACT 80 of communication occurs at the
  eye level
  
• CUEING eye, head first we cue people not
  instruments
  
• Research the composition and biography of the
  composers (contact the living ones)
  
• Know what you want (Do you hear the music?)
• Invite clinicians, Colleagues to hear your
  ensemble BE OPEN MINDED
  
• Professional Development Take conducting
  lessons attend workshops
  

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Orchestra, Wind Band, Jazz

• So are the concepts in instrumental conducting
  the same? YES
  
• What about bowings? Not Difficult
• What about Jazz? Not Difficult
• What about wind instruments vs. strings? The
  Same

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RE Jazz Band Rehearsals

• How do you set up your ensemble?
• What do you teach?
• Do you teach concepts?
• Do you have daily jazz rhythmic exercises?
• Do you teach improvisation and how do you do
  this?
  
• What is your goal in the jazz ensemble?
• Do you teach Jazz History?

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The Aesthetics

• What does the left hand do?
• Do you conduct the patterns with both hands?
• How do we truly express music?

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Define Aesthetics
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Aesthetics

• The study of the psychological responses to
  beauty and artistic experiences.
  
• The branch of philosophy that deals with the
  nature and expression of beauty, as in the fine
  arts.

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Conducting with Feeling

• We talk about aesthetics in music but how do we
  interpret the aesthetics of music into musical
  feelings and transcend it to the masses?
  
• In other words, how can we take our thoughts as
  conductors mold them into gestures and
  communicate our intent to our ensembles to
  ultimately transcend the aesthetics we call music?

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Eyes Face

• The eyes and the face (facial features) are the
  most important expressive features in conducting.
  
  
• When you shake peoples hands, you first look at
  their eyes to determine the mood and demeanor.
  
• When musicians look up at the conductor, they
  focus on the face first (eye contact) and then
  the left hand right hand

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What do you look like?

• When you are angry?
• When you are happy?
• When you are melancholy?
• When you are remorseful?
• When you are sympathetic?
• When you are proud or majestic?

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Enhance further by your left hand

• Match your facial expressions with your left hand
  movement
  
• What does it say when you show the inside of
  your hand vs. outside?
  

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Shuichi Komiyama

• E-mail BassoBasilio_at_yahoo.com
• URL ShuichiKomiyama.com