How to conduct Wagner

Found this video in my twitter feed today, had a good little laugh over it.  The facial expressions required to conduct Siegfried's leitmotif were a highlight for me.

Putting a Mark on Conducting

One of the things that I learned while visiting Oklahoma last March is that American and Canadian educators use different terminology when evaluating student assignments. American teachers will "grade" assignment, whereas we tend to "mark" assignments. Both seem to be interchangeable though, I make no excuse for using both of them in this post.

One thing I have continually struggled with in practical courses, is the idea of subjective marking. It's nothing new - from a young age, musicians are faced with the idea of subjective marking. I think in my first Kiwanis Music Festival Class, at 8 years old, I received an 84% for my performance, and from that moment, straight through to my last jury at University, I have received marks for my progress which seem to have no basis except one of the personal evaluation of the jury, examiner(s), or adjudicator(s). And now, for the past ten years or so, I have been giving marks at music festivals, on music exams, and in University courses based on the same subjective reasoning.

I've experimented with all sorts of formats, which have included giving specific marks for specific tasks. For example - 10 marks for all the cues and releases, loosing one mark, or a partial mark for missed or unclear direction, 20 marks for conducting patterns, 20 for left hand usage, and then 50 marks for interpretation, and musical direction. After adding them all up, I found myself toying with the individual task marks to end up with a percentage that I was happy with, and quickly just reverted to assigning a mark out of 100, based on my subjective observations. I certainly know that I've had teachers who must have incredible systems of marking exams (I once received a mark, which was out of 10, of 8.275!) What astounds me about it is that I've never been questioned or challenged on a subjective grade since I've been giving grades for conducting courses. Perhaps to me, the grade itself is less important than the comments that go with them, and giving solutions for the problems - which is probably why the grading itself stresses me out.

I've mentioned briefly in the past about the uncomfortable feelings I get at conducting competitions, whether as an observer or participant. I'm quite happy now to be at an age where I am rarely eligible to be a candidate in a conducting competition. While in Oklahoma at the ACDA National convention, I decided to go to the student conducting competition semi-finals and finals, and immediately I felt the desire to "get out of there as fast as I could", yet always stayed. Each conductor received ten minutes to rehearse two pieces with a choir they have never worked with before, excellent choirs I might add - who were all very responsive. However, I felt that the challenge was less about showing how well you could conduct, but how well you could rehearse. Which, ok, arguably might be more important than the later. Or is it?

What is a conducting competition then? A rehearsal competition? A technique competition? Both? What is it that a conductor can do in ten minutes that doesn't look completely planned and rehearsed ahead of time? And how can you plan to rehearse part of a piece of music with a choir who will likely know the piece backwards and forwards before you get to them? How much can you concentrate on conducting when you know there are hundreds of people watching you, and not in the good "watching the conductor" kind of way that we are always after our choristers about, but the kind of watching where they are dissecting every gesture you make, and ever observation you make? How can you best prepare for a conducting competition of ten minutes?

I love to rehearse with my choirs - and it is something I feel no shame in saying that I do quite well. I enjoy the entire process, but for me, the process is one that begins on day one, and continues to the concert itself. Not ten minutes. Also, the rehearsal process, which yes, I do plan ahead of time, but is largely flexible on the basis that what I hear in rehearsal must be corrected at the time it is heard. Too often in these conducting competitions, candidates go through their ten minute plan, but never stray away from the plan to fix a problem on the fly. (I was happy to see that the student who won the advanced class did indeed attempt to fix things that her ears observed).

I'd be very interested to hear your comments on both subjective marking in music, and conducting competitions!

In the mean time - Happy Stary Wars Day (May the 4th be with you!)

Conducting Course Ideas

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been teaching various levels of conducting now for about ten years at the University of Alberta, both introductory classes and specialized classes in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy.

Over the years, I have experimented with all sorts of course outlines, written assignments, and conducting repertoire ideas, especially for the Advanced Choral Conducting and Pedagogy class.

First I'll deal with repertoire ideas. I try as best as I can to go through as many style periods as I can, however, with only time for about four conducting tests, and really only enough time to see each individual student twice before each test, I have to be selective here. The format I've used recently is Classical, German Romantic, English Renaissance, and Modern. And yes, in that order. We are thinking progressive difficulty here, and I feel starting with Renaissance is asking too much of the students, as it is, in my opinion, often as difficult to conduct as much of the modern repertoire out there. Classical will focus on a review conducting technique, basic patterns, releases, cues, and formal structure; German Romantic to develop a sense of rubato musicality, and artistic expression; Renaissance to deal with polyphonic structures, individual voice lines, word painting, conducting the music beyond the imaginary bar lines (i.e. breaking free of beat patterns); and modern mainly to deal with mixed metres, and hybrid metres.

The choice of the repertoire will depend much on the size and makeup of the class. For example, this semester I had eighteen students, sixteen sopranos and altos and two basses. Hardly a balanced choir! Luckily a few of my alto women were quite comfortable singing tenor, so in the end, it worked out OK, but in past years I've had as few as eight students, and as many as twenty-one. However, the twentieth century example - the opening movement of Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb" will always be my go to test piece!

As far as written work for the course is concerned, I've found in recent years that many of the written assignments I've given are assignments that the students have already done in previous conducting courses. All of the students have taken one conducting course, and many of them as many as three other conducting courses before they get to my choral conducting class. So to make them sit in and critique a rehearsal or develop a single concert program again seemed silly. Likewise an intensive score analysis project will have also been asked of the majority of them already.

This year, I completely redesigned my outline, and I'm happy to share it with you all here, as I felt it was quite successful, and the feedback from the students was also supportive of the same (I've cut down the verbose nature of the outline for the purposes of re-posting it here):

Unit I – The Choral Warm-up and Basic Review of Conducting Gestures

Class discussion and written assignment:
A selection of readings along with a written assignment will be given on the topic of choral warm-ups.

Conducting Assignment
Repertoire of the Classical Era will be studied – focusing on the review of basic conducting gestures.

Unit II (25%) – Creative Programming and Conducting Early Music

Class discussion and written assignment:
A selection of readings along with a written assignment will be given on the topic of programming.

Conducting Assignment
German Romantic Repertoire of the will be studied – focusing musical phrasing, rubato and expressive gestures.

READING WEEK

Unit III (25%) – The Choral Rehearsal and Conducting Chant and Recitative, and the Renaissance Madrigal

Class discussion and written assignment:
A selection of readings along with a written assignment will be given on the topic of the choral rehearsal.

Conducting Assignment
Conducting different types of chant, recitative and the Renaissance madrigal will be the focus of our conducting assignment this unit.

Unit IV (25%) – Choir Management and Conducting 20th century music

Class discussion and written assignment:
A selection of readings along with a written assignment will be given on the topic of choir management – a guest speaker will also be welcomed to the class.

Conducting Assignment
Repertoire of the 20th century will be introduced – focusing on changing metres and challenging tonal languages.

The basic idea of the written assignments were (again, shortened only here to prevent the blog post from going too long):

Warm-up assignment: Give examples of four contrasting warm-up exercises. Two of a physical nature, and two of a vocal nature. Students agreed to share their assignments with the rest of the class, giving each student a "book" of warm-ups to take with them.

Creative Programming Assignment - Students were to seek out existing programs, either from our library of choral concert at the University, or only internet, and critque the programming choices of the artistic director. Comment on the sequence of pieces, composers, thematic structure and other observations as they see fit. Students were encouraged to listen to the concert, if the recording was available, or even GO to a live concert to get the overall impression of the concert, concentrating on programming choices. As we are a University that supports graduate choral conducting students, an opportunity to see a grad student recital was encouraged, as their programs tended to be quite diverse - and allowed for multiple works to be seen in a programming context.

Choral Rehearsal Assignment - this was a two part assignment, both practical and written. Students had to prepare a work to conduct for the class (the Renaissance madrigal was their repertoire choice slated for this unit, so it was used as their piece - they had freedom of choice from a list I created for them). A rehearsal "plan" covering 10 weeks of rehearsals was to be laid out, with very detailed plans for the first 3 weeks of rehearsals. Then the practical assignment was, naturally, to "rehearse" the class for one 10 minute rehearsal each.

Choir Management Assignment - (I have to thank my business manager (aka - Mrs. Brough for this one). Students were to prepare a three part assignment. First part was to prepare a budget for a concert of Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb" (their conducting assignment for this unit), including all details of venue, soloists, organists ... flowers ... you name it. They had to be "real costs". For example, talk to organists in the city and ask what they would charge - or call venues to find booking costs. The second part was to create a marketing plan, within the constraints of their budget, and the third part was to write a press release for the concert. This was a GREAT assignment. There was so much great creativity from the students on this one. I also had great support from the community, who gladly gave the students the information they needed to to this assignment.

In my next post, I address the challenges of grading students in a course - in particular the grades given for practical assignments. The stress the students feel conducting a short excerpt of music for "do or die" marks, and how I went about reassuring them that their marks wouldn't be solely based on one and a half minutes of conducting!

Seating Plan Part II

The new seating plan for my chamber choir had it's first run on Monday night, with good success and no apparent displeasure!  Either that, or I've become so good at filtering out the odd complaint that I just wasn't aware of it.  Actually, my choir is great for letting me know how they feel about things - something that I think in a small choir is a good foundation for a healthy conductor/choir relationship.  

In the comments of my post on this topic from last week, there is a nice comment from reader Liz Garnet who noted that singers sing better when they are "jolted out of autopilot", and that was a comment that stuck with me as I prepared for rehearsal on Monday.

Immediately the sound improved with the choir, and there was a renewed energy and focus that wasn't there last week, and much was accomplished.  The funny thing is - this is a seating plan that I used in some form for the first two years that I conducted this choir.

For a while, I had so few tenors in my choir (a challenge I'm certain all choral conductors have had) that I had the tenors sit dead centre front row, with the basses behind them, and then sops on the left, alto on the right in two rows each.  Once the tenor section grew to balanced numbers, I was able to have two rows of each section, going from left to right(S-A-T-B), and this is where I've been for the last two years.  Now I'm back to two rows, front row all women, back row all men, basses behind sopranos, tenors behind altos.  My main reason for doing this is that I do not have any "front row" type tenors in the choir right now, and having them buffered a bit by my altos helps that situation a lot.

I have experimented with mixed formation a bit in the past - although never for a concert yet, just for rehearsals.  It always seems to go well in rehearsals for a limited time, then once we get into our performance venue, it never quite gels.  Something I think we can work on in the coming years.

Perhaps in two years, when this feels stale again - a new seating plan will emerge - and out of autopilot we shall go!

You're a Musician? What instrument do you play?

I've been asked this question many times.  The simple answer is Piano or Organ, but really, I would never consider myself a Pianist or Organist in a professional sense anymore.  I'm a conductor.  So ... What is my instrument?  

Many years ago, I was driving across the border taking the southern short-cut from Alberta to Ontario, when the customs agent asked me what I did for a living, I told him I was a musician.  When he asked where my instrument was, I said I wasn't carrying one.  This apparently raised a red flag, and they proceeded to search every known cavity of my car.  I tried to explain that I was a conductor, but they were sill absolutely dumbfounded that I wouldn't have a guitar case in the car.  "How can you be a musician if you don't have a guitar?".  Seriously, that was the gist of the conversation.  And if you think that's fun - try going through airport security with a tuning fork.

So, now my answer to the question is that on Mondays my instrument is a chamber choir of nearly 40 voices, on Tuesdays my instrument is a symphonic  choir of 120 voices, and on Thursdays and Sundays, my instrument is a church choir of about 20 voices.  

Is the choir really an instrument?  Well, yes, I believe it is.  The artistic interpretation and overall sound and tone will mainly depend on what I am able to do with it - although limited by the ability of the ensemble - but mainly limited by by my ability.

The main difference between a 9 foot Steinway and a 30 voice choir is of course, that the choral instrument is full of people.  Each with their own personalities, abilities and above all, sensitivities.  Yelling at a piano, or moving it to different locations, will not hurt its feelings.  None of this of course is something that hasn't been written about before, but it is one of my main struggles as a choral conductor. 

Where I struggle most is in my great fear of hurting people's feelings.  I have difficulty choosing soloists, saying "no" after an audition, or standing up to people who confront me about artistic or interpretive decisions.  Over the last few years I have become better about this aspect of the job - this has come with experience, and confidence.  For example, I'm not afraid to tell people to shut-up during rehearsals, or to point out individuals in cases of poor blend, or pitch issues - and now that they know me better, they are very much open to this type of criticism, I've also become better about demanding more from an ensemble, and pushing them to achieve great heights.  

The ONE thing that I still struggle with the most is seating arrangements!  In fact, it is the one thing I wish I never had to do.  In some choirs I don't worry about it at all, it is basically "Sopranos sit here, Altos here ... but where you sit within your sections is up to you" - but in my chamber choir it is something I am so often confronted with.  Whether it is someone who really "likes" to be in the back row, or likes to be sitting beside "so and so".  When I move voices, it is impossible for me to think that I am hurting their feelings - or moving them in a situation where they don't want to be - beside someone they don't want to be beside, or in a row that is not a row they want to be in.  And in someway, I've made their experience less enjoyable.  It's almost worse than not letting them in the choir in the first place!

Next Monday night ... new seating plan .... wish me luck.

Conducting IS Teaching!

In reading my RSS Feeds this afternoon on Google Reader, I was drawn to the blog of David Griggs-Janower courtesy of ChoralBlog (Thanks for sending this out Philip - David's blog is now being added to my reader!)

In case you don't read ChoralBlog, the post that caught their eye and subsequently my eye was his post on "being on", and what it is like to have to be on the ball, or as he put it "in three times zones at the same time" for a full rehearsal.  He also draws comparisons of how conducting, which is teaching, can be extremely draining, full of overtime responsibilities like marking, score marking, rehearsal preparation and the list goes on.  In fact, my hat goes off to full times teachers who need to be in teacher mode all day long, not just for a few classes and rehearsals like me.  Not only that, but I work with adults all the time, so I don't need to think about discipline, worry about class attendance, or deal with ... ahem ... parents!  If there is any profession that deserves two months off in the Summer, you certainly have my support.

I remember way back when I was in my undergrad looking at my choral prof's schedule, wondering how he could do it.  Three university choirs a community chorus, a few voice students, and teaching conducting courses.  Every night must have had one rehearsal, if not two every day with his University choirs.  I couldn't fathom his lifestyle at that time, yet here I am living it, and surviving (and even finding time to blog about it).

His subsequent post as a reply to the comments he received from the previous one is also great, and raises the usual point of teachers holidays, and responding to the all to many comments of "well, you're so lucky as a teacher you two weeks off for Christmas and two months off for Summer".  Now, don't get me wrong, I've never had a 9-5 job, so I can't fully appreciate the responsibilities that tied into a job like that.  My wife, however, does have a full time day job, and I certainly know that she works hard.  Probably harder than the average actually, and doesn't take things like sick days, early departures, or long lunches for granted.  I once heard of someone though who after getting their full time government employment was very quick to point out how great the Friday afternoon lunch was, which usually involved drinks, and then going from the restaurant, straight home.  All I could do was smile, and wonder what it must be like to have that kind of freedom in a job - where you aren't being literally watched all the time (maybe I shouldn't have used the word literally there ... as people tend not to watch conductors enough)

I'll agree, the time off in the summer is great.  It makes up for working most evening until 10 PM, and most weekends through the year.  However, there is no income, and yet, there is still work to be done!  Preparations for the next season, re-writing course outlines, organizing rehearsals, programs, program notes.  And although sick days can be taken in the year, they are not without major consequence.  Unless you have an assistant, finding a last minute sub is often impossible.  You are faced with either canceling the rehearsal in the hopes to make it up for it later, or working while sick - and as a result, having a slower recovery time.  I conducted a full concert once with an inner ear infection that would put most people in the hospital, and certainly you wouldn't see them at work - however, after eight weeks of rehearsals, and over 250 tickets sold - who was going to conduct it if I called in sick?

Musicians are also suckers for punishment.  If you were, say, a dentist, and were offered to take off a portion of your holidays to do some complimentary crowns for approximately 18 hours, would you do it?  Or an accountant who would spend the time between December 28th and January 1st doing taxes pro bono?  Probably not.  Yet, there I was in rehearsal from December 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st for a concert on the evening of the 31st and a recording session on January 1st - my week off, just two days after Christmas, and 4 days before classes begin on the 5th doing this, for not a penny.  Don't get me wrong - it was fun, I got to visit with old friends, and sing great music, but it was hard work (and to be fair - I could have said 'No')

The bottom line is this.  I love my work, I wouldn't trade it in for the world.  What I don't like is when people assume that because I love what i do, it means I don't have to work hard!

Making a joyful noise

Edmonton's Eva Bostrand made the national RRS feed today on CBC with this article.

I've been fortunate to work with Eva on a number of occasions.  She always finds a way to both encourage, and make her students feel valuable in every aspect of singing.  The CBC article is one of these fine examples of her dedication to giving the world a voice!

In a time when the arts is often looked down upon for "wasting" the taxpayers money - this is an absolutely refreshing article.  And I'm so very proud to know the participants! 

Looking ahead

On October 17th, Podium Speak will be celebrating it's first Birthday, and I've taken a moment or two in the past day to reflect on what the purpose of my blog is, and what I hope to achieve with it.

Still now in its infancy, and trying to find a voice amidst the other great blogs that I read everyday, I find that I struggle from time to time to think of a creative, individual, and thoughtful post.  Once in a while, an article will pop up that will make for an easy post, but to find a topic outside of a borrowed subject can be difficult.  My topics have ranged from the mundane to the serious, from the pedagogical to the theoretical, and occasionally (and most recently) the political.

The coming months are pretty full up with concerts and rehearsals, and will likely not leave me with a lot of energy to think up creative posts, so what I hope to do is write a bit about the various projects I am involved with, which include my first ever staged opera, and conducting a Handel oratorio (which is NOT Messiah).  You can read more about these projects here.

You'll have to excuse me if the posts become rambling sessions, but the hope is that there will a topic or two, whether it be about performance practice, rehearsing and conducting pedagogy, or just plain straight forward observations.  I'll probably also work on program notes and translations through this venue.

I tend to go about my daily schedule without much thought about what's coming up next, so having a few things down in writing might assist me with the planning - and certainly be an interesting look back for me in a few months.

I'll still post interesting articles and silly stories (and likely my strong opinions on the current and future political landscape) from time time.

I hope you enjoy the journey!

In other news - a recent cold front has brought the season of Fall upon the northern Alberta capital, so the golf clubs are being removed from the trunk, and being replaced by the curling broom.  The first draw is tonight (the only night a week where I normally do not have a rehearsal) - I anticipate soreness in the upper body tomorrow morning.

The Perfect Swing and the Pefect Gesture?

I always thought that a great choral conducting doctoral dissertation would be "The Correlation Between Good Conducting Technique, and the Perfect Golf Swing". Ok, it probably wouldn't be up for the Julius Herford Prize, but nevertheless, it is one that I would probably put on my required reading list for my conducting courses.

About ten years ago, nearly eleven now, when I first moved to Edmonton to begin graduate studies in choral conducting, I was what you'd call a "weekend hacker" in the golf world. I thought I played OK, averaged about 108 strokes a round, parred a few holes, even birdied one or two. I then found out that both my supervisor and a new friend, also a choral conductor, were avid golfers. I was very happy about this - until I played with them for the first time. Not realizing that one was a mid-teen handicap, and the other nearly a scratch (zero) handicap. I felt completely useless, and at time utterly embarrassed to be playing with them.

Over the next few years, I found that they were very patient people, and also good teachers of the game, and I steadily improved over time. I also started to find some comparisons between the golf swing, and conducting gesture. Things like foot positioning, weight transfer, using gravity to your advantage and tempo. I even discovered an "ictus" in golf (ball striking). Since that time I've had a few lessons, joined a club, and have been as low as a 14 handicap. I've had a hole in one, and have seen the low 80s on my card a number of times. I have also beat my supervisor in a game or two (I don't recommend you do this prior to your defense date), and now I play upwards to sixty round a year. Up here, our golf season starts early May, and ends late November. Today was day one!

Every once in a while, when I am coaching a conducting student I catch myself saying something like "it's just like timing a perfect golf swing" and then I look to see a blank face and realize "oh ya, that dissertation hasn't been written yet ... someday, you'll understand ..."

Thoughts on teaching Choral Conducting

I've been teaching various levels of conducting at the University level now since I began doctoral studies about seven years ago. Since then I have taught everything from the basic introduction courses to 400 level advanced courses in Choral Conducting. This semester I am teaching the Advanced Choral Conducting to a very small, but somewhat enthusiastic class of seven students.

I think I surprise a fair number of students, most of which have only taken the basics of conducting, and some of them under the extreme regime of the new professor who feels they should know everything about the Saito method of conducting. (Don't get me wrong, I am an avid believer of the Saito conducting method, and I also do a few lectures with Saito as a guide - but to do a full three months of it would be a bit tiresome, unless you were being taught by Saito himself I think). So the pressure to do everything technically perfectly, show every cue, keep the left hand from mirroring, and to not lip-sync while conducting is something that is fresh on most of their minds. Most intro courses are based on the principles of conducting large orchestras, and seldom incorporate anything to do with choirs. What's worse, in my opinion, is that few of these instructors require any of the these students to demonstrate MUSICALITY. It's all about "4 inches more this way ... 2 inches that way ... left hand moving 6 degrees that way ..."

So on the first class I look at them all in the eye and say. "You all know how to conduct now - you've proven this in your intro class, so, my goal this term is to get you to show emotion in your conducting - passion for the music - and understanding of the text, and relationship with the music - and how to convey that to a choir".

Ok, so sure - I do spend time fixing loose wrists and bouncy left hands, and make them do complicated hybrid metres, but 80% of their evaluation will be on HOW they transmit the musical elements in their conducting. Not just gesture, but facial expression - EYES - enjoyment, or in some cases, how to convey sadness, the ethos of a character, the passion of a sad lover. So, their first assignment? English madrigals. "Weep o mine eyes and cease not!" (no, not see snot ... cease not!). They will be required to show proper conducting patterns, cues, releases and all that sort of technical clearly, but above all - can they give a performance? Can they Evoke emotion? Is this too much for a 4th year music or Education major to do?

Have I mentioned that I love teaching?

Handel VS Bach - Round One

I have two scores on my dining room table right now. Bach's Cantata #4 "Christ lag in Todesbanden" and Handel's monumental Psalm setting "Dixit Dominus". My Chamber choir is performing, and therefore I am conducting, these works in early February with our local baroque orchestra. Soloists are mostly local, with the exception of the tenor, who is a former roommate making his living as a tenor and conductor in southern Ontario.

I've been spending a few hours each day prepping the scores, and planning the next six weeks of rehearsals. Normally, I'd say that six weeks of rehearsals would be plenty, and really, it should be enough. The Bach isn't that difficult, the choir is only involved in two contrapuntal choruses, and one chorale, and it sits nicely in the voice. The Handel on the other hand is one of the most difficult choral works from that era. A very young "Italian" inspired Handel was trying to outdo all his teachers and contemporaries with this one. It makes even the toughest choruses in Messiah look like a high school project, and rivals any of the fugue writing in Bach's B Minor Mass or the Motet "Singet Dem Herrn". However, none of this is beyond the ability of the choir.

It's the rehearsal process that makes this one a tough assignment. The Handel is written for SSATB, and the two soprano parts are in the HIGH Italian style, no less than six B-flats in the last movement alone. Baroque pitch is not an option for this show as the Bach would sit far too low for my Altos, and to have the orchestra tune down for the second half only would be a disaster. In typical solo/chorus works, there are no nice quite easy soft parts to rehearse between the more difficult high movements, as all choral movement fall under the later description, and there is only so much Bach we can do between Handel in rehearsal. I've scheduled a few sectionals (sigh - a topic for another day) along the way to ease some of the burden from the sopranos, but this will only work for about the first two weeks.

Any thoughts out there from you blogging choral conductors on how to effectively rehearse this work, or type of work, without draining the resources of my singers, but still managing to accomplish what needs to be done?

I'll keep updating the progress of these rehearsals and let you know how they are progressing. All I know is this - it's a great work, and I can't wait to conduct it - I just hope we are all still alive come the performance.

One more reason to add Nintendo Wii to your Christmas wish List

About two years ago my wife and I decided after visiting a friends house and playing their game cube, that we needed a video game system. We did about 4 minutes of research and decided that the XBox was what we needed. About 40 seconds later, the people at Microsoft came out with the XBox 360 making our system obsolete overnight, and the really creative types over at Nintendo came out with the Wii. I had a chance to play with a friend's Wii (did I really just type that?) last Spring, and it was a pretty darn good time I have to say.

WELL, pay attention classical music wannabees, or aspiring conductors! Wii will release Wii Music sometime in 2008, in which you can play various instruments with your Wii controller, and even conduct some of the worlds finest orchestras! Ok, maybe not the finest - actually it's all animated, and electronically produced. Not sure it will be a good practice tool, but I see endless hours of fun!

I wonder where I can trade in a first generation XBox for a Wii?

Are all Choral Conductors poor Orchestral Conductors?

On the ride home last night after our Symphonic Choir's guest appearance with the Symphony in thier "lighter Christmas Classics" concert, my wife and were commenting on the guest conductor, who is one of the conductors of a reputable pops orchestra down south. My wife commented on the fact the he was quite clear, and certainly proved to be both an effective orchestral conductor as well as providing enough attention to the chorus to keep us all happy. The "conducting professor" in me immediately found ways to criticize his tight shoulders, loose wrist, his tendency to subdivide where no subdivisions are necessary, and for the most part, his lack of expression - however, for the most part, I agreed with my wife. He seemed very comfortable in both idioms as an accomplished orchestral conductor, and choral conductor. Not a great conductor, but very capable.

I recently read on a blog somewhere of an orchestral musician complaining about how they disliked performing Messiah, mainly for the number of times that they had to perform it with so many "poor choral conductors" at the helm. My immediate reaction of course was one of defense. (To be fair, the blogger did qualify the statement by saying that not ALL choral conductors were poor). It got me thinking though, about how many times I've complained about singing for orchestral conductors that do not know enough about choirs to effectively conduct a large work for chorus and orchestra. I even remember one of them saying "Don't look for cues from me, my concern is the orchestra." Of all the musicians who actually NEED the cues - choirs should be at the top of the list shouldn't they?

Here are some of my observations of differences between large choruses and orchestras, besides the brutally obvious. Symphonic choirs, most of which are over 100 singers, have such a wide range of abilities - from the skilled music reader right down to the singer who learns everything by rote, and relies on those with more ability around them to help them learn, but once it's learned, it can't be unlearned - to everything in between. Professional orchestral musicians are all extremely accomplished musicians who are the best available players of their instruments. Singers tend to put life and limb in the hands of the conductor. After having dozens of rehearsals with their chorus master for a show, it is a tricky thing for them to adjust to a new conductor, who is not giving them the attention that they were used to (specifically for cues and releases). Remember - most of these singers don't actually count, they are looking for the visual command (heck - it's not uncommon for them to practice mundane things like sitting, standing, lifting music and bowing on cue even - something you don't see in orchestral concerts). They are less concerned about the difference between subdivided two and a four beat pattern then they are about a consonant release or an offbeat entrance.

Orchestral conducting and choral conducting I believe are two very different skill sets, and one is always going to compromise the other when you are faced with both choir and orchestra at the same time. Although my training is predominantly in choral conducting, I was lucky enough to study with our University's orchestra conductor for two terms during my Doctoral studies. I studied at the length about conducting an effective pizzicato, understanding bow markings and the many various articulations associated with each instrument. Yet few orchestral conductors worry themselves of how to conduct a proper release of an "M" consonant, or take any care to learn about diction or proper breath support. I was quite happy, however, to have the experience of conducting Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Poulenc in a completely orchestral idiom. I feel that I am quite comfortable in front of an orchestra, maybe a little intimidated at first rehearsal, but I've always been told that I am quite clear, and they enjoy playing for me. I'm assuming that they wouldn't tell me this unless it were true.

My question is - how many "great" conductors are there who can work effectively with both Choir and Orchestra? In my experience, I've only met a few great ones. One of which is Yannick Nézet-Séguin - who first studied as conducting as .... a Choral Conductor ... just saying.