9/28: Mendelssohn II
I thought today went much better than last week; it was probably just nerves last week, being the first time in front of this new group, because I was much more confident and relaxed today.
The basics went much better for me; most of my cues were pretty well executed, and I didn't mess up the beat pattern nearly as much. Plus, I made fewer negative faces to myself, especially in my first few run-throughs.
The first thing pointed out to me was that i was mirroring most of the time, which is something I've noticed about myself in the past. I've never had great hand independence, and I usually just don't know what to do with my left hand, so I end up mirroring, which is probably a bad habit to get into. I found it challenging to find a comfortable place for my left arm where it could be still and out of the way, not distracting or redundant.
I found today that I should also be focusing on what sort of expression I can add to the piece rather than being so mechanical. This would be a good place to find a way to use my left hand constructively once I can manage hand indepepndence a little better. I have to assume (to a certain degree) that the singers know what they're doing, and be able to move and shape the line between the parts better (as in mm. 14-15 or 21-22, where one part picks up where the other leads them) instead of focusing on cues and cut-offs.
For next week, I will have to work on not mirroring as much, and on finding a use for my left hand, which may be easier with some of the fermatas we learned today from Andrew. I'll also have to work on adding more expression and line to my conducting, which will force me to deal with the lack of resistance I tend to have in my gestures; they are often too fluffy and consequently not very expressive.
Thanks to Andrew and everyone for your helpful feedback!
Comments
Allison, I agree that you are just about ready to take it to the next level by adding more expression. I think it's great, though, that you've been focusing on (ha, this is a del Santo quote) "building the foundation of the house" before jumping ahead to more advanced concepts. You (and Lisa, also) did a nice job demonstating technical skills like a reliable beat pattern and good cue coordination. We'll all musical- we wouldn't be here if we weren't- so I don't doubt the expressiveness will come later.
Posted by: Hanna | September 30, 2007 10:54 PM
Allison
Good observations. Regarding mirroring, it can be a good thing to do and a bad thing. The question is, why are you doing it? Sometimes it is good to mirror if you have a very large group, or if you are trying to increase the energy. It can be bad to mirror if you are working for clarity. Ask youself: Is this being helpful? If the answer is no, you probably don't need to do it.
I am glad you had a better experience in week 2. Stay positive and your musical voice will continue to grow!
Posted by: Matthew Mehaffey | October 2, 2007 03:53 PM
Allison,
Yes, you were very convincing on Friday. It sounds obvious, but practicing the left hand - even JUST the left hand - in silence will give you some ideas about where it is useful and also where to put it "out of the way."
Posted by: Andrew Crow | October 3, 2007 10:45 PM