Undergraduate Choral Conducting Blog

I went to a concert at DeForest High School. It was a concert with the freshman, womens, and concert choir. There was an obvious difference in ability level and repertoire. Even though abilities differed greatly, most of the concert was almost all sacred material. I found the music interesting and appropriate, but I feel that it could have been a bit more varied and multi cultural. Maybe this is the elementary school "teacher" coming out inme, but I feel that singing all the same, sacred music is a little boring for the audience and does not neccesarily give the greatest cultural exposure for the students.

As an educator, I would rather involve a varied repertoire for my students. The conductor also seemed to micro-manage every aspect while on the podium. I know younger singers need the extra support but I feel that in order to let them grow, you need to step back and create some room for mistakes and personal experiments. The concert did not overall sit well with me. I felt that the director was very bias in her repertoire choices and created an environment where she was the only creative performer.

Posted by Kristin Olson at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I wanted to experience a church choir a little bit for this assignment. So, when I went back home, I went to church with my parents. I have sung in church choir and have attended many as well, but now that I have a new perspective on conducting, wanted to see what they had to offer.
First of all it was really simple. I noticed that most of the conducting was just straight beat patterns. Every once and a while there was a left hand gesture. This seemed mainly to keep the choir sustained on long notes. I have a feeling this may be due to the lack of musicianship of many people in the choir. However, The beat pattern did keep them together, which is better than stumbling through a piece. This also is good to know in case I have my own church choir some day.
Secondly, the director sang with the choir. Again, maybe this was due to the musicianship, but it was a little weird. They may have needed and extra voice in the choir. Maybe they couldn't read music that well. Whatever it was, I found myself paying attention to the director more than the choir. It was a little distracting to me.
On the positive side, the director never gave in to the choir or the accompanist. I noticed bot the choir and the accompanist dragging a little. She kept her composure and beat pattern the same. Both the choir and the accompanist got back on momentarily. I would imagine this has nothing do do with musicianship. It seems as though we just react to a lot of motions without even knowing.
It was nice to attend a church choir. It seemed similar to a middle school choir or less. I think it would almost be harder at times to conduct a church choir. They seem less responsive. However, they have an equal if not greater passion for music as did the conductor. It was nice to see them really appreciate and enjoy singing; especially after our middle school teaching experience where a lot of the kids looked bored and annoyed.

Posted by Jonathan Edington at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I know I have a problem moving. This is funny because I am not a dancer in the least bit. For some reason I really like to move while conducting. I know however, that it has its moments and I need to limit movement for those moments. I feel like I was off with the piano a little bit. I didn't while I was conducting, but after watching it looked like I was behind. I think because this piece is technically harder than the others we have done, it will come better with time. Again, look up and use the left hand more. Hopefully I can do this on the exam.

Posted by Jonathan Edington at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I like the lilt a lot. For some reason I feel like I have more fun conducting in compound meter. I hate to admit it, but I may not have been as prepared for this as I should have. I feel like a lot of the problems Matt was talking about could have been fixed purely by knowing the piece better. I thought I was prepare, but I was proven wrong. This may help me to look up more as well. I noticed that I did look up more the second time through as compared to the first. Maybe this is because I know I am being watched and do not want to screw up the first time through.

Posted by Jonathan Edington at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I notice that I do the scooping motion a lot. I also know that I have seen Matt do it as well. I don't know if that is where I got it, but it has become subconcious to me. Since this is a late blog, I can say that in fixing this problem, I have noticed my hand has become stiff at times. I think it is just overcompensation and I need to find the happy medium. I hate the fact that I have such a problem using my left hand. Hopefully this will just become more comfortable and natural as time goes on. I need to look up more as well. I feel like I am in the score a lot.

Posted by Jonathan Edington at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sorry, forgot to post this earlier. Upon reviewing my video, I made an interesting realization. I was skimming through our semester's work and reviewing my performance each week. I concluded that I did the best on "Locus Iste" because I let go of the anal retentive desire to beat time and just tried to make music. The Bruckner was slow, albeit, which allowed me plenty of time to move the phrase, but every other week, Psalm 100 included, I was fiendishly determined to conduct a perfect beat pattern, and expression was sacrificed as a result.

One of my colleagues wrote that they wouldn't know if I screwed up the pattern except I grimace or stick out my tongue. It was helpful for me to hear, and helpful for me to see for myself in my video that beating time is not a top priority. Today, I intend to be brave and try to express some element of musicality from time to time. If I get lost, so what? That will improve with time, and in the short term, I will get a much better result by communicating line and phrasing.

I was also surprised to see how introverted I appear on video. I seem like a shy, reserved conductor even though I am pretty comfortable in front of people. I think I can open up more to be more energetic and vibrant- I love Amy's conducting because she is so engaging- so that's another good realization. Thank you for taping us all semester!

Posted by Hanna Dorn at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I attended the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus concert Sunday, December 9. It covered the same repertoire I observed at their rehearsal- I wanted to be able to contrast rehearsal techniques with concert protocol. Stan Hill, the conductor, was a lot of fun in the performance. He was able to be in the moment more and dance a little like Leonard Berstein. I could feel him listening and preparing for the trouble spots that came up in rehearsal, but for the most part, there was a just a sense of "Let's all let go and enjoy the fruit of our labor."

I was again amazed by his ability to swiftly transition between pieces. Stan was able to mentally switch gears in a heartbeat, and the choir was with him. It's something I would like to work on, because personality-wise, I tend to be slow (but deep) thinker, kind of Eeyore-like! Stan was able to keep the audience constantly entertained, however, with lightning quick, smooth movement from piece to piece, which lent a nice cohesiveness to very eclectic repertoire.

In terms of conducting, I noticed that his focus was on expression rather than holding a steady beat pattern. Stan trusted the accompanist to hold his own, which left him free to shape phrases and listen. He responded well to the sounds he heard in the moment, and did some shaping differently than he did in rehearsal. Stan had such a clear rapport with the choir, for instance, that he was able to rebalance chords in the moment. That really impressed me, that he could do things like communicate to the second tenors that he wanted more.

It was a great concert as always from the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus because of the tremendous dedication and focus of the choir members. Stan does a very good job, but he has a magnificent group to work with- I am jealous!

Posted by Hanna Dorn at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I think even though this song was tricky, I got the hang of it. I knew where my problem starting was and I knew what I needed to have in order to fix it. Being able to diagnose my own problems is getting easier, especially when watching in the mirror when I feel my arms getting tired. For such a difficult song, it was actually quite fun to conduct. By having to pay attention to the changing meters, I did not get bored with the song at all. Although tomorrow I wish I could incorporate more left-hand independence, I think I am still scared that I will get lost and not be able to find my place again so I have yet to decide how much I want to do mirroring and how much I want to do independent things. I feel ready for the last conducting episode.

Posted by Stephanie Lundmark at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I began this piece, I was unclear on the tempo. So, this is something that I will definitely work on for the final. Another important thing that I am working on is the size of my beat pattern. I get excited easily and into the music and grow too big too soon. I am working to keep a smaller pattern, therefore the motions don't have to be as quick since the beats are smaller. I liked the feel of the piece and how it really just flows after awhile. I need to be careful that I don't push the tempo with the simple time measures, which will result in faster compound measures. I am working on change in the style from the alleluias into the verse parts. I wanted to add a little character to the piece, so I added in a scherzando at the end. I am focusing on dynamics and breath marks as well. I'm excited to see how each person will interpret this piece and add their personality to the music.

Posted by Brooke Lane at 02:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rehearsal

Truth time. I wasn't able to attend a rehearsal or concert in time. I had several scheduled, but due to life factors couldn't attend. In the hopes of trying to salvage some of this assignment, I'll talk a little about my experiences in the past observing the rehearsals and concerts for the New England Conservatory Chorus.

This chorus was unusual in that it was a mix of vocal students, opera students, and non-voice majors. The non-voice majors typically were required to be in the ensemble and often didn't want to be there. Additionally, most did not have trained voices. This caused some tension in the choir, as the vocal students were able to produce rich tones which were difficult for the non-vocal students.

Tamara Brooks was the conductor. The chorus was approximately 100-120 persons. Ms. Brooks has a big presence and was able to keep the rehearsals moving along and maintain order. Since this was a college-level choir, discipline was not as big an issue as it would have been with a smaller choir.

Typically, since the non-vocal majors had more difficulty singing certain passages, Ms. Brooks would do sectional work, or drill the passages with a smaller group within the section. She had a very good ear and could tell quickly where problems arose. In some cases, where there were rhythmic issues, she would have the choir speak the rhythms until it was clear, and then add back in the melody.

Since it was such a large ensemble with limited time, each person was required to come warmed up. Ms. Brooks did very little warm-up, and mostly delved right into the literature. She worked non-sequentially. Often, she would begin with a difficult passage in the piece, and work backwards. Additionally, she would have the entire chorus sing the melody (of a soloist, or the soprano line) so that everyone had a clear idea of the melody. In some cases, she would have the basses sing with the sopranos to work out counterpoint or syncopation issues.

One issue was clearly that some of the non-vocal majors would not put as much work into practicing and would do just enough to get by. In cases where there were clearly problems, Ms. Brooks would sometimes drill individuals or groups of 3 or 4 on certain sections to see where the problems lay. Ms. Brooks would use this "fear of embarrassment" tactic after giving several opportunities to perform correctly. It seemed to be a last resort to determine which members weren't getting it.

Ms. Brooks style was very dynamic. She was clearly passionate about the music she was conducting. Perhaps some of my body movement in conducting comes from her. She managed to create a big presence by having large movements, and really moving with the music. Looking back, I see it as a necessity. It is in line with what we've been talking about - that your movements and presence should match the size of the ensemble.

Concert -

The concert experience was quite a bit different. Most of the pieces that the choir sang were not purely vocal pieces, but for voice and orchestra. One concert included Carmina Burana and Mozart's Requiem. For these concerts, the choir rehearsed separately from the orchestra. The choir had a piano accompanist, but rehearsed with full orchestra about 3 times.

Ms. Brooks was much more reserved in her movements during the concert. In the areas that were still a bit clunky, she would look at the section that was having trouble and mouth a reminder (something like "fortissimo") to keep the choir on track.

Ms. Brooks generally kept a more regular pattern with Carmina Burana because it is more rhythmically complex than the Requiem. In many cases in Carmina Burana, she would merely indicate the beats, and not include much other direction. With the Requiem, it was quite different. Since the movements are rhythmically straightforward, and the tempo it regular, Ms. Brooks was more expressive in her style. Also, due to the subject matter of the piece, I felt this style was more fitting. She was able to really fine-tune the dynamics and shape of the phrases by her body movements.

For example, during the Dies Irae, she captured the sense of power that the section requires. Likewise, during the Lacrimosa, her style changed substantially, and she included some swaying that provided a nice sense of legato.

Posted by Timothy Oesau at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

REHEARSAL

I observed Northwestern College’s Christmas concert rehearsal on December 4. The rehearsal was basically a run-through of everything and included Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Women’s Chorale, Varsity Men’s Chorus, and College Choir. Because there were so many groups involved I got to see three different conductors. The artistic director had grown up in South America so the entire program was Spanish-themed.

There were some tricky rhythms, in the instrumental pieces especially, which forced the conductor to use a sharp tempo-keeping beat pattern. He did very little else but keep the beat and cue entrances. However, I did notice that he made use of the size of his pattern to convey dynamics.

The choir directors were rather different from the instrumental conductors. One woman in particular used the very effective body gesture of going up on her toes. When she did this the sound intensified and the choir’s tone was more focused. I thought the gesture might create tension in the choir, but the sound did not reflect that so I think it was a legitimate approach. Again, she only used this gesture at critical moments when the dynamic was “soft but urgent”.

This same conductor was especially good at reacting in the moment. At one point she shouted out above the music, “sing out tenors!” and they did! I think this was appropriate because her beat pattern was fairly large and the passage was probably marked forte. Therefore, the section just needed to be encouraged a little more.
Another simple but clear signal she gave was a palm facing the choir being pulled back toward her chest. This meant “decrescendo” and it worked incredibly well! Her pattern size didn’t change the choir responded immediately to the hand being pulled away from them.

At one point an instrumental conductor was leading all the groups in a piece and wanted a full, rich, sustained sound. I remember this because the gesture was so simple and yet probably the most effective one I’ve seen in a long time. He simply drew a long, horizontal line in the air above his head coupled with an upturned palm in front of his stomach. The horizontal gesture caused the choir to automatically sing with the line (legato) and, even though the line was above his head, the hand near his stomach lent weight and breath support to the whole thing. The result was an ultra-legato line and warm tone.

CONCERT

I observed Northwestern College’s Christmas Concert on December 7. It was fun to experience both the rehearsal and the final concert because I was able to pick up on little mistakes or notes missed that no one else in the audience noticed. For example, the solo trumpets were audibly behind the rest of the orchestra and band throughout the entire first piece. This was not a problem during the rehearsal so I was very interested to see how the conductor would react. He calmly turned so that his whole body was facing the trumpets and willed them to make eye contact with him. He simplified his beat pattern so that it was straight tempo-keeping and nothing else. His beats became much pointier which, to me, screamed “watch me!”.

One of the major differences I noticed between the instrumental conductors and choir conductors was the use of baton. Even when the choir directors used the baton (for combined-group pieces) they always softened their beat pattern when addressing the choir. During instrumental interludes the baton action was much more purposeful whereas the choirs observed more fluid motion and a more flexible wrist.

Overall, the concert was wonderful! The “poppier”-style music was a nice change from the straight-laced style I’ve heard all semester. =) I highly recommend the concert if you’re ever looking for something fun to attend around the holidays.

Posted by Lisa Heupel at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I observed Central Presbyterians Church Choir. The choir is very small, with around 10-15people, most of which are men. The director is not a vocalist or conductor by any means. She is a trained organist. There are paid experienced section leaders within each section. I thought that it would be extremely interesting to see how a community or church choir rehearsal differed from public school situations, because we haven't discussed that area of musical possibilities as much this past semester.

The director started the rehearsal with some simple warm-ups. The exercises she chose were obviously picked out for people that may not be as experienced of singers. She used simple ideas and tried to focus on one very small concept throughout the warm up.

After the warm up she reviewed familiar music that was to be sung at the following mass. There was apparent material that saw cross over from the earlier warm up. She would run each piece and then pick it apart and work on pitch and rhythmic issues within each section.

Following review of the pieces, she would pull out new music to work on the choirs sight reading abilities. They sang all the way through the piece before stopping to work on spots. She would identify problems in each section and work on individual parts so that they would all feel comfortable before putting them back together. She said that she uses these new pieces in future masses.

The most interested part of the observation was the fact that she barely ever conducted. As an organist, she would sit behind the keyboard and play with the choir. Even with a choir lacking experience, they managed to sing together and in time with a simple entrance cue. I think knowing that you don't always have to be standing on a podium is something that is of value. There are many other ways that you can run a rehearsal.

Posted by Kristin Olson at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I felt that friday went alright. After getting up in front of the group, I felt like my biggest problem was the fact that I put so much pressure on myself, I couldn't do anything that I really wanted to, because I was terrified and had no faith in my own abilities.

Obviously, as a conductor and educator, we must be confident in our own abilities and learn to overcome weaknesses, which is something we are all pushing through at the beginner stages. I also realized that Matt is extremely correct in the fact that I tend to step back and let the choir do what they do, and sometimes I made to take more control of the reigns. I feel like this is very true. I used to be a control freak, and coming to the u has made me realize that sometimes trying to control everything will just drive you crazy. I think that I can learn a lot about balancing this in my conducting from my colleagues.

Posted by Kristin Olson at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On Monday, I went to Chaska High School's winter concert, featuring the six choirs of the high school's (huge!) choir program. It just so happens that our very own Christiana Williams student teaches here and conducted several pieces. The concert included combined pieces to open and close the concert, pieces with wind instruments, a capella pop music, African instruments, hand bells, swaying, clapping, a brass ensemble to provide "flarpping music" (for choral exits and entrances), singing in the aisles... wowzers. A logistical nightmare. The programming was very lovely though, themed on Christmas traditions and holiday music around the globe. This provided cultural contexts for the students as well as a variety of types of music.

For the first time, I experienced a concert as a music educator, not just a trained musician. Even a semester ago, I'm sure I would have just barely made it through, cringing at every misplaced consonant or incorrect pitch. Now, however, I saw the potential for each piece as a springboard for teaching musical concepts and discussions of extramusical ideas. I accounted for the developing voices and appreciated the sound in consideration of the age and maturity of the singers. I have to say, this was a much more pleasent way to experience the music than my previous, more snobbish approach.

Conducting wise- both Christiana (... Ms. Williams) and her cooperating teacher did beatuifully. I noticed that the more students and other instruments were involved, the less complicated their gesture. Most of the instructions dealt with entrances and cut offs. With over 200 singers, I can understand why one would choose such a strategy. Watching, I was struck by how universal our conducting can be. Even these high schoolers, some of whom may just be learning how to read music, can understand the message of "Stop singing here!" or "You're about to sing! Pay attention!" Both conductors used expressive motions that could be understood by anyone. I'm getting off on a tangent, but that's really amazing. The skills we are developing can be used with two-year-olds, old ladies in a church choir, or professional music organizations. woah.

This was a fun concert to attend. I haven't been to a high school concert for a few years, and I felt really old, I have to say. But it got me excited for all of the music educators in the class. How cool that you get to do this! Hoorah! Each year will be a new opportunity to explore new music and ideas while establishing meaningful choral traditions (I understand this is the most highly attended concert and is always finished with the choirs and alumnists singing the Sussex Carol.) I'm proud of Christiana's work and am anxious for all of my classmates to have similar opporutunities.

P.S. Fundraising idea for future music teachers - The poinsettias decorating the stage were donated by a local greenhouse. Parents and audience members could order them ahead of time and purchase the plants at the time of the concert. Make money and add some landscape to your concert! wee!

Posted by Claire Klein at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I felt ok about my conducting of Psalm 100. I think I have 2 problems that I really need to fix: making my beat pattern smaller and keeping track of the music. Let me explain...

Every time I conduct, I am very conscious of making my beat pattern smaller, but it never looks very small on video. I think the reason my beat pattern continues to be large is because that is what happens when I get in front of people. I have done a lot of theater, and it is very natural for me to perform. I am working on developing the ability to control when I perform and when I do not perform but simply lead. This is a tricky problem for me to solve, but I am also working on it in music therapy, so hopefully it will get ironed out soon.

Keeping track of the music is connected to my innate desire to perform. When I step in front of a choir, most of me wants to connect with singers and inspire them. The part that cares about musical accuracy is music smaller than the part that cares about the singers. I care about musical accuracy...it's just hard for that part of me to stay strong when I am leading a group of people. Again, this is something I am also working on in music therapy through accompanying, observing clients, etc.

On a positive note, I am glad that I am able to really focus on connecting with the singers. I don't want to lose this, I just want to gain more balance between connecting with singers and musical accuracy.

P.s. It's been a wonderful semester!

Posted by Amy Trowbridge at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was pleasantly surprised with my conducting on Friday. At least I was at the time. After watching the video I’m maybe not so much. At the time I was just glad to get most of the meter changes and squeeze in some other gestures for shaping the line. I felt pretty well prepared and curious to see how much information I’d internalized. Overall, I think I kept the beat well, though perhaps not very artistically. I think the next step might be memorizing the song and then adding more gestures and breaths.

Matt’s comment about my needing to be purposeful with my left hand will stick with me for sure. I have trouble with that for some reason. I guess I feel the music in the moment and I realize what gesture would be perfect a second too late. My left hand seems to react whenever it wants to and I need to be more aware of it. Hopefully I’ll get better at this with time? I’d love to get to the point where I can feel the music, realize what gesture I want to do, and have adequate time to prep it.

Posted by Lisa Heupel at 05:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I observed the Merry Music Makers in Coon Rapids. Merry Music Makers is a special needs choir composed of singers who range in age from approximately 18 to 50. Participants in the choir have a range of diagnoses, but most of them participated in special education music at Coon Rapids Junior High and had the same director in school who now directs Merry Music Makers. Unfortunately, the director was not present the night I went to observe. I did, however, observe the two assistants manage the choir.

My time at this rehearsal was very enjoyable and educational. The biggest lesson I learned was to take note of the resources within the choir. A participant who could play be ear, for example, became the accompanist on the spot. If he had not been there it would have been essential to have other backup plans on file. The rehearsal was geared toward preparation for the holiday concert. Group singing to piano accompaniment was mixed with singing to recordings of concert songs such as "My Boyfriend's Back," and also group socialization by individually answering questions about the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday.

The pacing of the choir rehearsal was good because it included many different activities to maintain the choir's engagement. There was even a break for snack time in the middle of rehearsal to allow for additional socialization. Different members were responsible for bringing refreshments on a volunteer basis. This seemed to facilitate a sense of ownership for the choir members.

I do not think conducting is commonly a part of this choir's rehearsal technique. The pianist and songleaders did provide cues, however, by nodding, breathing before initiating songs, and signaling basic cutoffs with gesture. Another important part of this rehearsal was helping members maintain focus and channel energy. This was accomplished by clear facial expressions on the part of the pianist and song leaders.

Posted by Amy Trowbridge at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CONCERT OBSERVATION

For my concert observation, I attended VocalEssence's semi-staged version of the musical "The Most Happy Fella" on Sunday, 14 October at Ted Mann, led by Philip Brunelle.

For this staging, both the orchestra and chorus were onstage the entire time, while the main action went on further downstage, behind the conductor. As a result, most of the conducting was executed more by ear than by sight, since Dr. Brunelle couldn't make eye contact with the main characters (let alone see them), and vice versa. He turned around to look at them for some of the harder cues, but for the most part they were blind cues.

The majority of the songs were solos or duets, but there was a good amount of chorus numbers, and for these, Dr. Brunelle devoted most of his attention to the choir, unlike the rest of the pieces, when he paid most attention to the orchestra. I noticed that he mouthed most all the words along with the chorus, which I found interesting to see at a more professional level. It must just be a personal style, because the chorus knew what they were singing very well.

Another observation I made was that Dr. Brunelle's posture got much taller when he was conducting the choir than when he was just conducting the orchestra. He also used different gestures for the choir than for the orchestra; the choral gestures were more concentrated, and focused around the mouth, while the instrumental gestures were more lateral and spread out. This all makes perfect sense, as instrumentalists and vocalists respond differently to different cues and gestures. It was very helpful to be able to see both of these types of gestures in context, and to be able to compare and contrast. It gave me some great insight for if I ever have the opportunity to lead a band of some kind.

I found this concert very interesting and insightful, not to mention entertaining.

REHEARSAL OBSERVATION

For my rehearsal observation, I sat in on the final dress rehearsal of the Augsburg College Advent Vespers concert on Thursday, 29 November at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis.

The first choir to rehearse was a women's chorus, the Riverside Singers, led by Nancy Grundahl. They sang through the piece "Chanticleer," by Ruth Watson Henderson. The biggest issue they struggled with was blending, which they seemed to address in their repetitions of the piece, because with repetition I noticed fewer and fewer individual voices standing out. They also worked with balance, because the altos tended to sing with a heavier tone, which brought their part out unwantedly.

The next piece to be rehearsed was a combined choir piece (Augsburg Choir, Masterworks Chorale, Riverside Singers) with the orchestra, conducted by Dr. Peter Hendrickson. For this piece, the choirs held scores, which created some tempo issues for an already slower-tempoed piece; the choir remained behind Dr. Hendrickson and the orchestra much of the time. This issue caused Dr. Hendrickson to bob up and down more to better show the tempo and get the choir to look up out of their scores. Because of the bobbing, he wasn't able to be as dynamically expressive as he could have been, since everything had to be bigger so the choir would follow him. Another issue they had was with diction; I couldn't understand a word the choir said, let alone what language the piece was in.

The last piece I observed was a spiritual, "He Came Down," accompanied by conga drums, and sung by the same combined choirs, this time conducted by Nancy Grundahl. This piece was memorized, so they were able to stay together better, despite the substantial size of the choir. The issue addressed most was the intonation of the choir; Ms. Grundahl's most frequent comment was to have taller vowels on words such as "down" and "love."

I enjoyed watching this rehearsal very much, and am sorry I had to miss the final concert, but I'm sure it was beautiful, especially with the adjustments they made in their final rehearsal.

Posted by Allison Innerbichler at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have to apologize for this week's conducting lab. I was in a horrible mood and this was a horrible day at the end of a horrible week. I know that is no excuse but I was really trying my best. I was not professional and I am sorry.

After watching the recording, I realized that my conducting wasn't as bad as I thought it was. With accuracy, I think it was pretty solid and I think most things were pretty clear. I really practiced all the beat patterns and after I watched the recording, I think I had pretty solid transitions. Also, I think I was able to make a clear distinctions between the repeated sections and the verses.

As you all know after watching me conduct, the main thing I struggled with this week was getting into the spirit of the piece. I was trying my hardest to get past my emotional block but easier said than done. I promise it will be BETTER for the final conducting lab. Also, I thought I looked up more but obviously I was pretty glued to my score. That is another thing I will focus on before next time.

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I think Friday went okay for me; it was a really good prep for the final, and helped me focus in on what I need to fix.

My first run-through was pretty rough, and I wasn't pleased with how I performed compared to how I had been doing while practicing by myself...but I suppose that's usually the case. I was having a hard time using gestures that were both expressive and accurate; I often sacrificed accuracy to focus on dynamics or some such nuance. From that run-through, it was noted that my rebounds weren't as released as they could be if I used my whole arm rather than using mostly my forearm. I seem to get that comment a lot, and I think it's just a matter of taking a moment to think to myself before I start, because once I start, I get easily into a pattern so I can focus on other things, so if I start out using mostly my forearm, that's how the rest of the piece will be conducted. But if I start out correctly, using my whole arm and having a good rebound, I'm confident that it will carry through to the rest of the piece.

The second run-through went better for me. I got into the right pattern pretty close to the beginning, so that was one less thing to worry about, and I was able to focus on being more accurate and expressive. The comment given to me at the end of this run-through was that I often rely too heavily on my facial expressions to lead the choir, which are sometimes not strong enough, and I need to work some stronger gestured into my repertoire. I will definitely work on this for the final.

Thanks to everyone for their comments, both verbal and written!!

Posted by Allison Innerbichler at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friday's conducting felt really good. With such a difficult piece and all the switching between meters, I was nervous about how things would go, especially with having such a difficult time keeping a steady pace anyway. The metronome was my friend this week, and I appreciate its value much more than I did at the beginning of the semester.
I'm not sure what happened in my brain between the first and second run-throughs. I was surprised at how much of a difference I could see. The second seemed more relaxed and in-the-moment, but still not entirely engaged. I was still in my own head and not connecting as much as I could with the singers. Familiarity with the score will help this, I hope. I would also like to see clearer cut offs. There was some gesture, but not totally in rhythm or in conjunction with what I actually had in mind.

Thanks for all the help this semester - class, Matt, Andrew. It's been fun watching everyone progress!

Posted by Claire Klein at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It was so sad that today was our last conducting class! I've really enjoyed it, and feel that I've made a lot of progress. I am amazed looking back at how much I didn't know. I would love to continue taking conducting methods, I just don't know if it will sync up with my requirements. It would be a shame to not keep the momentum. Maybe I'll have to keep it up on my own.

I really enjoyed this piece as well. It really keeps you on your toes. Going in, I felt like the biggest challenge was going to be keeping my head out of the score. I still haven't completely internalized the piece, so I have to keep looking to make sure I'm in the right place. I tried to make an effort to look at the choir more, but I found that I did lose my place. I felt I recovered ok, though. Going in, I had also made a decision to make a marked difference in my 2-eighth note versus 3-eighth note patterns. I wanted the duple meter to be crisp and small, and the triple meter to be more rounded and take up a little more space. It is difficult to keep the pattern small, though! My tendency (and I think most everyone in the class does this) is to go too big. It doesn't feel that big, but looking in the mirror, it is. It's also much harder to have a big pattern with a piece like this. It's easy to speed up or slow down.

One of my big issues, as the class commented on, is moving too much. This is a really hard habit to undo. I have always moved as part of making music. Since this is mostly in the "rock" arena, it feels second nature to me. I tend to think of conducting as playing a large instrument made up of many voices. It's still an instrument, it's just played differently.

It is interesting to note the effect on the choir when I do this. I agree with Dr. Mehaffey that with a piece that is rhythmically complex, it is best to simplify the conducting, and just let the choir know where they are. Moving around makes it difficult for the choir to have a consistent place to look.

Anyway, I've had fun. Hopefully I'll see one or all of you conducting at the Met someday!

Tim

Posted by Timothy Oesau at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As part of the University of Minnesota’s Women’s chorus, I participated in the ACDA of Minnesota’s fall choir festival at St. John’s University in Collegeville. This experience was a great observation and participation experience. I was a part of mass choir rehearsals and then we watched all the individual schools perform two songs from their repertoire.

There were two conductors that stuck out to me from the performances, Dr. Christopher Aspaas from St. Olaf College and Lawrence Burnett from Carleton College. Dr. Aspaas was one of the best conductors I have ever seen. His stage presence was so confident and so exciting. From his demeanor and facial expressions, I could tell that he loved being there conducting. He was able to hold the attention of every one of his choir members. He conducted a men’s chorus composed of freshmen and sophomores. His gesture was so clear and fluid. He was so easy to follow and was so enjoyable to watch. Like I said before, he had great eye contact with his choir which shows his confidence and also his knowledge of the music. The first piece they performed was “Give Me Jesus” which he had arranged for them. The arrangement was beautiful; everyone listening hung on every note that was sung. He used varying techniques of unison to parts in a homophonic texture as well as contrapuntal sections. This added variety to the verses as well as added intrigue.

The other director I noted was Lawrence Burnett from Carleton. His style was very difficult to follow. I think it was because of his constant rubato. Because he had a capella pieces for his choirs, he was able to manipulate the tempo, but it was not done as tastefully as I would have liked. I think part of my distaste was the fact that his women’s chorus sung 6 carols by Benjamin Britten. The first carol was done very well, but each of the succeeding carols was only ok. I think he could have narrowed his selection so that they could be done well rather than 5 mediocre carols. Another difficulty in the women’s performance was the number of performers. I understand that this is not always in the control of the conductor because there are enrollment factors out of his control. But, I think this supports what I said about having less that is done well rather than more that is mediocre. There was a harp accompaniment which was a beautiful idea, but because of the intonation and insecurity of the singers, there was not a good blend.

Now about the rehearsal, we had 5 different conductors for the selections we sang and each had their own style. Although I did not care for Mr. Burnett’s choir, I did like his approach in the rehearsal. He conducted the piece “No Time” arranged by Susan Brumfield. He began his rehearsal time by giving us history of the piece. I liked this, because the piece is not so difficult musically, but conveying the message takes specific knowledge. The song is ultimately referring to heaven which is something to look forward to and a pressing goal. Another part of the meaning is the travelling west that the early settlers did. Mr. Burnett was able to convey his passion about the song and we were able to convey this simple message with emotion and feeling rather than just singing the notes.

As a whole, the conductors were extremely enthusiastic about being in front of the large mass of singers. I was impressed by the planning that was evident when they took the podium. I would say most of the songs were successes, but one that we had trouble with was Psalm of Praise. This was conducted by Mary Kay Geston of Northwestern College. She did not have the presence needed to capture our attention for whatever reason. She could have been the least prepared and she seemed to have too big of a chunk of material to cover in the amount of time she had to rehearse with us. I will credit her with the fact that she was given the most difficult piece to perform in the setting. The concert was in the Abbey there which is acoustically live and with all the reverberations the dense text and fast tempo was not communicated. In the performance she was not leading us. She was set on her tempo which is usually the job of the conductor, but in this extreme case she should have settled for the tempo we were singing. I think that her beat pattern was also unclear, so we were not able to follow her.

Posted by Brooke Lane at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I liked seeing the video of last week. It was good to see the change in pattern size and the direct correlation to the sound of those singing. I liked working on softer dynamics, because I tend to get too big to fast. I get really into the music and when I'm excited I tend to use more motion. I liked the correct anatomical functions that we learn from Matt. Knowledge helps me to understand better, so knowing how my arm is to naturally move helps me to be more comfortable and better understand how to communicate. Through thsi week I was reminded that I must be versatile as a conductor. Not every piece can be conducted the same way; we must alter tempo, articulation, and dynamic for each individual song. I needed to remember this, because I tend to stick to the style in which I'm comfortable. I liked exploring with different dynamics and how my body reacts to that. I will work on moving from my collarbone as opposed to only my elbow; and I can even stand to use wrist!

Posted by Brooke Lane at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hahahaha! So, I realized that all throughout my tape I STILL didn't get what Matt and Andrew and Dr. Hamann were trying to say! Even during my last run through my beat pattern was too rushed. I understand now what Matt was saying about the velocity of the hand and how it needs to be steady. My pattern was very sharp and bouncy whereas his was smoother and more controlled. Not that it was legato, but it was not as pointed. Sorry it took so many people to communicate that to me. =)

I also noticed that my downbeat was perpetually late coming out of the 6/8 bars. The choir was singing before I came in and this should not be the case. I think I was lingering too much on the last couple of eighth notes coming out of the 6/8 bar. It might help if I keep the eighth note beat in my head and force my hand to conduct with it, regardless of what my ear is telling me. At least this might help at first. I don't want to put the piece in a straightjacket. =) Matt or Andrew, do you have any suggestions for how I might correct this tendency?

Posted by Lisa Heupel at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I really enjoyed conducting this piece. I like the mixed meter, and I appreciate the juxtaposition of a dry choral sound ("tomorrow will be") and the legato sound ("true love..."). Because this piece does not ask for the quintessential choral sound needed for a piece like "Locus Iste," I used Tim's closed hand gesture. To me, this gesture is most suitable for pieces where the choir is used in more of an instrumental way than a typically choral way. I am wondering what others think about this comment?

I loved thinking about the tips of my fingers as a baton. I think this helped me get a more controlled sound from the group because I think it helped reign in my gesture a little. Conversely, I still used an open left hand to convey any swells in dynamics that I wanted to see. I was also pleased with my gesture size. Of course, it could be smaller, but it was much more controlled this time around.

As far as the bouncing into the beat rather than away, I think this will take a lot of practice because it is not how I normally dance. I am going to try it out this Friday!

Posted by Amy Trowbridge at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Because of my work in music therapy, I have become more conscious of the entire package of choral performance. I have been taking into account, settings, staging for choir, and the target audience. I have also been considering experiences of chorus members in different settings in order gain a more complete picture of what it can mean to be in choir. I am going to contrast three different choral performances I attended this semester, namely a children's choir that performed at the Austin Children's Shelter Benefit in Austin, TX, Celtic Woman chorus members, and finally a choir that performed in Mall of America during the busy holidy shopping season. These were all markedly different performances, and they each taught me something different about conducting a choir.

The children's choir that I saw perform was a selective choir in Austin, TX. It seemed like its members ranged in age from 8 years old to 13. They were very polished performers and followed the director's conducting. This choir was fairly large: approximately 30-40 people. They sang repertoire appropriate for their age and the context in which they were performing. The most valuable lesson I learned from watching them perform was that children can sing expressively when nurtured and properly conducted. Equally important was my observation that the children singing sounded like themselves. Their voices sounded young, but they were successful because they sang appropriate repertoire.

Later into the semester, I attended a Celtic Woman performance at the Excel Energy Center. This was a valuable experience in the context of choral conducting because I saw how effective rhythm was in keeping singers together. The tempos set by the drumset, and the contrast in dynamics that they demonstrated, were enough to lead choral singers through pieces in performance. This is helpful to realize as a future music therapist because I will consider using a rhythmic instrument to guide music interventions, especially if they involve group singing. Finally, Celtic Woman showed me how beneficial it is to use lighting in choral concerts. The visual aspect of live music is very important both for audience and for performers. Lighting a show that I do with a special needs choir, for example, will be a great way for me to give my clients a culminating experience.

Finally, I saw a young adult choir perform at the Mall of America. It was mixed gender and there were approximately 15 members plus a conductor. They had a great sound, but the most memorable aspect of watching their performance was the conductor herself. At the end of the first piece that I watched the choir complete, the conductor waited an appropriate amount of time and then leaned forward to congratulate her choir on their performance of the piece they had just completed. Watching this woman, I saw how important it is to continually nurture choir members, even during performances.

Posted by Amy Trowbridge at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I feel that over the semester I really have steadily improved. However, after every problem that is corrected, I generally seem to create a new issue for myself to work on. It is like I don't want to let myself have a rest! I was really challenged with keeping a grounded and firm position. If you watch me in choir (Im sure matt and andrew can vouch) and I move around like crazy. Its just a way I internalize what I am singing. However, in solo performance, I have the option of standing completely still. It is something I had to work on to master.

Once again, I feel like the generic issues we have while learning anything that is foreign to us, will most likely resurface. While watching the tape, I also realized that I am still not committing to my gestures. I don't know if its because I feel silly, ore that I don't think I'll do it right, but I practice with grand intentions, and when I get on the podium, my conducting shrinks in intensity about 300%. i believe this will be my mail goal while transferring into next semesters material.

Posted by Kristin Olson at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

REHEARSAL OBSERVATION
Each individual conductor is very different. Some are effective and some are not. In my time, I have worked with many different conductors and they have been indeed different. Most of the methods they used were effective, however now after learning about proper conducting techniques, it is easy for me to see things at which some conductors should work on. The conductor whose rehearsal I observed was Dr. Alan Rieck who conducts the Women’s Concert Chorale at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Dr. Rieck had many strong points with his conducting, but also some weaknesses. The weaknesses at first seemed to be just things he wasn’t doing by the book correctly. But, after trying to sing along with him, those weaknesses were more easily noticeable. The biggest weakness that I found was that Dr. Rieck conducts very high in his vertical plane. As a member of this group 3 years ago, I never really noticed how difficult it can be to read at times, but now I really do see that where a person conducts is very important. If he would lower his hands a few inches, his pattern would have a lot more clarity.
Another small weakness I saw was that sometimes his releases end going upward in inappropriate places which almost leaves the choir hanging. It was sometimes hard to get a sense of when he precisely wanted the sound to end and if he wanted it to end abruptly or if he wanted it to fade.
Although there were a few problems that could be worked on, Dr. Rieck also had some very good conducting skills. His eye contact was very good. If all else failed with releases, his eyes would tell when people should cut off. He also has very smooth patterns. His beats are not choppy, causing poor phrasing. He has really good facials too. The best thing about his facials is that they show the dynamics he wants, but also the feeling that he wants. By looking at his face, it is easy to see if the piece is meant to be about pain or joy.
There were small issues with Dr. Rieck, but overall, he was very effective in his conducting. He seemed to stray from the typical conducting rules to evoke more of the personal style that he wanted, but it seemed to work alright for him. I would be curious to see what or how he was taught to conduct and see if it is like what I am learning now, or if it was a completely different approach.

CONCERT OBSERVATION
Seeing a conductor in a rehearsal is one thing, but observing a conductor in a performance is something totally different. For the concert review, I observed Dr. Gary Schwartzhoff, conductor of the Concert Choir at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Usually when I attend a concert, I focus on the ensemble, not the conductor. I never really realized how important the conductor is to the group. Going to a concert to watch the conductor is a very different experience, but it is an experience that helps to open the eyes of a person like myself. In watching Dr. Schwartzhoff, I learned and observed many things that I probably would have never seen if I were part of his ensemble.
Dr. Schwartzhoff did many things very well. The first thing I noticed was his cueing. Whenever he would cue a section to come in, he would turn his whole body toward that section and make eye contact with the section. He also would give a motion with his hand to come in. The only problem I could see with his cueing was that he did not give prep breaths to the section he was cueing. I could see that he was not giving the breaths because when he would turn to the side to cue the sopranos, it was quite obvious that he did not show a visible breath.
Another strong point to Dr. Schwartzhoff’s conducting was his beat pattern. His patterns were very clear. I could always see the ictus of the beat. His pattern was very consistent. He used subdivision very well too. He made the appropriate changes in pattern size according to the dynamics of the piece or the section of the piece. At times, however, he did appear to conduct somewhat high in the vertical plane which made it slightly hard to read in that aspect.
Dr. Schwartzhoff showed very clear cutoffs. The only thing about the cutoffs that I would have corrected was the ending loop to stop the sound was rather large which made it unclear as to where exactly the sound should be stopped. As for left-hand independence, he mirrored his right hand quite often. There were some occasions where he used his left hand to show crescendos and decrescendos, but most of the time he mirrored unless he was cueing in a section of the band. Sometimes the left hand was difficult to read when it came to sustaining phrases.
Dr. Schwartzhoff showed proper emotion for the songs as well. When the song became more or less intense, his whole body showed it. The only thing that I wish I could have gotten more of what his face! It would have been very nice to see if his face was showing what his body movements were showing. I think at one point he did smile because I saw his ears move at the same time.
Dr. Schwartzhoff’s level of preparedness and professionalism were definitely demonstrated through the performance. His posture was exceptional. He did not move excessively or do anything that was distracting to the ensemble or the audience. He was not scorebound. He showed that he and his ensemble were ready for this performance.
It seems that often the conductor is extremely overlooked. The audience is there to hear the ensemble, but they seem to forget about the conductor. It is easy to look past a man or woman who has their back to the audience and is merely waving their hands around at the people on stage. Without Dr. Schwartzhoff’s skill and preparedness, the ensemble would very possibly have fallen apart.

Posted by Stephanie Lundmark at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I felt very prepared for the meter changes. When I went up to conduct I felt very confident that I knew how to change the patterns. This is not the part I was disappointed about. Today I felt like my conducting had backtracked. Having too much tension and putting beats on the upbeats instead of the downbeats was something I struggled with in the beginning and I thought I fixed it. I guess I will just have to work at it even harder. It really is amazing how easy conducting looks and then if you have to get up and conduct a piece for one minute if you do it wrong your arm will get SO TIRED! I always know I have done something wrong when I finish and it feels like I just lifted a bunch of weights. I think I just need to relax and feel the music a bit more and then maybe my tension will lessen up a bit.

Posted by Stephanie Lundmark at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I performed this piece in high school so I was very excited to be working on this again. Like Claire, I was intimidated by the constant meter changes but it was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I thought I was able to transition between simple and compound pretty smoothly which was nice. I think I brought a nice energy to the piece and it was very exciting when everyone responding to my shaping gestures. I felt that I got the swelling and energy that I wanted which made me happy.

After watching my recording, I did see what Dr. Mehaffey was mentioning about my 3/4 gestures. I did not think it was as obvious as he mentioned but it was noticeable. It was nice to see that over the course of my conducting excerpt, I improved on this. I think Dr. Mehaffey nailed it on the head that the reason I was curving in was being I was using too much space; I had no where else to go. This is something I will keep in mind for future conducting. Also, I think I was pretty relaxed physically throughout my conducting. My face and my legs seemed really comfortable which was nice to see. I am glad this piece went well this week!

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Initially, I was terribly intimidated by this piece - a different meter every other measure?! Is that REALLY necessary?! But once we grouped bars together and I put my metronome on the equal quarter note, it came a lot more naturally than I had expected. When I was in front of the group, I felt I was clear, and I was happy to even be able to work in a few expressive moments.

I am getting very frustrated, however, in not being able to realize when I'm rushing or when the choir is not together. Even when I'm watching my video, it's difficult for me to tell - to me, it just sounds like the music itself doesn't allow a good spot to breath or something. I did see my compound meter getting 150% bigger, but also having faster motion than the simple meter. At the time, however, I remember being confused why people were laughing at the end of the run through and why Matt said "A good dance tempo!" It didn't feel so very different from where I started or from the tempi previous conductors were taking. I do remember thinking "Oops - they aren't really following here..." and attempting to more clearly mark the beat, but you can't tell any difference on the tape. oy. This bothers me! I would like to be able to Hear, Comprehend, and Adjust in the moment. But how do I work on this?

Posted by Claire Klein at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I thought Friday went okay for me. Although it wasn't mentioned, I noticed when I watched my video that I'm still not bringing my elbows out as far as I should to enable good breathing in the choir.

It was brought to my attention, however, that my hand wasn't on the correct plane to effectively show everyone the beats properly. This new development surprised me, and looking back at past videos, I kept my hand much flatter than I did this week for whatever reason, so it seems to have sprung out of nowhere, although it probably had something to do with the bouncy nature of the song in my interpretation. One more thing to think about, I guess...

Another thing that was brought up was my habit of actively engaging the choir to often to allow it to be a special, meaningful gesture. This goes along with one of my previous blogs, I believe, where I asked whether or not my moving around was too distracting. I suppose it must be, or at least it has reached that point now. Hopefully I can get that under control for next week and the final.

Posted by Allison Innerbichler at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I attended a semi staged performance of "The Most