Undergraduate Choral Conducting Blog

I thought today went well for me. The f-p exercise was successful when I wasn't faking people out; I just need to prep sooner when going from forte to piano. Another thing I need to work on is my bouncing. I can see how it would be distracting, and I just have to keep in mind that stillness can often be more helpful, and even more expressive, than excessive movement.

One thing I couldn't seem to fix was the tempo. I felt it was going a little slower than I would have liked, but I've never really been able to change tempo well. I think once I hear one tempo it gets stuck in my head, and I can't think in the new tempo I want. I can't think how to overcome this, so any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Posted by Allison Innerbichler at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I thought I would just write a note to say that I intend on blogging on my experiences but I really feel like I need to see the videos in order to blog (I think everyone feels the same way). So, while some posts are late, posting really isn't beneficial unless I can see what I am blogging on. The only video I see up still is Las Amarillas. Does anyone else have any other videos up that they can see or is that the only one?

Posted by Stephanie Lundmark at 2:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This past week, I spent time at the Alchemy Ensemble rehearsals, conducted by Choral TA Emilie Sweet. I suppose whether or not this is a "University choir" is up for debate, but I'm hoping this counts.

As most of us have experienced first hand, personal investment in your choir makes a huge difference in the rapport and work ethic of the choir. Emilie's vision for her entire project was so clear and her passion for it contagious. It was also interesting to watch her interact with her professional colleagues. I would think it extremely difficult to be in a directive position with those who are normally on the same level. Emilie managed this well - kept everyone on track and focused, while still joking along and keeping a friendly atmosphere.

Musically, the rehearsal was well paced - hitting everything she needed in a short amount of time. Instead of addressing problems with hand gestures and metaphors like a conductor of a younger choir would do. Instead, her directions were clear and concise. The members of the choir were responsive, made changes, and took notes. Something that helped me follow along during the rehearsal was taking notes as well, but in a three-column form. I wrote down the issue I heard, what I might do to fix it, and what Emilie did if she addressed it. I surprised myself at what I picked up on, even in a choir made of professionals. The exercise boosted my musical confidence a bit and I think helped me in conducting on Friday, apparent to me when Matt asked me "what was wrong?" and I was able to answer confidently (that we weren't rhythmically precise). Even a few weeks ago, I don't think I would have picked up on it. I usually don't hear anything when I'm conducting, but I think I'm becoming more perceptive.

Posted by Claire Klein at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Wood River went well last week for everyone. Decidedly, the piece doesn't provide the same level challenges as much of the other repertoire we've encountered thus far. However, I was surprised at how much both Wood River and Les estoiles forced me to focus on. It's so easy to fall into a loopy, unclear 4 pattern in pieces such as these. Yet, a rhythmic integrity and an idea of a flowing line moving forward must be maintained in both pieces. This is especially true for "les estoies" in its switching between triple and duple feel. Whatever meter, I always like indicating where the phrase is going in my score to prevent myself from getting bored and bogged down in the midst of a phrase. Both pieces also offer a dynamic possibilities. I'm trying to shrink my "piano" pattern to the minimum amount of space possible. Conductors that I've worked with hardly seem to move at all, making their "fortes" and other important moments all the more spectacular and effective. I was hoping to see the video to see the size of the gestures I'm using. I feel as though I'm using a tiny amount of space and movement, but in fact, the gestures are an average size, not that much different from the rest of the phrase or piece. Does anyone else feel like all those details leave them as soon as they get behind the podium?
I loved Hanna's idea for m. 13 and 18 in Wood River of going into a 3+3+2 pattern. It guided the music making perfectly. I'm curious if people find that these things come to them as they are listening to music? practicing to the music in their head? I just have a hard time "thinking outside the box." If the music says "4/4" I stay in four. I'm sure this all comes with experience, rehearsals, etc., but I'm just curious about how one makes such conducting decisions.

Posted by Claire Klein at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Over all, I was pleased with this conducting lab. As you all know, I am more comfortable with smooth, flowing pieces so I felt that I was able to handle this piece well. While we all can agree that this piece was extremely corny, I think it presented some interesting challenges for a beginning instructor. As Dr. Mehaffey mentioned, I started off a little "sharp" and "choppy" with the pattern at the beginning but I think as I continued on, it improved. I felt it was a hundred times better when I got to run it again. That is usually the case for me so I need to start doing what I intend on the first try! During the second run through, I was able to come to a clear balance between smooth beat patterns and clear rhythmic cues. I really felt that the singers were with me so that was comforting! They responded to my shaping; I hope I have the confidence to do more of that in the future. I have been working on standing more solid and grounded; I rhink am moving in the right direction after this lab. It is something I am constantly needing to think about so I would love it if people would remind when I move around too much. Thanks! Finally, I think I am had a greater contrast with my "piano" and "forte" this time around but I am still working on. You all know I struggle with the "big moments" in the music so I appreciate you being patient!

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 5:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wow, Las Amarillas was a LOT harder than I expected. I sang this piece 3 years ago at UW-Eau Claire and it seemed so easy but I guess singing and conducting are two completely different things. I felt like this conducting episode did not go particularly well for me. Part of it might have been that I was rusty from winter break, but I think I was just not confident with the song. When I was practicing, I had SUCH a hard time with the pickup note in the beginning, which turned out not to be a problem for me while I was actually conducting. My biggest problem was concentrating on cueing the appropriate parts and staying in the correct pattern. Sometimes I think I would be better off conducting an entire piece in one but my hand would get very tired of doing that. My biggest challenge for now is to try to think about other things while keeping my pattern strong. It is very easy to conduct one straight pattern the whole time if you completely ignore the music. But, then that defeats the purpose of what we are there for...to evoke the right sounds from the group. I think I need to loosen up a bit too. I looked very tense in the tape.

Posted by Stephanie Lundmark at 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Las Amarillas! Need I say more. This was the most intricate piece I've dealt with. I was excited to hear all the parts together which is so different from practice. It's so nice to be able to have a live "choir". Going into this experience, I was wanting to focus on a steady beat as well as cueing. I didn't really accomplish those things. The video is so helpful in seeing where the problem is. Matt talked about the 3rd beat slowing down and ultimately the tempo slowing. Seeing what was happening was crucial for me to be able to know where the problem was, because just talking about it didn't help. I see that I was starting at one tempo and then conducting at a different one.
I'm not sure why I used my head, but I think that that was a greater emphasis for the altos, so that's why I tried to use more of my body. I think this gesture could be affective, but not always. It could be used for an accented cue in a piece, but not every cue.
I like how this piece challenged us rhythmically; we couldn't wing it. We had to practice and understand the basic melody and the outline of the piece. I didn't find myself getting lost too much, but I think that was because I was the last one to go, so I knew how it should sound!

Posted by Brooke Lane at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I think that in spite of getting COMPLETELY lost my first time through, I did a decent job on Friday; at least I kept the beat going steady, and I did eventually find my place. One thing I immediately noticed upon watching the video was that I was rocking back and forth quite a bit. It kind of went away when I got lost, but it probably shouldn't be a trade-off between knowing where I am and knowing how to stand (relatively) still.

The part I found most challenging was jumping between parts in order to cue them; once I was following one line it was hard to find where I was in relation to the other parts. My goal had been to stay with what I saw as the main melody, which was usually the treble II part, but I kept getting distracted by the other parts. I think it was a matter of hearing it for the first time all together, since I never got the chance to look up a recording of the piece being performed. I will definitely look one up before going to Central and working this with the girls there.

One thing I was never sure I was doing right was breath cues. I had a hard time distinguishing between cues for entrances on the beat and those on the subdivision (usually the "and" of the beat). Any tips concerning this issue would be much appreciated.

Posted by Allison Innerbichler at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I'm glad this one is out of the way. Despite many difficulties trying to start the piece, Andrew's helpful solution with the "down-down" fixed the problem in no time. After I got things started, however, I see things soon deteriorated. My pattern was too big to be extremely effective - and it had a strange glitch move in it. I could have gone faster if my pattern took up less space and was more even.

Matt commented on my "burst of energy" when I began, but watching my tape, I could have been a lot more connected. I didn't trust myself to look up from the music (I was still off in cuing people!). While Matt said that he liked how I looked like I was "riding the groove," my eyes were totally withdrawn. Something to keep working on.

Posted by Claire Klein at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Wow, I had no idea I was so stuck in the score! I really need to work on memorizing this piece so I can connect with the choir more. Afterall, if I want them to trust me then I need to make eye contact with them.

I realized after watching the video that Matt was trying to get me to emphasize the downbeat so that the altos could get their syncopation down. But I was emphasizing beat two, for some reason, which was not helping them at all since it came after their syncopated entrance. I think, in general, showing a strong downbeat is essential for this piece.

I also realized that I still need to work on using my facial expressions to signify what I want the choir to do BEFORE they come in, not AS they come in. =) I still don’t give the choir a long enough time to respond to my facial cues.

This piece is very challenging and I’ll admit, I don’t really know what to conduct and what to ignore. Hopefully as I hear it more and gain experience with the choir performing it I will learn where they need the most help.

Posted by Lisa Heupel at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

While I was conducting "Las Amarillas" I felt ridiculous and that was confirmed after I watched my recording. I did not realize that I was moving around so much (especially my head and legs) so that is something I really need to monitor. Also, I have been trying to work on my facial expressions while conducting but that did not go as well this time around. I thought overall it was okay but I really struggled with the initial entrance. I did not really understand what Dr. Mehaffey was asking for so I think that was part of the problem. If you wouldn't mind, could someone explain exactly what I was doing with my face and what I should have been doing? I am still struggling with this but I know you will all be patient.

While there are things that I need to improve for next time, I was pleased to see while watching my video that I connected with each voice section. I think I could look up more but I think for the first time, I did pretty well in this area. I also felt that I had a good amount of energy throughout which was nice to see. However, this manifested itself in my entire body so like I mentioned before, I need to work on that. Finally, I felt pretty confident which is important when dealing with a difficult piece. Hopefully I will improve for next time and I would greatly appreciate any comments!

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 1:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I am not sure if we are required to blog on our conducting experiences this semester, but I felt it helped me alot, so I plan on continuing.

After conducting, I felt like I did very well for what was presented to us. I was really happy that I was able to relax a little bit, and made some attempt to give attention to entrances when needed.

I was very frustrated that I am still having trouble with my patterns, specifically with my "sweeping" beat one gesture. I have tried several things to have a straight downward beat, but nothing seems to be working. Matt mentioned putting my pinky out and focusing on small beat patterns. I will try focusing on this a little more, but if anyone has any other practical advice, I would greatly appreciate it!

Posted by Kristin Olson at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

On Saturday, I visited Bea Hasselman and the Metropolitan Boys Choir for their weekly rehearsal. The choir is a select group of 30-40 boys aged 5 – 15. Bea, who has taught everywhere from area high schools to the college of St. Olaf, founded the choir in 1971 and has been directing it ever since.

Bea expects a great deal of the boys and they can deliver. The Metropolitan Boys Choir is not an ensemble you join for entertainment, but a professional choir that works hard for a high level of musicianship. A thirteen year-old spoke to me afterwards about wanting to become an opera singer.

Rehearsal was vigorous- in order to keep the choir’s attention, Bea moved at a fast pace and never spent more than 10 minutes on a single piece. Their repertoire was quite complex, at times using four-part harmonies, challenging rhythms, and foreign languages. Bea requires that choir members practice for 15-30 minutes a day (and turn in a practice log to prove it) and gives out CDs with their parts recorded. This groundwork ensured that the boys came to rehearsal ready to go and confident in their music.

Her conducting was clean and crisp, with no extraneous motions. I liked that she was able to move in and out of the beat pattern as needed. Bea made some good points about head voice and took time to work with the older boys who were experiencing changing voices.

Bea had a disciplinary tactic that was interesting. If a boy was fiddling around or not participating, she would excuse him for a two-minute break. It seemed like a good way to remove the troublemakers temporarily and keep them from derailing the whole choir, but it also meant the boys were behind when they rejoined the choir.

At one point, Bea asked me to lead a sectional rehearsal, so I worked with the soprano I and alto sections on a piece in Hebrew. Later, I ended up conducting the whole choir in a piece about rainbows. I would have preferred some notice (I had never heard of the pieces or composers), but went with it. I was lucky to work with such a good choir- they could pretty much go on autopilot without me.

Posted by Hanna Dorn at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)