2/29 Hotaru Koi
This was a good exercise, for me, I think. I've been thinking about how I might expand my vocabulary of gesture as well as how to Hear the choir while conducting. I'm still in the beginning stages of both, but Friday was helpful. The exercise before conducting forced me to assess whether or not the choir was doing as I asked. You responded well to my piano gesture (which I said I wanted to make smaller from last time) as well as my switch to forte and forte accents. People were surprised by my force, but my mentor encouraged me to "show the dynamics without apologizing" so that's what I tried. I thought about breaking the plane and changing my intent, not just the size of the pattern. This was all well and good, but not exactly in the spirit of the piece. Where it worked well in the pre-piece stuff, I don't think it fit as well into the short, sweet children's song. What I can conclude, then, is that while it's always good to play with a number of different factors when adjusting dynamics, everything must be kept in an appropriate context of the piece. I appreciate everyone's willingness to go with me, even through my smashing of the fireflies.
Of-topic discussion question: How do people feel about wearing hand and wrist jewelery while conducting (i.e. bracelets, rings, watches)? I've heard and seen mixed opinions. I, for one, have never found it distracting until somebody told me that it was (isn't psychology interesting?!). Now I check people's hands to see what a particular conductor must feel about it. How about you?