Undergraduate Choral Conducting Blog

I believe this was the second time that I conducted "Les Etoiles" and I think I improved. I think I was able to clearly represent the duple and triple meter. My gestures seemed clearer this time around because the ensemble really seemed to follow me. I struggled last time with the final page (with the ritard and alto movement) but this was a lot smoother this time around. I also think that I was much more comfortable with the active and inactive beats. This is a great piece to practice this on and I think it went well

With things to think about before conducting this at Central High School, I will need to monitor what is happening with my left elbow. I didn't even realize I was doing this but hopefully I can remember this while practicing. I have already worked on keeping my left hand under control. I have been rehearsing "Rejoice in the Lamb" with Matt Culloton and I am already making sure it is only used when necessary. I think this was a good week and I look forward to conducting the ladies at Central High School.

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 03:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the first time, I actually felt comfortable conducting on Friday. I felt like most things went my way. I know that Matt had other ideas for the solo section, but I was sticking to my guns. I wanted to conduct all of the beats because of the way I heard it in my head. I know that the soloist has some liberties and decisions, but I also think that in a high school environment, you as the director, have a lot of direction too. I felt very comfortable doing it this way.
However, I did still struggle with my forte gesture. I know that I made it bigger than in the past, but I do not think it was big enough. I did not get the response I was hoping for. I thought I was very clear on my crescendo/decrescendo gesture at the end, but I did not get the swell I was expecting. I do not know what to do except try it again next time. I just didn't have enough time to try it until I got it right.
Anyway, I felt very comfortable and pleased this week. I am excited to go out to the school for our final and start doing this regularly fairly soon.

Posted by Jonathan Edington at 01:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For my rehearsal observation, I chose to observe Emilie Sweet conducting The Alchemy Singers for The Alchemy Project. (The rehearsal was help at 7:00 on Thursday, February 21.) While I have worked with Emilie this past year, I found it very interesting to sit back and give all my attention to her as a conductor and teacher. So often I am focusing on my own part; it was helpful to watch her work with all voice parts and the instrumentalists.

For this rehearsal, Emilie was working with an ensemble comprised of professional singers. This was quite different then working with the University's Chamber Singers so her style changed. She was able to give more directions to the singers more often and because of her concise statements, the ensemble was able to respond quickly and solve most problem spots. Furthermore, this is one of the only rehearsals that this ensemble had ever met. The singers came from many different areas so it was clear that Emilie was taking it upon herself to have them connected in some way. To do this, Emilie always made sure that everyone new what the goal of each piece. Emilie created a very nice atmosphere within this new ensemble and the music improved because of it.

In a particular part of their music, two soloists were having a very difficult time executing an entrance. To fix this, Emilie tried multiple things: making a bigger conducting yesterday, quietly singing along, and using very strong eye contact. However, what ended up working was putting another singer in to assist on the entrance. This was a great moment to watch because Emilie did not give up and tried multiple tricks until the problem was fixed. I learned during this observation that while you might now a particular conductor, they are always able to transform themselves for different ensembles and different settings.

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 02:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I enjoyed conducting Wood River for class. It was fun to see how my practice resulted in accurate and clear representation of what I wanted for the ending. I had practiced a different way than most of the others had done, but it was fun to see clear gesture resulting in clear performing. It is fun to lead a group and to have them follow you. I think this was done because I was precise in my gesture.
The exercises were helpful because they demanded precise gesture. They also helped in thinking ahead for preparing for the next beat. I know this, but the exercised forced me to have to prepare.

Posted by Brooke Lane at 04:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to The Singers' performance at the Minneapolis Basilica with conductor Matt Culleton. It was a great concert and he did a great job using the space. There were 2 things that stuck out to me about his style:
1) he had a great stance- his chest was up, not too high, but lifted; he had a good base with his feet shoulder-width apart; his arms were up.
2) he had a great smile.
These were his strengths as a conductor. He had a great prescence which was mirrored by the emphatic singers. I was very watchful of his prep beats and I noticed how he always prepared every change whether that be with a smaller or larger gesture or with a tempo change. Watching his preps was enough for me to know what to expect! It was really cool to see what we practiced in action.

Posted by Brooke Lane at 04:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to observe Minnesota Chorale's bridges program working with African Voices. It wasn't what I expected at all. I thought that it would be mostly teaching us about african music and how to transfer it into our choral programs. Instead, it was really a rehearsal for the chorale's African Voices concert that was open to the public. I was sitting in the middle of the chorale, and was encouraged to sing along.

The most interesting aspect of this was that the guest artist gave us text sheets and we were taught by wrote. I could see everyones frustration in the chorale with not being in the normal zone of comfort for them. Kathy worked with the guest instructor on running a smooth rehearsal.

I can see many challenges in having a guest come in to work with your choir, especially with large culturally differences. She facilitated the rehearsal in moving smoothly while not invading on the guests authority. The guest artist would sing a line, but it was in a sound that we are not used to and very rhythmic. Kathy would often listen if we were having problems and relay the line to us, so we could hear it in a "western" sense. This seemed very helpful. I was amazed at the way she could translate and find other ways for the chorale to understand material without becoming frustrated or angry.

It was a completely different side of Kathy than you would see in chamber singers. The way that she can change her expectations with each environment is truly amazing. This was a useful thing to observe and gain an understanding of its importance.

Posted by Kristin Olson at 02:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I found these exercises extremely challenging and frustrating. It was very difficult for me to correctly communicate what I wanted with my audience. It made me realize how much I really to be invested with my audience. I can think that I am showing something, but in all reality it is half of what it could be. To be completely clear and communicative, I need to over exaggerate nearly all of my gesture. Once I do this, they may be close to normal. The idea of this is somewhat daunting: knowing that there can never be too much.

Posted by Kristin Olson at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was unable to run the ending of this piece the first time around so that is why I wanted to get another go at it in class. When dealing with the soloist and choir, I got a little turned around and I was not ready for that. Honestly, I didn't think it was going to be that difficult but it did present some challenges. For instance, I was trying to do too much at once. Dr. Mehaffey pointed out that I really only have to conduct the choir and then let the soloist "do her thing." This helped but I was still a little "hand tied." I will have to work with this a little more before we go back to Central for the final.

On another note, I think I was very clear before and after the soloist section. I was able to prep all beats and be true to the dynamic markings. Also, I think the final few measures went smoothly because I think I was clear and everyone was looking at me. This week went well and I was pretty pleased.

Posted by Kate Kidwell at 03:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had hoped to do a lot more shaping with this piece, but it was all I could do to be clear with stretching the beat. I am currently trying to rewire my brain to be thinking ahead rather than in the moment. My voice teacher always compares singing to tight-rope walking; you can’t be too tense or too lax. Conducting seems to require the same balance between listening and creating. You can’t just listen and coast along like I did, but nor can you err on the side of chasing your vision to the exclusion of reality.

In basic conducting, we were introduced to the concept of willfulness, the idea of a conductor’s charisma somehow sweeping the ensemble into his or her vision of how the piece should sound. Furtwangler was a legendary example of this; it was said that he could change the sound of the Berlin Phil. just by entering the room.

I’m not sure I care for that model of conducting, though. Authoritarian leadership generally rankles me. I prefer the idea of partnership through scaffolding –when a piece is new, the conductor must enforce their vision, but then, they can slowly let the ensemble claim more autonomy, experiment, and contribute.

Maybe I’m unrealistic here; maybe a conductor’s job is simply to force musicians to sing marcato here and accelerando here. Maybe too many cooks spoils the broth. But I’ve most enjoyed working with choral directors who can listen to their ensembles, even in the early stages of learning repertoire, and recognize and build on good musicianship.

Posted by Hanna Dorn at 01:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am starting to see I have a little problem coming out of my box. I think Dr. Haman put it the best on Friday, saying that my softs were good, but my louds could be louder. I think that I, as well as most people, are generally comfortable at about a mf. It is about the size of my rest position. I know it does not look like I am motioning to make things louder, but in my mind I am. I feel like I need to save that bigger space for only extreme circumstances. In reality, I need to use it more, without maximizing my space. The maximum space is reserved for extreme circumstances, but I have a lot of leeway between what I actually am doing and my maximum. I guess I will just have to try harder. I would imagine that others are in the same boat It seems like a common thing. I did a similar thing in voice lessons. It is hard to go beyond your boundaries, but this can't be fixed until you actually do. I think this is the point where I need to surpass my own boundaries.

Posted by Jonathan Edington at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)