How Do I Get Better?

Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer Mini Series!

Hi there! Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer mini series. During the month of July, we are taking a break from the usual interview conversations. Instead, I will be sharing some tips on different aspects of a conductor’s job with you every week.

In today’s episode, I will be talking about how to improve my conducting!

This is the question that I got asked a lot, and in today's episode I will be sharing some tips that were given to me, and also some that have worked well for myself in these areas:

CONDUCTING TECHNIQUES

• Develop a variety of gestures 
• Use videos to get used to a delayed sound 
• Eye contact
• Posture

SCORE STUDY

• Use a piano reduction to learn the harmony and structure
• Follow melody, bass line, and instrument entrances first
• Have a set of steps that you go through
• Mark your score for two purposes: to study the music, and to use during performance / rehearsals

REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES

• Watch your own videos
• Study your score thoroughly - note where might be problematic and need rehearsals
• Write down different ways of rehearsing the same thing
• Watch rehearsal footage, or go to rehearsals
• When in rehearsal, split your mind - what you are hearing v.s. What you are doing

Best way to practice: having an ensemble that you constantly work with!

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