How to Become a Music Conductor
A music conductor is the leader of any music group including orchestras, bands or choirs. It is the music conductor whose vision leads the musical group he is conducting. As Sonal Panse once wrote, a conductor must know "more than just how to twirl the stick." The guidelines for becoming a conductor were established in 1945 by Sir Henry Wood and still apply today.
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Instructions
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Know music inside and out. A conductor must understand all aspects of music including tempo, dynamics and phrasing. Obtain a music education through the private instruction of another musician, preferably a conductor, with established credentials or obtain a degree in music at a college or university.
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Play every instrument. While you may not be proficient in every instrument, you should have the ability to play each instrument in the orchestra. This includes being able to play at least 1 string instrument and the piano. Sir Henry Wood suggested the violin as the stringed instrument of choice.
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Develop sight reading. You need a near perfect ability to sight read music to be a successful conductor. Your first and foremost goal is to reproduce the music of the composer as the composer intended it. Your interpretation of the music comes across through the musicians. Every element of the piece is executed at your direction.
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Possess sensual skills. A conductor must have the ability to hear the different pitch of each individual instrument while listening to the tone of the group in order to get the correct harmonic balance. You also need rhythmic and interpretative senses when you conduct.
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Gesture clearly and precisely. Some view the gestures of a music conductor as an art form. Others view it as a skill that can be learned. Regardless of how you view it, a conductor must make precise gestures with their hands, heads, bodies and baton in order to get the correct response from the musicians. Each gesture elicits a different response from the musicians.
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Give constructive criticism. The conductor must maintain leadership of the group. You need a strong sense of discipline and the ability to constructively critique the musicians. Being a music conductor will require that you get along with a variety of personalities.
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Organize the music program. Conductors are responsible for directing rehearsals and performances. They also plan programs, designate soloists, and hire and fire musicians. Your ability to form a group and get it to do what is needed will determine your success of failure as a music conductor.
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Comments
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Thanks for that! Really helped! Guess I need more practice (and to work on my sensual skills). :)
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Conducting chose me. With every year that passes, I find that I refine my skills as a conductor. It is very rewarding to me to experience the pleasure of hearing the music produced as I feel it should be heard. It is not easy and requires much repetition. I almost become obsessed with making sure every note is sung on pitch, every rhythm is executed with precision, the interpretation is varied as well as recognized, the diction is clear, and the tone quality is produced as it should be, with long tall vowels.
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I didn't choose conducting, it chose me and I actually love what I do.
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I know just knowing what the instruments and humans are capable of, and understanding music inside and out, being a composer I know it would be close to impossible to remember everything, so you always have a reference at hand, and having a good ear to hear if one is not playing just right, or lack of instruments in one area of the orchestra may need to play louder or softer than what is written. And I also think all of this can be achieved with out attending one class :)
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missmusician
Dec 11, 2009
It's not about knowing how to play each instrument well. It's about knowing the idiums of each instrument. For example, you should know that if you want a brass player to play pianissimo, this is harder. If you want a singer to sing jumps and leaps, that's harder than if a string player would do it. String players play in certain keys easier than others because of hand placement. These are things that you would know only if you had studied the instrument. Good things to know...but not necissary for you to execute.
