50: How Do I Get Better?

Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer Mini Series!

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

  • Consider using a piano reduction to learn the harmony and structure if needed
  • 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

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