Counter Ph.D-mouth, pt. II

CONDUCTING JOURNAL 2-7-10

Patrick Volker

Pieces of technique are starting to come together. I enjoyed the past week of conducting each different ensemble’s piece. It is good to get insight from each different ensemble director on what works specifically more effectively in each ensemble. Further, it is even better to see what works across every ensemble.

On that point, I have been personalizing something over this past month as I ruminate on my time in Advanced Conducting/Methods II: We’re working as artists in the same field. Be it band, choir, or orchestra, music is music is music. Time is time, rhythms are rhythms, tone is tone, etc. Some things will be universal, and some will be more specific, but at this point in my nymph-stage of development in these musical cosmos, it is my belief that we as conductors are simply artists with different palettes.

This is something I would like to keep in the back of my head as we are inundated with a sea of repertoire. For me, I am going to begin with the end in mind, as this has always been the technique that works the best for my own personal endeavors. Obviously, my techniques will be refined and constantly adjusted to fit the needs of the ensemble. Like the shape-memory carbon nanotubes of Batman’s cape, I will be at once flexible and unbreakable; ever closer to my ultimate goal of unstumpability.

Advertisement