A stroboscopic image of the hands and baton of conductor Efram Kurtz, shot by legendary music and arts photographer Gjon Mili in 1945.
The photo headlines New York music columnist Justin Davidson’s recent report on learning to conduct, which perhaps unsurprisingly deals exclusively with technique. For American orchestras to thrive in the twenty-first century we will have to see much more media coverage – not to mention standard conservatory curricula – focused on other critical skill sets for conductors, particularly prorgamming, community engagement and leadership.
'I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.'
Ernest Hemingway, elucidating an idea by which every musician should live.
[via vineetkaur]
I was going to suggest that conductors might benefit from something like this, but perhaps we’re already good enough at generating our own BS?
[via @timoandres]
'I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.'
Ray Charles explains how it’s done. Good career advice for aspiring conductors, too.
[via A Conversation On Cool]
'Musicians come and go and they’re stewards of the music for a brief period of time. But once the music plays – it’s really between Beethoven and the listener at that point. The musicians are there to get their goddamn hands off of it. All that training! Thousands of hours! Sight-reading every day! All so they can get the hell out of the way because nobody gives a crap about them at all. The less you notice them, the better it sounds. I mean, it was the highest level of art in music that I’d ever seen, and it was performed by people who had spent countless hours of work just to be invisible.'
Guitarist and composer Trey Anastasio, reflecting on his recent collaboration with the New York Philharmonic in an interview for The Believer’s annual music issue. Interesting that an individual so firmly outside the art music camp could intuit our purpose as art music ensemble performers so lucidly. His observation should be the central tenet of every training program for aspiring orchestral musicians and conductors.
[via Marco.org]
Superb piece from The New Yorker medical science columnist Atul Gawande on how experienced surgeons might benefit from the type of coaching frequently employed by top athletes and musicians. A must-read for conductors, whose role – particularly in rehearsal work with players who are as seasoned in their craft as the doctors Gawande discusses – is in many ways analogous to that of a coach.
Musicians: After you read Gawade’s take consider whether you’d be interested in a coaching with me. I already offer conducting instruction/feedback via video chat and will be opening up to one-off sessions for instrumentalists later in the fall. [In Iowa I do in-person conducting lessons and instrumental, ensemble and vocal coaching.] More details will be available soon on a dedicated page at my site – until then feel free to express interest through my ask page.
