Rehearsing

Critical Connections for the Instrumental Music Conductor

John F. Colson

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781442250802
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

Following on the heels of his Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble, John F. Colson takes students to the next level in conducting practice with Rehearsing: Critical Connections for the Instrumental Music Conductor. Colson draws together the critical connections for those seeking to become fully capable and self-assured instrumental music conductors. As he argues, too often conductor training programs treat the problems and challenges of the rehearsal—perhaps the single most critical element in any effort to achieve competency as a conductor—as secondary.

Colson supplies the missing link for conductors looking for advice that allows them to complete their training for reaching complete competency as a conductor. He demonstrates throughout the specific connections that the advanced conductor must know and regularly employ—connections that few, if any, other works on the art of conducting address or bring together. One connection, for example, illustrates the joining of music imagery, inner singing, and conducting technique to score study. Throughout, these connections describe the nitty-gritty of what it really takes to stand up in front of an instrumental music ensemble and successfully rehearse in order to achieve its highest performance level.

Also, Colson argues and demonstrates the pitfalls of the commonly mistaken assumption among instrumental music conductors that score study alone is sufficient to prepare them for the rehearsal process. This grave error is regularly belied by the fact that a number of other steps precede the actual rehearsal process, from the use of instrumental pedagogy during the rehearsal process to teaching through performance concepts. Colson's work addresses the entire rehearsing process thoroughly and authoritatively.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Connection 1: Conducting and Rehearsing
• Connection 2: The Right Hand versus the Left Hand
• Connection 3: Music Imagery, Inner Singing, and Conducting Technique
• Connection 4: Score Study, Rehearsal Planning, and Rehearsal Preparations
• Connection 5: Instrumental Pedagogy During the Rehearsal Process
• Connection 6: Watching and Listening by the Ensemble
• Connection 7: Listening and Musical Sensitivity by the Conductor
• Connection 8: The Use of Rehearsal Time and Rehearsal Pacing
• Connection 9: Multitasking and Awareness in the Rehearsal Process
• Connection 10: Conductor Demonstrations, Modeling/Imitation, and Feedback
• Connection 11: The Communication
• Connection 12: The Essence and Spirit of the Music
• Connection 13: “Words to Live By”
• Connection 14: Re-Hear-Sing
• Connection 15: Teaching through Performance Concepts
• Connection 16: Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, and Smaller Ensembles
• Connection 17: “Think Musically ALWAYS!”
• Connection 18: Trust and Leadership
• The Coda
• Appendix A: Conducting/Rehearsing Projects for the Rehearsal Process Lab Environment
• Appendix B: Equipment Needed in the Rehearsal Process Environment
• Appendix C: A Continuum for the Advanced Instrumental Music Conductor
• Appendix D: Video Creation and Reviewing Instructions
• Appendix E: Videographic Scenarios and Teacher Assessment
• Bibliography
• About the Author