KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY KUTZTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS MUS 326 Advanced Conducting Approved by Department: Oct. 6, 2009 I. Course Description This course is a study of advanced techniques of conducting vocal and/or instrumental music through lecture, demonstration, reading, discussion, and recitation. The primary focus of this course is on developing effective and efficient rehearsal methods and techniques. Prerequisites: MUS 325 Conducting. 3 Clock hours 3 Semester hours II. Course Rationale All music majors are required to successfully complete one semester of Conducting which is a beginning course in developing the basic manual techniques of Conducting. The next step toward becoming a conductor is to concentrate on developing effective and efficient rehearsal methods in order to successfully get musicians to best perform the music. This course will fulfill that need. Students will meet in a seminar session to discuss issues related to rehearsal methods and advanced conducting techniques. Students may meet additionally with the instructor in private conducting lessons. Students will rehearse and conduct Kutztown University music ensembles, as assigned. III. Course Objectives Upon completion of this course the student will be able to: 1. demonstrate an understanding and manual facility of advanced techniques of conducting. 2. demonstrate an understanding of the elements of musicianship which are idiosyncratic to producing the best musical sound from specific ensembles: band, orchestra, or choir. 3. demonstrate the development of a conducting style which is conducive to evoking the best musical sound from the various types of ensembles: band, orchestra, or choir. 4. demonstrate the ability to study the score and internalize it as an aural vision of sound.
5. demonstrate the ability to teach the score in effective and efficient rehearsal. The student will conduct specific pieces of music with university ensembles, as assigned. IV. Assessment Assessment of each student s level of accomplishment with reference to the course objectives will be based upon a subset of the following: 1. regular recitation. 2. written analysis of assigned music scores, including a conductor s preparation of the score, with suggested rehearsal planning. 3. observation of rehearsals, choral, band, or orchestral, with written critique on the procedures and rehearsal techniques involved. 4. demonstration of rehearsal techniques through conducting rehearsals of university choral, orchestral, or band ensembles, as assigned. V. Course Outline 1. Score Study and Preparation a. Mechanics of the Full Score: Orchestra, Band, and/or Choir b. Clefs and Transpositions c. Special Considerations of the Instruments and Voices d. Marking the Conductor s Score 2. Conductor s Analysis a. Historical Background b. Style Considerations c. Authenticity Considerations d. Interpretation of the music 3. Advanced Baton Technique a. Traits of the Conductor b. Expressive Conducting Technique: Choir, Orchestra, and Band 3. Effective Rehearsal Methods a. Production of Tone b. The Temporal Element c. Pitch Considerations d. Dynamics e. Ensemble Issues: Blend, Balance, Articulation f. Planning and Directing the Rehearsal
VI. Instructional Resources: Bailey, Wayne. Conducting: The Art of Communication. New York: Oxford University Press. 2008. Bailey, Wayne, Aural Skills for Conductors. Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1992. Bamberger, Carl, ed., The Conductor s Art. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1965. Battisti, Frank. On Becoming a Conductor: Lessons and Meditations on the Art of Conducting. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2007. Boonshaft, Peter, Loel. Teaching Music with Passion: Conducting, Rehearsing and Inspiring. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2002. Bowen, Jose Antonio, The Cambridge Companion to Conducting. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003 Carse, Adam von Ahn, Orchestral Conducting; A Textbook for Students and Amateurs. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1929. Decker, Harold A., and Julius Herford. Choral Conducting Symposium. Prentice-Hall, 1987. Decker, Harold A., and Colleen J. Kirk, Choral Conducting: Focus on Communication. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1988. Demaree, Robert W., and Donald V. Moses, The Complete Conductor. Prentice-Hall, 1994. Der Mar, Norman, Anatomy of the Orchestra. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1983. Dickreiter, Michael. Score Reading: A Key to the Music Experience. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 2000. Emmons, Shirlee, and Constance Chase. Prescriptions for Choral Excellence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Garnett, Liz. Choral Conducting and the Construction of Meaning. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2009. Garretson, Robert L., Conducting Choral Music, 8 th ed. Prentice-Hall, 1998. Gehrkens, Karl Wilson. Essentials in Conducting. Valde Books, 2009.
Green, Elizabeth A. H., and Nicolai Malko, The Conductor s Score, 7 th ed.. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2004. Grosbayne, Benjamin, Techniques of Modern Orchestral Conducting, 2nd ed. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1973. Harris, Frederick. Conducting with Feeling. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2001. Heffernan, Charles W., Choral Music: Technique and Artistry. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1982. Holden, Raymond. The Virtuoso Conductors: The Central European Tradition from Wagner to Karajan. Yale University Press. 2005. Hunsberger, Donald, and Roy Ernst. The Art of Conducting. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992 Kahn, Emil, Elements of Conducting, 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1975. Knight, John W. The Golden Age of Conductors. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2010. Knight, John W. The Interpretive Wind Band Conductor. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2007. Kohut, Daniel L. Learning to Conduct and Rehearse. Prentice-Hall, 1990. Labuta, Joseph A. Basic Conducting Techniques 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Labuta, Joseph A., Teaching Musicianship in the High School Band. Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.: Meredith Music Publications, 1997. Lamb, Gordon, H., Choral Techniques, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1988. Lisk, Edward S. The Creative Director: Conductor, Teacher, Leader. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2007. Long, R. Gerry. The Conductor's Workshop: A Workbook on Instrumental Conducting. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1977. Maiello, Anthony. Conducting A Hands-On Approach. NP: Belwin-Mills, 1996.
McElheran, Brock, Conducting Technique, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Moe, Daniel. Basic Choral Concepts. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1972. Moe, Daniel. Problems in Conducting. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1973. Moses. Don V. Face to Face with Orchestra and Chorus. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2004. Nowak, Jerry, and Henry Nowak. Conducting the Music, Not the Musicians. New York: Carl Fischer, 2002. Phillips, Kenneth H. Basic Techniques of Conducting. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Scherchen, Hermann, and M. D. Calvocoressi, and Norman Del Mar. Handbook of Conducting. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Schuller, Gunther. The Compleat Conductor. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Sharpe, Roderick L. Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century. Scarecrow Press, 2008. Shepherd, William. A Conducting Workbook. New York: Schirmer, 2001. Wagner, Richard. On Conducting. NP: Hard Press, 2006. Watkins, John J. The Art of the Conductor: The Definitive Guide to Music Conducting Skills, Terms, and Techniques. Lincoln, NE: iuniverse, 2007. Wittry, Diane. Beyond the Baton. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.