Pedagogical Approaches to Conducting Gesture in Contemporary Music

Pedagogical Approaches to Conducting Gesture in Contemporary Music PDF Author: Katherine Kilburn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Body language
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
Conducting is non-verbal communication of musical ideas through the use of gestures made by the hands, arms, and body, as well as expressions made by the face. It is at once physical, psychological, mental, and potentially even spiritual, requiring presence, an ability to listen, respond, guide, catalyze, shape, lead, sometimes follow, and most of all, invite and inspire musicians. This document addresses gesture as a manifestation of musical sound and how conductors approach these physical, non-verbal motions to affect musical sound and how they might be interpreted by performers. Using anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell's Kinesics in Context, and studies by psychologist Paul Ekman and his colleagues, I relate kinesics and categories of non-verbal communication to conducting and the teaching of gesture, and how this non-verbal language communicates musical intention. Through information gleaned from interviews with preeminent American conducting pedagogues as well as my own experience as a student and teacher of conducting, I present several approaches to teaching conducting aimed at helping developing conductors improve and cultivate their craft. I also offer a compilation and expansion of exercises that encourage conductors to maximize their expressive potential and most effectively communicate with their ensemble. Finally, this document addresses how the standard idea of gesture applies to Gerard Grisey's Partiels from his Espaces Acoustiques and Witold Lutoslawski's Chain 1, taking into account new notational elements. The purpose of this document is to elucidate the gestural language of conducting and the visual aspect of effectively communicated sound, and provide a fresh pedagogical approach to conducting.

Pedagogical Approaches to Conducting Gesture in Contemporary Music

Pedagogical Approaches to Conducting Gesture in Contemporary Music PDF Author: Katherine Kilburn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Body language
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Get Book Here

Book Description
Conducting is non-verbal communication of musical ideas through the use of gestures made by the hands, arms, and body, as well as expressions made by the face. It is at once physical, psychological, mental, and potentially even spiritual, requiring presence, an ability to listen, respond, guide, catalyze, shape, lead, sometimes follow, and most of all, invite and inspire musicians. This document addresses gesture as a manifestation of musical sound and how conductors approach these physical, non-verbal motions to affect musical sound and how they might be interpreted by performers. Using anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell's Kinesics in Context, and studies by psychologist Paul Ekman and his colleagues, I relate kinesics and categories of non-verbal communication to conducting and the teaching of gesture, and how this non-verbal language communicates musical intention. Through information gleaned from interviews with preeminent American conducting pedagogues as well as my own experience as a student and teacher of conducting, I present several approaches to teaching conducting aimed at helping developing conductors improve and cultivate their craft. I also offer a compilation and expansion of exercises that encourage conductors to maximize their expressive potential and most effectively communicate with their ensemble. Finally, this document addresses how the standard idea of gesture applies to Gerard Grisey's Partiels from his Espaces Acoustiques and Witold Lutoslawski's Chain 1, taking into account new notational elements. The purpose of this document is to elucidate the gestural language of conducting and the visual aspect of effectively communicated sound, and provide a fresh pedagogical approach to conducting.

The Conductor's Gesture

The Conductor's Gesture PDF Author: James Mark Jordan
Publisher: G I A Publications
ISBN: 9781579998585
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 331

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Book Description


Choral Conducting and the Construction of Meaning

Choral Conducting and the Construction of Meaning PDF Author: Liz Garnett
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 9780754663799
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
It is a truism in teaching choral conducting that the director should look like s/he wishes the choir to sound. But how can these forms of physical communication be explained? Do they belong to a pre-cultural realm of primate social bonding, or do they rely on the context and conventions of a particular choral culture? Is body language an inherent part of musical performance styles, or does it come afterwards, in response to music? This book explores these questions at both theoretical and practical levels. Its findings will be of interest both to those engaged in the study of music as a cultural practice, and to practitioners involved in a choral conducting context that increasingly demands fluency in a variety of styles.

Contemporary Research in Music Learning Across the Lifespan

Contemporary Research in Music Learning Across the Lifespan PDF Author: Jennifer Bugos
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317231503
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
This book examines contemporary issues in music teaching and learning throughout the lifespan, illuminating an emerging nexus of trends shaping modern research in music education. In the past, most music learning opportunities and research were focused upon the pre-adult population. Yet, music education occurs throughout the lifespan, from birth until death, emerging not only through traditional formal ensembles and courses, but increasingly through informal settings as well. This book challenges previous assumptions in music education and offers theoretical perspectives that can guide contemporary research and practice. Exploring music teaching and learning practices through the lens of human development, sections highlight recent research on topics that shape music learning trajectories. Themes uniting the book include human development, assessment strategies, technological applications, professional practices, and cultural understanding. The volume deconstructs and reformulates performance ensembles to foster mutually rewarding collaborations across miles and generations. It develops new measures and strategies for assessment practices for professionals as well as frameworks for guiding students to employ effective strategies for self-assessment. Supplemental critical thinking questions focus the reader on research applications and provide insight into future research topics. This volume joining established experts and emerging scholars at the forefront of this multifaceted frontier is essential reading for educators, researchers, and scholars, who will make the promises of the 21st century a reality in music education. It will be of interest to a range of fields including music therapy, lifelong learning, adult learning, human development, community music, psychology of music, and research design.

The Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Volume 1

The Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Volume 1 PDF Author: Gary E. McPherson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199730814
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 983

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Book Description
The two volumes of The Oxford Handbook of Music Education offer a comprehensive overview of the many facets of musical experience, behavior and development in relation to the diverse variety of educational contexts in which they occur. In these volumes, an international list of contributors update and redefine the discipline through fresh and innovative principles and approaches to music learning and teaching.

Becoming a Music Teacher

Becoming a Music Teacher PDF Author: Donald L. Hamann
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190245093
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 457

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Book Description
New music teachers often struggle to find a way to connect the content learned in college classes with the content that will be taught in the classroom, since the nature of their work demands a high level of both musical and educational ability, while also the skills to switch from tuning an orchestra to leading a marching band or practicing voice parts with a chorus. Becoming a Music Teacher: Student to Practitioner focuses on making the connections between the college music classroom and public school music classroom transparent, visible, and relevant. Award-winning music educators Donald L. Hamann and Shelly Cooper have created a versatile text for music teacher education, and one that will provide a significant resource for music education students across the US. Based around an innovative organization and approach, Becoming a Music Teacher is made up of 40 short modules that focus on increasing a teacher's comfort and confidence level when instructing or leading groups. Each module is broken down into four individual components that demonstrate real life transfers from classes to classroom through the components of Personal Awareness, Personal Musicianship, Pre-Conducting, and Professional Knowledge. The Personal Awareness component gives a lesson on good teaching skills by focusing on body awareness, body language, and communication styles rather than abstract theories of education. Personal Musicianship provides a guided learning approach to teaching sight-singing and opportunities to create both vocal and instrumental accompaniments with the songs that are included in the modules. Pre-conducting discusses ways in which certain gestures or concepts could be used in rehearsing a school ensemble through the development of hand/arm independence, posture, and gestures. Professional knowledge links the module to the real world and places it in the context of the workplace, offering advice on how to work with other teachers and administrators, and includes characteristics of successful teachers, the role of schools in contemporary society, and diverse learners. When taken together, these components help the student develop a genuinely rounded skill set for the classroom. The lessons are activity-based and interactive, allowing readers to experiment, communicate, and provide feedback. The modules are also flexible and have been designed to be easily integrated into a music education classroom and applied to specific age groups, includingadult learners, a demographic many music education students encounter but one rarely discussed in music education classrooms. Each module stands alone, allowing instructors to customize their lesson plans by selecting or highlighting the modules most relevant to their class. This text also includes exercises that promote reflection on professionalism, collegiality, and legal factors that affect both students and teachers, not found in most education texts.

Conducting Technique

Conducting Technique PDF Author: Brock McElheran
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Conducting Technique has been accepted as a standard text for both choral and orchestral conducting courses taught at universities, colleges, and conservatories throughout the English-speaking world. For this revised edition the author has made a number of corrections and additions, includinga new preface.

Gestures of Music Theater

Gestures of Music Theater PDF Author: Dominic Symonds
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199997152
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Gestures of Music Theater explores examples of Song and Dance as performative gestures that entertain and affect audiences. The chapters interact to reveal the complex energies of performativity. In experiencing these energies, music theatre is revealed as a dynamic accretion of active, complex and dialogical experiences.

Basic Conducting Techniques

Basic Conducting Techniques PDF Author: Joseph A. Labuta
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100078987X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Now in its eighth edition, Basic Conducting Techniques provides a clear and intelligible introduction to the art of conducting an ensemble. It has been updated with a greater diversity of repertoire, including contemporary examples and more music by underrepresented composers. Over the course of 14 chapters, the authors explicate the elements of conducting, supplementing their teachings with an extensive selection of musical examples from the classical repertoire. Practical and innovative, clear and approachable, the book illuminates the essential skills that a beginning conductor should develop in order to lead and rehearse a performing group. The companion website provides scores and transposed parts for all musical excerpts, as well as guitar and piano parts, audio recordings of the excerpts, and updated demonstration videos modeling specific conducting techniques. With the beginning conductor in mind, this hands-on, competency-centered approach is appropriate for mixed classes of choral and instrumental music majors, providing indispensable versatility for students and practicing conductors alike. Utilizing decades of teaching and conducting experience, the eighth edition of Basic Conducting Techniques is the essential guide to the principles of conducting. Note: The paperback edition of this book (ISBN 978-1-032-02497-4) is spiral-bound.

A Way of Doing Things

A Way of Doing Things PDF Author: Jeshua Switzer Franklin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
The human body is a machine of extraordinary design and intricacy, and musicians widely recognize the role the mind and body play in making music. Despite the problems that affect performing artists, there is a surprising lack of an empirically verified method of teaching unified psychophysical performance to musicians. For choral conductors, the problem is significant. Conductors rely heavily on non-verbal communication to convey their musical intent and understanding of a given work. However, few experiences in a conductor’s traditional training take full account of learning the psychophysical unity of the body that allows for the greatest freedom of expression. The purpose of this study is to introduce choral musicians to the Alexander Technique and its suggested applications within choral music making. The Alexander Technique is a psychophysical method of directed thinking activities and heightened kinesthetic awareness leading to the best possible use of the body, defined colloquially in this study as “a way of doing things.” As choral conductors improve their understanding of the history, study, and application of the Alexander Technique, they can begin to make better choices about incorporating the Alexander Technique into their conducting gesture, musical performance skills, choral pedagogy, other educational curricula, and even their everyday movement habits. In addition, in this study, choral conductors will gain a clearer picture of how to distinguish the Alexander Technique from other somatic methods popular in the performing arts. This study seeks to inspire choral conductors to pursue training in the Alexander Technique and illustrate the need for continued empirical research into the Alexander Technique.