Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble
Scenarios, Priorities, Strategies, Essentials, and Repertoire
By (author) John F. Colson
Publication date:
09 August 2012Length of book:
520 pagesPublisher
Scarecrow PressDimensions:
250x176mm7x10"
ISBN-13: 9780810882607
Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble is the most comprehensive guide on the rehearsalprocess for conducting instrumental music ensembles. Ideal for the advanced instrumental music conductor seeking to look beyond basic conducting technique, this work breaks the multidimensional activity of working with an ensemble, orchestra, or band into its constituent components.
Advanced students of conducting will find within the full range of conducting activities:
• Chapters on the infrastructure of the rehearsal, the rehearsal environment, 10 rehearsal essentials, score study, music imagery, inner singing, and rehearsal procedures (with an emphasis on an integrated approach to rehearsing)
• The technical priorities of intonation and tuning, rhythm patterns, ensemble sonority (tone, balance, blend, color and texture), and articulation
• The musical priorities of tempo and ensemble precision, phrasing and the musical line, style and interpretation, dynamics and musical expression
• Emphasizing the expectations of 21st-century conductors, the challenges of conducting and rehearsing contemporary music, preparing conductor profiles and self-evaluations, and moving from the rehearsal process to concert performance
Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble is a great resource for teachers and students of conducting, as well as current conductors wishing to further hone their skills.
Advanced students of conducting will find within the full range of conducting activities:
• Chapters on the infrastructure of the rehearsal, the rehearsal environment, 10 rehearsal essentials, score study, music imagery, inner singing, and rehearsal procedures (with an emphasis on an integrated approach to rehearsing)
• The technical priorities of intonation and tuning, rhythm patterns, ensemble sonority (tone, balance, blend, color and texture), and articulation
• The musical priorities of tempo and ensemble precision, phrasing and the musical line, style and interpretation, dynamics and musical expression
• Emphasizing the expectations of 21st-century conductors, the challenges of conducting and rehearsing contemporary music, preparing conductor profiles and self-evaluations, and moving from the rehearsal process to concert performance
Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble is a great resource for teachers and students of conducting, as well as current conductors wishing to further hone their skills.
In music education, few subjects are as challenging to teach as conducting. Music majors might be given just one semester of technique, and even more extensive music programs face limitations in preparing students to conduct. Though most textbooks provide beginning basic baton technique, instruction on more advanced topics, such as developing rehearsal strategies and ensemble technical and stylistic capabilities, is often quite limited. (There is just not enough time to thoroughly prepare each student for what is a career-long learning experience.) Such topics are at the very heart of Colson's book, which includes clusters of chapters on rehearsal scenarios and processes, teaching strategies, stylistic approaches, and ongoing professional development. Colson (emer., South Dakota State Univ.) aims this study at those who are inexperienced in applying the basic baton skills they have learned. Accordingly, it will help people who are preparing for student teaching or internships, or entering the first years of their professional conducting careers. Rich in content, clearly and meticulously organized, and easy to read, this book will be helpful for any inexperienced conductor facing the professional podium experience for the first time. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, professionals.