The beginner or expertise will benefit from reading Evoking Sound by James Jordan; this book is the total package for any conductor that is wiling to expand their knowledge upon this subject. It goes beyond the basics, yet it expands the deeper relationship between the conductor and the ensemble. It gives examples of how to produce the sound you want from an ensemble or even create a program; it gives many other examples that are truly valuable and creative.
Jordan’s overall “take” on choral conducting is relying on thy inner self, focusing on mutual agreement within an ensemble, teaching the way of singing, and passing along the passion of music.
Jordan stated, “ My experience as a conducting teacher has prove to me that, until a student trusts themselves and their inner musical voice, virtually little progress is made(…)Musical creativity requires faith—almost blind faith in one’s ear and one’s inner musical voice” (7). Knowing thyself is a crucial part in conducting. With that being said, “Music aptitude does not continue to develop after age nine; rather, the aptitude level th...
Conductors are seen as the leader of an orchestra or band and are given most if not all the credit for the music played. For such a simple task that consists of counting the beats, showing the mood for the music, and giving people cues to enter, conductors are as good as their orchestra or band, not by their talent. In this passage by Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky discusses that the work the conductor puts in is negligible to the work the orchestra it self and that concerts should be about the complex qualities of the music played instead of how the conductor impacts the performance.
Percussion has evolved from a small category to a wide variety of simple and technical instruments. Percussion is a category of musical instruments that is played using the hands or with a handheld stick/beater. Percussion started thousands of years ago when people played rhythms on random objects to please their friends and scare their enemy’s. People over the years discovered different ways to hit the objects.
Peyser, J. (1986) The Orchestra: Origins and Transformations. New York: Charles Scribner’s and Sons. Sadie, S. (1980) New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Lefebvre, Eliza. "Choir gives voice to kids’ confidence." Buffalo News 14 March 2013, n. pag.
George Helmholtz, as the head of the music department at Lincoln High School, is very determined with his regular students and the gifted musicians of the band. Each semester and year at school he dreams of “leading as fine a band as there was on the face of the earth. And each year it came true”. His certainty that it was true was because he believed there was no greater dream than his. His students were just as confident and in response, they played their hearts out for them. Even the students with “no talent played on guts alone” for Helmholtz.
The history of the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will be reflected through a timeline of events, including an analysis of significant events, groups, composers, and advancements. When society envisions a Wind Ensemble, talented musicians, grand music halls, and difficult arrangements typically come to mind. However, a modern-day Wind Ensemble includes a variety of musicians, each with positive and negative aspects. In society today, music is greatly appreciated and accepted. It is considered an honor and a privilege to expose our ears to the music.
There is no doubt that conformity is essential to the harmony of society. It allows for individuals to work together under a uniform set of rules and norms. In childhood and adolescence, the time during which students go to school, children begin to learn these basic rules of civilization. They socialize with others, learn respect and become well-rounded individuals. This requires students to not only develop their talents but also their weaknesses. This Achilles' heel may be academic, such as math and science or more artistic, like vocal music (Source F). Although students may not be pursuing a future in these areas, learning them is part of becoming a balanced person academically. Only strengthening and focusing on a student’s specific talent could create an image...
Delcayre, Celine. "The Greek Chorus Dynamic in Ancient and Contemporary Theatre." Sonoma.edu. N.p., 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
Music majors do have some respite from the demands of our discipline. For voice majors, there is choir. Choir provides an opportunity to learn in a more passive manner. The choir director leads the members of the choir toward the desired goal – the mastery of the piece of music to be performed. While choir members must be attentive and receptive, the burden is primarily carried by the director.
When considering the versatility of a synthesiser as a keys player it can widen one’s oeuvre immensely. With its ability to imitate existing sounds and instruments to create beautiful polyphonies and to contrastingly emit haunting, dissonant soundscape’s from previously non-exiting timbres makes it not only a useful tool but and essential piece in a composer’s instrumental repertoire.
1998 Henry B. & Jocelyn Wallace National Research Symposium on talent development, Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology Press. 219-227.
In your early childhood have you ever needed direction for something you understood, but needed guidance on how to do it? This is the life of a musician under a conductor. Musicians look to the conductor, as a child looks up to his or her mother and father. Conductors specialize in educating, teaching, and instructing Musicians to become better players. Without a conductor a music ensemble could not be successful.
To test whether or not this hypothesis is true, one should not do what every other researcher in this field has done in previous years: measure the immediate intelligence level after receiving music lessons through IQ tests or something similar. Rather, one should test for a statistically significant difference between the success of musicians and nonmusicians in their futures. This can be done through observing successful and failed business starters and their past musical experiences. By looking at successful business starters and owners and comparing them to failed business starters, one could whether or not there is a correlation between musicianship and success as an entrepreneur, one would be able to determine if playing an instrument actually has a role in success later in life. Very few, if any, studies have been done on people’s musical abilities and their success in the future, creating an area that has the potential to end the arguments between these opposing viewpoints by coming to a conclusion based on career success rather than the inconsistent results of immediate cognitive
Many people do not often realize what the most revolutionizing and most important instrument is. In fact, this instrument can be found in every style of music in some way, shape or form. The one instrument that fits this criteria is the drum. According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, a drum is a generic name for instruments that consists of skin stretched over a frame or vessel and struck with either hands or sticks. Drums are membranous. In other words, a drum has something inside of it, or a "membrane," that gives it its sound (Apel 247). There are many different types of drums, and each drum has its own place in different styles of music. For example, a tympani drum, also referred to as a kettle drum, is mainly found in classical styles of music,
Playing musical Instrument as a hobby can be fun. It has a lot of benefits, including memory improvement and stress reducer. Music is an art which should be approached with intensity and great affection .Playing music as a hobby adds fun in life, peace, and fulfillment that lifts the spirit and make everyone involved enjoy. What then can be the benefit of playing a musical instrument as a hobby?