Video 2 – Ups and downs, levers and use of space

• Bouncing the ball (legato). Both hands

• Making shapes with a sparkler, the sideways ‘figure 8’ (legato)

• The ‘squeeze box’ or button accordion technique – squeezing in and drawing out of the bellows (legato and very effective when varying dynamics on long-ish notes and fermatas)

• The ‘wrist flick’ – Practise this using a baton on the music stand as if attempting to gain attention from your players prior to the music starting. Alternatively, think of ‘flicking’ a droplet of water from the tip of your baton or fingers (staccato).

• Practise the ‘wrist flick’ in the opposite direction. This can encourage ‘bright’ sounds from your group (staccato).

• Lightly dotting 'i’s with both hands or typing. This a very good gesture to reinforce staccato or anything pointed or neat (staccato).

• Tracing a circle with the right hand while the left hand moves up and down at different speeds, good for showing dynamic indications (dynamics)

• Tracing circles with both hands (like you are lost!)

• ‘Wax on Wax off!’ - Mr Miyagi may be gone but the legend lives on (cut-offs).

• Cradling the head of a baby (fermatas)

• Practise the feeling of painting a wall.

  • vertically - ensure that the brush (baton) itself never leaves the surface of the wall, thumb at 45 degrees (tenuto).

  • horizontally - ensure that the brush (baton) never leaves the surface of the wall, thumb at 45 degrees (tenuto).

• Spa time! Dragging your hands through the water, experiment with right and left hands, then together (tenuto). Experiment with vertical and horizontal hands. The wrists lead the way in both directions.

• Float – hands floating on top of the water

• Buttering bread, smoothing wrinkles in a cloth (tenuto, sostenuto)

• Pushing a car, going through a revolving door (marcato, tenuto, sostenuto depending on the force and weight behind the gesture).

• Pushing a weight in a downwards direction with little or no rebound

• Punch – boxing (strong weight, heavy marcato, quick time)

• The ‘fly fisherman’ – little or no rebound (great for the beginning of Beethoven 5 or promoting a resonant sound with breadth).

Correct, relaxed posture is the foundation for good conducting technique

• Stand erect with your feet 30 cms apart

• Core alignment in the centre of the body – smile!

• Body straight to the group

• Ready or home position is born out of an embrace. Have your arms extended forming a circle with the back of your body. Your elbows should be slightly in front of your body, not by your sides

• Keep your knees straight but not locked. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet. Have spring in the legs

• Keep your shoulders back, though not stiff or uncomfortably rigid

• Hold your head high with your neck relaxed. Elevate the spine as if pulling the head up with string. Elevating and expanding gives us more presence and impact

• First things first: you are not there primarily to conduct a pattern at your players. Your job is to teach them to play in time in order for you to be free to ‘craft’ their sounds, at all times monitoring that things are progressing in an orderly and musical way.

• The simplicity in the standard beat patterns allows the conductor the freedom to be able to convey and bring to life all of those seemingly insignificant dots on the page.

• The pattern gives us the framework from which we can not only conduct the music but in fact ‘be the music’.

• Having a clear beat pattern is an essential starting point for conductors. It is our fundamental technique that should become automatic.

• Once the patterns become second nature to us, and this is a very important facet of what we must do, it is then the time to manipulate the patterns in order to reflect in a visual way what you perceive the composer is trying to convey and also and very importantly what you would like to convey in the music.

• While no 2 conductors conduct exactly alike, there exists a basic clarity of technique that is instantly and universally recognised. When this clarity shows in the conductor’s gestures, it signifies they have acquired a secure understanding of the principles upon which it is founded and the reasons for its existence, and that this thorough knowledge has been reinforced by careful, regular, and dedicated practice.

• Musicians of all ages require the conductor to be consistent and positive with their gestures. ‘Impulse of will’ is paramount here.

• The performers must know what you want before the actual event in the music; hence the preparation for each beat begins in the opposite direction.

• Every time-beating gesture has 3 parts: the preparation (the motion leading into the beat point), the beat-point itself (the ictus), and the rebound after the ictus.