Conducting
RhythmPlease see Conducting for an introduction to standard conducting techniques. The activities presented here, Watching the Conductor, Keeping a Steady Beat, The Conductor Shows the Beat, The Conductor Counts the Measure, and The Conductor Gives Cues, simplify the concept and procedures of conducting a group of musicians, so that even fairly young students can take turns "being in charge".
Goals and Assessment
- Goals - The student will become familiar with the function of the conductor in a large ensemble. The student will demonstrate leadership skills and understanding of standard music performance practices, by conducting a large group, using appropriate motions based on a simplification of standard conducting technique, and will demonstrate ability to actively cooperate in a musical performance by following, with a group, a simplified conducting technique, and playing a percussion part at the appropriate time.
- Grade Level - K-12 (adaptable)
- Time Requirements - Each student should get a chance to conduct every activity, so time requirements depend somewhat on the number of students. Unless the class is very large, one (approximately 45-minute) class period should be sufficient for each activity. The activities may also be used as 5-minute warm-ups to other music activities or as active breaks from desk-centered work. If you plan to use them in this way, have just one student conduct each time you do the activity, keeping track of which students have already conducted each one.
- Student Prerequisites - The activities are ordered from simplest to most complex. Do as many as you like up to the point that they become too complex for your students, but it is recommended that you do them in order, as each activity builds on the skills developed in the previous one. To do the first activity, students should be able to accurately mimic a rhythm, and should be able to independently clap a steady beat. (See Rhythm Activities if they need to practice these skills.)
- Teacher Expertise - The teacher should be familiar with basic conducting practices (see Conducting), and able to evaluate the students' success in conducting, staying on the beat, and producing correct rhythms.
- Music Standards Addressed - National Standards for Music Education standard 9 (understanding music in relation to history and culture, which includes awareness of the role of various musicians in a performance). Some activities also explore one of the most common ways of expressing meter, a critical concept for understanding time signature, addressing standards 5 (reading and notating music) and 6 (listening to, analyzing, and describing music). The activities also heighten awareness of a basic component of good ensemble performance, encouraging ability to critique performances knowledgeably (standard 7, evaluating music and music performances).
- Other Subjects Addressed - The activities also address National Dance Standards standard 1 (includes ability to move to a beat and respond to changes in tempo).
- Follow-up - You can continue to help students develop an appreciation for conducting, meter, and good performance practice, by continuing to allow students a chance to conduct their classmates.
- Evaluation - Assess students both on their performance as "conductor", performing the correct motions in the correct order with a steady beat, and their accuracy, as a "musician", in following the conductor and playing "on the beat".
Skills Developed in Conducting and Following a Conductor
- Music Appreciation - Understanding the purpose of conducting
- Music Skills and Concepts - Rhythm, Meter, Tempo, Steady beat
- Math Concepts - Counting, Grouping, Subdivision (in time) into Equal Parts (fractions)
- Physical Skills - Large Motor Coordination, Ear/Hand/Eye Coordination
- Social Skills - For the "conductor", leadership; for "musicians", following directions, paying attention, actively cooperating in a group
Materials and Preparation
- You will need a place and time when your classroom can be noisy. Children like this exercise, but it's only fun if they can be loud.
- You will also need something that can be the "Conductor's Baton". A short pointer or long pencil (preferably not sharp) will do.
- Both conductor and musicians will need objects, at around belly height, to beat time on. Desks, chair backs, or stacks of books will do. Modern conductors do not ordinarily make an audible sound when they conduct. In the earliest days of the orchestra, however, conducting did often involve beating loudly on the floor with a stick, and conductors (particularly teaching conductors) will still beat time aloud if they feel the ensemble is not watching the beat closely enough. This type of conducting will be easier for young children to follow.
- Some of the activities will require the students to have various instruments. Percussion is easiest; use whatever is available - drums, hand cymbals, maracas, jingle bells - or make or improvise your own instruments. (See Percussion Fast and Cheap.)
