Fundamentals of Conducting
MUSI 3560, 24691
Spring 2015
TR 8:00-8:50, FAC, C-1
Instructor: Dr. John Wojcik
Office: FAC, C-6
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 706-667-4889
Office Hours: posted on my door
Text:
Hunsberger, Donald and Roy Ernest. The Art of Conducting. 2nd ed.
New York: Mcgraw-Hill, 1992.
Baton:
A baton approved by the instructor is required.
Disabilities Statement
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require special
arrangements in order to meet course requirements for assignments, classes, or
evaluations should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary
accommodations.
Course Description
Fundamentals of Conducting serves as an introductory course to the discipline
and craft of musical leadership. This course is essential to those intending to become
music educators, church choir directors, and leaders of musical ensembles. Course
participants will gain basic skills relating to the physical art of conducting and score
study. They will also have the opportunity to develop confidence in the exercise of these
skills. Participants will have the opportunity to bring musical abilities and insights
gained in other courses to bear on the craft of conducting. They will be encouraged to
develop an eye for good conducting through observation. Participants will be developing
verbal skills and confidence in speaking about music. They will also be assisted in
developing attitudes and procedures for continued improvement and growth as musicianconductors.
The class will mainly revolve around the first four chapters of the text, but
selected material from other chapters may also be studied. Participants will be recorded
periodically while conducting. They will be expected to view their recording and critique
themselves. Criteria for grading will include three tests demonstrating physical
conducting skills (each test will consist of conducting and singing an assigned musical
excerpt), four written quizzes, conducting during class, and the keeping of a daily journal.
Each participant should practice for a minimum of 15-20 minutes each day. This is
necessary to master the basic physical elements that will be presented during the course.
Course Objectives
 To develop basic non-verbal conducting techniques.
 To learn proper conducting/rehearsal terms.
 To learn the basic methods of rehearsal technique.
Schedule (subject to minor changes):
1/6
Introduction
1/8
Ch. 1. Posture, Preparation Gestures and Downbeats
1/13
Posture, Preparation Gestures and Downbeats cont.
1/15
Posture, Preparation Gestures and Downbeats cont., begin Releases
1/20
Four-beat pattern
Quiz 1
1/22
Four-beat pattern cont., begin Three-beat pattern, Articulations
1/27
Patterns and Articulations cont.
1/29
Patterns and Articulations cont.
2/3
No Class
2/5
Review, work on excerpts
Quiz 2
2/10
Prepare for Test 1
2/12
Test 1
2/17
Test 1 cont.
2/19
Ch. 2. Two-Beat Pattern and Dynamics
2/24
Crescendo and Decrescendo
2/26
Crescendo and Decrescendo cont.
3/3
Ambidextrous Conducting and Communicating with the Ictus
3/5
Alternative Pattern Styles
Quiz 3
3/10
Ch. 3. The Baton
3/12
The Baton cont.
3/17
Prepare for Test 2
3/19
Test 2
3/24
Test 2 cont.
3/26
One-Beat Pattern and the Left Hand
3/31
Additional Releases
4/2
Ch. 4. Entrances on beats 2, 3, and 4
4/6-4/10
Spring Break
4/14
Entrances on beats 2, 3, and 4
4/16
Cues and Endings cont.
4/21
Cues and Endings cont.
Quiz 4
4/23
Cues and Endings cont.
4/28
Prepare for final
Journal Due
5/5
Test 3-Final, 7:00-9:00am
Assignments:
1) Journal (begin on 1/8, due on 4/30), Enter the following:




what was learned during class.
progress made while practicing in between classes.
conducting challenges encountered and how they were
met/improved upon.
length: approximately 3/4 to one page per entry.
The journals will be periodically checked and “graded.” The final grade will be
based on legibility and content. Two points will be subtracted for each day the
journal is turned in past the due date.
2) One observation of a rehearsal is required. This may be an observation of a
GRU faculty member or local director rehearsing a large choral or instrumental
ensemble. Write out the observation in two typed pages, double spaced, Times,
12-point font (or equivalent).
3) Other specific class assignments will be given at the discretion of the
instructor.
Evaluation/Grading
Tests (three, 40 pts. each)
Quizzes (four, 20 points each)
Journal (30 points)
Observation
Conducting/Participation during Class
Total
120
80
30
15
20
265
A: 239-265; B: 212-238; C: 186-211; D: 159-185
Bibliography
Battisti, Frank and Robert Garofalo. Guide to Score Study for the Wind Band Conductor.
Ft. Lauderdale: Meredith Music, 1990.
Green, Elizabeth. The Modern Conductor. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall,
2004.
Rudolf, Max. The Grammar of Conducting: A Comprehensive Guide To Baton
Technique and Interpretation. 3rd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1994.