In Conducting for Educators: Part 1, we discussed the role of conductors and the importance of clear gestures. In Part 2, we will cover the basic fundamentals of anatomy and movement to establish (or re-establish) good habits.
As musicians, we have learned the value of practice, yet as conductors, many of us only practice in front of an ensemble. This would be like an athlete showing up for games without individual practice. Wayne Gretzky, one of the world’s greatest hockey players, was so determined to improve his skating he would fall while practicing new skating drills. (To learn more about the art of practicing, I highly recommend The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle). The point is, even if you feel like you have the basics down, working on fundamentals is essential to maintaining peak performance.
In this article, we will explore basic anatomy and body movements. Then, we will build a solid neutral position. From there, a world of expression becomes possible. So stay with me!
Note: All of the descriptions below are in reference to the anatomical position. Body is standing upright, with feet hip-width apart, arms at our side, and palms facing forward.
Arm Movements
There are a variety of arm movements available to us as conductors.
Flexion is the decrease in the angle of the joint, or bending. Extension is the increase in the angle of the joint, or straightening.
Abduction is the movement of a structure (such as an arm or leg, or even a finger) away from the midline of the body. Adduction is the movement towards the midline of the body.
Medial (or internal) rotation is movement that brings the anterior surface closer to the midline. Lateral (or external) rotation is the motion of the anterior (front) surface away from the midline.
Circumduction is the circular motion that happens. For example when you draw a large circle on a whiteboard, your arm is doing circumduction.
Pronation means “turning forward” and supination means “turning backward”. For example, rotation of the forearm laterally (thumbs pointing outward) so that the palms face forward, is supination. One way to remember this is to make a “bowl of soup” with your hands. Pronation of the forearm would be rotating the forearm medially so that palms face backward.
Okay, got that? I know, it is a lot to digest. Onward!
For further reading on the Anatomical Position and Planes of Motion, click here.
Arm Joints
The arm has four main joints: shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Each has a distinct independent movement, and each can be used either in isolation or in conjunction with another movement. The combinations are endless and offer the conductor a wide array of gestural possibilities.
The amount of energy and effort needed to move each joint becomes less the further out from your body along the limb. Essentially, movements at the shoulder are larger and require more energy than movements in the fingers. The reason this is important is that the ensemble will sense the effort you put into your gesture and mirror that in their performance. Big movements get big responses (see: multimodal perception)
Body Movements
Body movements can be an incredibly effective way to communicate, and most of us do so naturally when we talk. For example, taking a step forward or backward, widening or narrowing your stance, or leaning forward or backward, all convey different meanings and elicit different responses.
However, a word of caution. Many of our bad habits as conductors are in our bodies. Too often we move the body reflexively to make up for poor conducting techniques, and the result is usually ineffective and unclear. For example, many conductors have a habit of bending their knees and nodding their heads on a downbeat, which confuses the performers, as they are unsure of which gesture to use to predict the correct timing of the downbeat.
The point is, body movements should be used to accentuate clear instructions, not detract or confuse. When you aren’t getting your desired response from the ensemble in a rehearsal or performance, eliminate body noise, find neutral, and focus good clear gestures.
The Conducting Box
The conducting box, or window, is the area around your body where the majority of your conducting gestures will occur. Simply put, the conducting box is the area where the musicians can expect to see your gestures. It is roughly a three-foot by three-foot window that sits in the center of your body just above your waist.
The majority of your gesture is in the conducting box, however, you are not limited to only that region. To better understand the full range of motions available spend time experimenting with the area outside the box.
While standing in neutral position, abduct your shoulders until your arms reach the top of your head and then back down (adduct). This movement is the maximum size of your gesture along the frontal plane. Now lift your arms from your shoulders (flexion) in front of you until it reaches straight up in the air. This movement is the maximum size of your gesture along the sagittal plane.
Finding Neutral
Neutral position is our starting point. It is our foundation and is clean and clear.
First, posture matters! Stand with your feet shoulder-width or hip-width apart, chest lifted, and shoulders rotated back and down. You should feel grounded. Make sure your knees are slightly bent, and not locked. This is similar to the anatomical position described above, but with the palms of your hands facing your legs.
Next, take your right hand (preferred) and raise it straight up from the elbow to form a 90-degree angle (elbow flexion along the sagittal plane). The palm of your hand should be facing down (pronated) and your fingers relaxed. Now move the elbow out to the right away from the body (abduction along the frontal plane), while leaving the hand in place, so that it is roughly at a 45-degree angle. Finally, move the hand forward away from the body until it is in front of your body.
That’s it, your neutral conducting posture.
Facial expressions matter, too! Next to the arms, it is one of our most important communication tools.
In neutral position, the face should be pleasant and not void of expression. The face should be engaged as if you were listening to someone speak to you. In particular, our eyes can communicate volumes about what we are thinking and feeling. The right look can encourage and give confidence to the performers.
For a fun example, here is a clip of Leonard Bernstein conducting an entire movement with only his face.
To Baton or Not to Baton?
The baton is primarily used to enhance the movement of the arm. The tip of the baton is an extension of the arm and clarifies the conductor’s intent. Bernstein once said, “If one uses a baton, the baton itself must be a living thing, charged with a kind of electricity, which makes it an instrument of meaning in its tiniest movement.”
Is using a baton necessary? No. You can effectively work with any ensemble without a baton. However, I find the baton can reinforce good techniques, improve and clarify my gestures, and prevent bad habits, so at the beginning of every year, I conduct all of my rehearsals with a baton.
What’s Next?
Practice, of course.
The good news is that we have a chance to practice at every rehearsal. The bad news is that we have a chance to practice at every rehearsal. As conductors, the best practice comes at the expense of working with other humans. There simply is no other substitute, which is why bad habits tend to creep in over time.
That being said, we can practice the fundamentals of conducting every day. Freeing the body and expanding our repertoire of gestures can happen anywhere. I work on gestures while walking or dribbling a basketball. I work on posture and pulse while learning how to waltz. I work on range of motion while doing yoga. The diversity of practice impacts and improves my gestures and expands my conducting palette.
Now it’s your turn!
In front of a mirror, practice moving each of the joints of your arm in isolation and through their complete range of motion. Start with just your shoulder, then move to the elbow, followed by the wrist and finally the fingers.
Now try conducting a four pattern using each joint in isolation.
Notice how much effort it takes to move each joint, and consider the different messages each movement sends to the performer. When you exaggerate motion in each plane, how might that be interpreted? How does it feel to only work in the frontal plane, and what response would you expect from the ensemble?
While you will likely never use only one joint or move in one plane, it’s important to understand the types of movements available to you and how those movements would be interpreted.
Conclusion
Remember that the role of a conductor is to be a visual embodiment of the music, and to shape the ensemble’s sound through clear gestures. Having a basic understanding of how the body moves and improving our proficiency with these movements will expand our expressive palettes and allow us to better communicate with performers.
Up next: Conducting Cross-Training!