G374 Video Reflection

As I rewatched my conducting videos over the past semester I was struck by how much I

improved in terms of technique and interpretation. At the beginning of the semester I had a lot of

issues with the turning of the wrist, and the positioning of my hands, with the arms too close to

my side and my left and right hands overlapping in their gestures. This was not an immediate

change or a linear improvement, as there were several videos that were worse than the previous

week. The positioning of my hands got progressively better from February through March, but

the real shift in my wrist happened a few weeks after spring break. This is something that I will

need to stay vigilant about going forward, but the clarity of my gestures was greatly improved by

my technical improvements.

As the semester went along, I found myself thinking more seriously about how I should

convey certain things, rather than just what to convey. This led to a more defined interpretation

that I was showing. While this may be because I was in my room rather than in front of an

ensemble, I think the improvements would carry over.

The biggest shift I saw in my conducting is how I started to embody the music more and

more as the semester went along. There were hints of it as early as February (The Lord of the

Rings videos), but I rarely committed to it. The times when I let go of my thoughts and focus

solely on the music are the times when my conducting is effective. This is why the post-spring

break videos were so helpful to me. I was forced to sing through the entire piece, making it

difficult to think about anything else. I think my second recording of Second Suite was the best

conducting I showed all semester because of this reason.

 In terms of things to improve going forward, I want to focus on setting and maintaining a

good tempo consistently. Early in the year I would speed up regularly as I was shortchanging

beat 3, especially when I was unfocused or nervous. I’ve noticed similar tendencies in my

trumpet playing as well. I also want to improve my rehearsal technique. In-class situations aren’t

necessarily realistic, but I thought I often went too quickly to get much done. I think slowing

down the speed with which I talk and framing my thoughts better will help, as will more podium

time. The final thing I want to improve is being confident with my interpretation and execution

the first time I conduct something. I respond well to feedback, but I want to get to the point

where I can conduct something really well the first time. In order to do this I need to increase the

time I spend score-studying, listening and practicing. While that isn’t always possible with the

schedule I have as a student, it is something that I want to put more time into going forward.

While videos are not a substitute for a real ensemble, the process was really beneficial for

me as it forced me to listen and sing through the important parts more than I would have in a

normal situation. I also did not have the added stress of other classes or ensembles to worry

about, allowing me to dedicate a large chunk of time to prepare, rather than ten to fifteen minutes

a day for several days. I think that videoing myself practicing would be a good way to improve

going forwards.