Wednesday 17 September 2014
Response/Reaction to Itay Talgam's TEDTalk: Lead Like the Great Conductors
I really enjoyed watching the many conducting styles that were demonstrated during the videos of this TEDTalk, all of which seemed to "get the job done" in one way or another. Although each conductor brought their own unique conducting style to the podium and succeeded, it occurred to me while watching this that there is a fine line between having too much control and not enough control as a conductor. I especially liked how Itay Talgam pointed out that if you have too much control, you are simply using the ensemble as a set of instruments, and not allowing them the opportunity to develop or to put forth their individual interpretations of the music. On the other hand, if you don't have enough control, the ensemble is left confused, and not knowing when to play. I think this is very important for us to realize as music educators because we need to give our students room to express themselves through the music, while still maintaining a clear, concise execution of the sound. I guess my one question after watching this TEDTalk would be how do you find a good balance between giving the ensemble too much or not enough information/guidance as a conductor?
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How do you find a good balance between being a controlling conductor and a useless conductor? There really is a simple fix, one that has not necessarily been so readily observed since the invention of the conductor. The answer: communication!
ReplyDeleteWant to know when you are giving too much and when you are giving not enough? Why not ask the orchestra! "Do you want me to conduct through your solo? You can absolutely take it out of time if you want." "Do you prefer this in 3 or in 1? I'd conduct it in 1, but it's slowing down." "What do you think the dynamics should be here? Can we give a little more? I'll show it and see if that helps"
Dr. Jason Caslor always makes a great case for allowing the musicians to have more control. Times are changed now from Muti's day (which isn't even in the too-distant past). Musicians must give their all to reach the full potential of the artform. Musicians are only going to give their all if they are inspired to do so - the same is true of any profession. They cannot be inspired if they are not happy, and they may not be happy for a multitude of reasons. One of those may very well be that their conductor isn't giving them enough free-range to show their stuff. That's where the balance point is - easily identifiable with some good-old-fashioned communication.