(Untitled)

[bigpeteb]

At the rehearsal retreat yesterday, I went from section to section listening in and offering advice where appropriate. In particular I commented on the National Anthem, which usually comes out very march-y and not flowing at all, which leads to some oddly emphasized words: gleaming, streaming, rockets. I offered to conduct one of the sections to

Comments

[lizzie]

From your perspective, where you're used to a conductor doing big flourishing motions and being more expressive, I can see how you would think that marching band conducting is robotic and unexpressive. From my point if view, where I've been in concert band and marching band, I see a difference between the two conductions, although through years of training, I've developed an eye for seeing the way the marching band conductor shows expression through different forms. Sometimes it's in how hard they move their arms to the beat. Other times it's as simple as a facial expression that we're expected to see across the field. :-) They're different, but I still think marching band music can be directed, and played, with expression.

Or perhaps the difference is your definition of "expression" vs. my definition.

Regardless, I agree with your decision to not let someone conduct who can't even sing the music the way you want it. Whether it's choir, concert band, marching band, orchestra, etc, you don't want someone conducting who performs and feels the music in a way other than it's intended.

Thanks for watching DCI and being open minded about it.

[bigpeteb]

Oh, it was worth it just to see DCI. :-) The precision in those performances was mind-blowing, and I could tell the performers were really engaged in their work.