Acquiring the Art of Conducting: Deliberate Practice as Part of Professional Learning

Research was and still is involved in the controversial issue about innate talent or extensive practice as the determinants of excellent performance in a range of domains. This study aims to contribute by presenting an analysis of practice activities in a domain that appears to be particularly suitable—orchestral conducting. Most conductors usually attain expertise in instrument playing prior to commencing conducting studies. Twenty-seven students of German study programs of orchestral conducting (approximately 18.7% of the population) responded to a questionnaire about their practice activities in conducting programs and their instrumental experiences. Descriptive results show the wealth of prestudy experiences conducting students have. A clear influence on practice activities cannot be stated. During study, students rated conducting-specific practice activities as more demanding and devoted more time to them than to general music practice activities. Therefore, conducting-specific practice activities might have been practiced more deliberately than general music practice activities.

THE PECULIARITIES OF TEACHING PERFORMING MUSIC COURSES TO STUDENTS OR CHOREOGRAPHY IN THE PROCESS OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

This article presents an analysis of the peculiarities of teaching performing music courses such as «orchestration tutorial» and «orchestral conducting» to students or choreography in the process of their professional training. The educational potential of these courses is shown to facilitate the development of professional qualities in a future choreography teacher. The research also focused on the psychological and pedagogical conditions of a successful pedagogical collaboration of the music teacher and a student of choreography. This study is aimed to contribute to the development of a new course of «Choreography» at the faculties specializing in art at state pedagogical universities of the country providing the modern teaching practice with an academic base in terms of the peculiarities of teaching performing music courses to students of choreography. teaching music and performance disciplines to students-choreographers has a problem-searching nature. This strengthens the subject-subject nature of the relationship between teacher and student, expands the possibilities of their creative interaction in classes on orchestral workshops and workshops on orchestral conducting. Successful interaction of a teacher-musician with a student-choreographer in the process of studying the laws of musical art and the basics of musical performance helps to stimulate interest in learning the latter, motivating the future of complex musical and choreographic activities in secondary school (performing, educational, creative or cognitive). on the formation of his personal qualities, professional skills, abilities, disclosure and realization of his creative potential. Psychological and pedagogical prerequisites for successful pedagogical interaction of a musician-teacher with a student-choreographer are provided by personality-oriented, competence and integration approaches of modern educational strategies.

Creating Art, Interpreting Life

The physicality of calligraphy and of orchestral conducting, and the highly personal and individualistic vision of a film director, connect together the centenarian Shinoda Toko, the Russian-music-admiring conductor, Nishimoto Tomomi, and the woman commissioned to make the official film of the 2020 Olympics, Kawase Naomi. Artists have to be rather quirky individuals, ones who see patterns rather than following them, who pursue passions rather than career tracks. As such, art has provided one of the better ways for Japanese women to fulfil their potentials and make their marks.

Mujeres compositoras: un enfoque pedagógico sobre cómo presentar al alumnado de secundaria referentes femeninos. El caso de Ethel Smyth.

In the past women have had few opportunities to develop personally and work within the field music. When we talk specifically about classical music, there are few female references in the field of composition, the interpretation of certain types of instrument families (fundamentally brass and percussion) and orchestral conducting. Throughout history, women were often allowed to train as amateur musicians but not as professionals. Although male sex has progressively assimilated the sharing of household chores over the last quarter-century, women continue to assume the main burden. For example, in the Renaissance period, women had to deal with a set of sexual stereotypes surrounding the practice of certain musical instruments. The following didactic proposal aims to introduce secondary school students to the figure of the female composer and conductor. This proposal will revolve around the figure of Ethel Smyth. For this purpose, an active and cooperative methodology has been used, as well as materials such as computers with an internet connection and tangible material. The results have been very positive, reaching competency and transversal activities and encouraging a critical spirit in the students.

Fresh yet Familiar: Music

Chapter 7 examines music in model jingju, the dimension that has been generally acknowledged as the most successful among these productions’ artistic aspects. The author approaches music in model jingju from four perspectives: (1) orchestra organization which features a Chinese-Western combined orchestra, realized through artistic experimentation in the use of instruments, orchestral composition, orchestral conducting, and playing techniques; (2) percussive music, the innovative adaptation of traditional percussive passages, and the creation of new percussive passages to accompany arias, movement, and combat; (3) instrumental music and its functions in building up theatricality; and (4) vocal-melodic music, its association with traditional modes and modal composition, traditional metrical types and metrical-type composition, and traditional melodic-phrases and melodic-passage composition. This chapter features a detailed analysis of the use of musical motifs and personal interviews with chief composers and instrumentalists.

Evolución y desarrollo de la dirección orquestal en México y el mundo / Evolution and development of the orchestral conducting in Mexico and the world

Esta es una mirada al desarrollo de una de las profesiones más jóvenes y polémicas del mundo de la música, un análisis del desarrollo histórico y social de la función del director de orquesta. Incluye los orígenes de la dirección de orquesta: desarrollo y evolución en Europa y América. Así como la evolución histórica de la dirección de orquesta en México durante la primera mitad del siglo XX, los principales maestros en esta etapa, el análisis del rol desempeñado por la Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa dentro de la vida musical mexicana y latinoamericana, y la labor de Luis Ximénez Caballero como director de orquesta.