10 Random Tips for Student Conductors

Which paw do we use to hold the baton with, Sergei Vasilyevich?

I like writing notes and making lists - it's one of my nerdy hobbies. I also enjoy attending orchestral rehearsals and watching other conducting students' lessons (at the Con this is not only encouraged but generally expected). In the last few years of studying in Saint-P, I've been able to observe lessons and masterclasses by great local and visiting conductors including Yuri Simonov, Alexander Dmitriev, Alexander Polyanichko, Alexander Polischuk, Vladimir Altshuler, Bruno Weil, Jonathan Brett, Colin Metters, Mark Stringer and many others. Also I was lucky enough to be one of the active participants for Vasily Sinaisky's conducting masterclass with our Con orchestra.

So I thought I'd share with you 10 tips and quotes from various teachers and professors in the past that I've found helpful as a conducting student (they're in no particular order by the way). Please note that I can't reference who the quotes came from - I don't have the sources written down, and while I remember who said most of these quotes, often they are quoting others from certain books written on conducting or what their own teachers said to them back in their days (and I can't recall exactly which ones!). Unreliable, I know, but hey, just enjoy reading them!


1. "Always conduct as if you're conducting the Vienna Philharmonic!" - even when conducting two pianos in a classroom.

2. Practice conducting in slow motion 10 times with smaller gestures for passages you are having difficulty with. In the performance, even if the size of your gestures may naturally increase, your hands will still remember the phrasing and direction of music.

3. Check and compare tempo of each movement (of a symphony or other multi-movement works). Draw a map in your head or on paper in order to understand the overall structure of the work.

4. Silences are also music - don't switch off brains or conduct meaninglessly and emptily through silences. Silences are also expressive. Rests should connect phrases, not separate them. "Silence is the most important thing in music" - (I have this down as a Mozart quote... is it?)

5. Say something, even if it's not correct. One must find meaning in the music, even if it's not correct. It's better than no meaning at all. Don't just beat patterns. Think about the sound you want first (I have this written down numerous times - many professors emphasise this point).

6. Smiling makes a difference to the orchestra (except when conducting Tchaikovsky 6).

7. Often slow movements of a work need to be conducted faster in tempo than they seem. Oh, and please don't do a huge rallentando at the end of the movement, especially if the composer hasn't indicated one. Mozart was too good for that kind of stuff.

8. Music should be felt within - then there is no need to artificially show gestures.

9. "I'm not interested in YOUR tempo - only in HAYDN's tempo!" exclaimed one professor in a masterclass when a student conductor told off the pianists for not taking the tempo HE wanted. "I am Haydn's lawyer!" - continued the professor. The point is that many conductors think they can abuse their position of power and do whatever they want. The music should come first, not your ego!

10. "Score in your head, not head in the score!" - this is definitely my favourite mantra.


Also, one more thing I like is being in 'theme'. For example, last night I was listening to traditional Indian music in the kitchen while cooking curry for dinner. However, I just realised right now that I had been listening to Dream Theatre the whole time while I was writing this post, rather than listening to orchestral music. Not exactly in theme, I know. But one must take breaks, and rests connect music after all (see point 4). Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for reading!