Year-round opportunities abound for band and orchestra conductors to take a break from their normal routine and embrace a new musical challenge at one of many conducting workshops across the country.

Workshop highlights include a combination of a master teacher, an experienced collegiate or labratory ensemble, and time on the podium to work on learning and exploring great repertoire and your abilities to successfully communicate with an ensemble. Most workshops also have seminar time on relevant conducting topics (like movement skills, posture, technique, etc.) and significant time outside of rehearsal to talk with the teaching faculty to share program ideas and experience. These learning opportunities are also a unique way to "re-charge" your creative and musical energies after a long marching band season or just open your ears to a higher quality level that can be applied to your daily work.

Conducting workshops take place year round and vary in length from a single weekend to two weeks or even longer. One difference between most workshops is their philosophical approach to either "teaching conductors" or those musicians whose single goal is to conduct professionally. If you’re unsure about the specific expectations of any workshop then you need to contact them well ahead of time.

If you’ve never attended a conducting workshop before and are a little apprehensive you can also consider applying as an "observer" which allows you to attend and participate in everything except podium time in front of the ensemble in residence.

One of the best places to learn about future conducting workshops and seminars (educational and professional) is with the Conductors Guild. Membership in the guild provides a regular newsletter that includes almost all of the major conducting workshops and seminars in addition to job openings and scholarship offerings.

Conducting workshops may be slightly different in terms of tuition, podium time, room and housing, but all of them share one thing in common: the earlier you apply the better your chances are of being accepted. As most workshops accept participants on a "first come, first served basis" you’ll need to make it a priority to fax the application back on the same day that it is mailed (in addition to a friendly e-mail or phone call on occasion). Some workshops may also request a VHS video tape of your conducting in rehearsal or performance so it’s a wise idea to tape yourself during the year from time to time. The Conductors Guild also provides some terrific guidelines on videotaping yourself for these kinds of conducting tapes.

Order all of the scores early and study them every day regardless of how busy your normal work schedule is. The sooner you start the learning process the more fun the workshop will be. Also be prepared to discuss and conduct any portion of any score (some students arrive at a workshop only prepared to conduct a limited number of scores and that limits their podium time). If you’ve never conducted the piece take the time to research some background information on the work, find a colleague that has rehearsed or performed it in the past and invest in a reference recording as well.

The goal remains to respect the musicians we lead from the podium by challenging ourselves first; being involved in a weekend conducting workshop is just one of those steps towards being a better musician, and conductor.

The Conductors Guild offers high quality, multiple orchestra conductor training workshops year-round with excellent laboratory ensembles and teachers. All workshops are announced in their newsletter "Podium Notes" which is available with a membership in the guild. Membership in the guild (one year membership is $70 regular and $40 student) is required to apply and attend any workshop. A workshop application fee of $25 is typical and the submission of a videotape is strongly recommended. Application as an auditor or participant is also available and recommended for first time participants.

Conductors Guild

106 South High Street, Room 6

West Chester, PA 19382-3262

(610) 430-6010

www.conductorsguild.org

ConGuild@aol.com

Jan 14-15, 2000

Joseph Hermann, Director of Bands

TTU Box 5045

Cookeville, TN 38505

(931)372-3165 / (931)372-3728 / FAX (931)372-6279

JWHermann@tntech.edu

April 14 - 16, 2000

Dr. John Graulty, Director of Bands at U of I, will be hosting the workshop and will also serve as one of the clinicians. The guest clinician will be H. Robert Reynolds, Director of Bands at The University of Michigan. Mr. Reynolds will also guest conduct the U of I Concert Band on the final concert of the season on Friday evening, April 14, 2000.

For the second year in a row, Maestro Raymond Leppard, Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Artist-in-Residence at U of I, will be the featured guest speaker. Also, on Sunday, April 16, Jeff Girard from Shattinger Music Company in St. Louis will be operating a resource room at the workshop featuring a wide selection of scores, recordings, and books. There will be two tracks: observer ($35) and participant ($150). A brochure is available on request.

Dr. John P. Graulty, Assistant Professor of Music/Director of Bands/Instructor of Clarinet

Music Department - The University of Indianapolis

1400 East Hanna Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46227-3697

(317) 788-6139 / Fax (317) 788-6105

JGraulty@Uindy.Edu

Conductors Studio 2000 - Illinois State University

Dr. Glenn Block - Director of Orchestras

Centennial East 211

Campus Box 5660

Normal, IL 61761-5660

(309) 438-2540

CCM Conducting Workshop: Designed to address the needs of today’s public school conductor/educator. Participants should bring three recently conducted works, regardless of the degree of difficulty. The lab ensemble will be composed of workshop participants who will be joined by members of the CCM Wind Symphony. Each conducting session will be videotaped and followed by one-on-one critique sessions. Non-credit fee: $350 not including food and housing.

CCM Conducting & Wind Music Symposium: The symposium presents an opportunity to rehearse and perform on one of three concerts with the CCM Wind Symphony. Comments on rehearsal approach and conducting technique will be made on videotape. Participants follow scores and listen to the clinician via headphones, allowing everyone to stay integrally involved in the repertoire as the rehearsals progress. The morning sessions will include lectures and discussion with the master teacher in residence and the afternoons sessions will be dedicated to rehearsals with the lab ensemble. Non-credit fee: $561 not including food and housing.

Professor Rodney Winther, Director of Wind Studies

(513)556-2696 - Ensembles and Conducting

(513)556-9424 - Office

109 Washington Square, Suite 111
Offutt AFB NE 68113-2126
phone (402) 294-6046 fax (402) 294-4638

band.aud@offutt.af.mil

Rick Sowers

Conductors Retreat at Medomak

1321 East 9th Street

Anderson, IN 46012

(765)641-4458

sowers@anderson.edu

Wind Conducting Art - University of Michigan