Gergiev Masterclass Part 2
Here is another student conductor from the same masterclass. I think I might like this one even better.
Gergiev Masterclass
Bizarro World
My first semester conducting class has reached a point where starting and stopping an ensemble, and conducting the basic patterns are (mostly) no longer the difficult part of conducting class.
Instead, what I notice is that some are having a hard time accepting the actual responsibilities of being the conductor on the podium (we’ll get to what I mean by that in a moment).
And I understand, this is a big transition. Thus far, much of their participation in music has been as receivers of musical ideas. Most undergraduate music students have been told what musical ideas they need to perform by their private lesson teachers or their band/orchestra/choir directors - make this part louder, do that softer, play more in tune - their entire musical lives. Essentially, they have been followers.
This is totally normal. It’s how you learn.
My favorite part of teaching this class is that learning to be a conductor creates a bizarro world that students have not had to contend with before.
Okay, maybe not that one.
In this new world, rather than accepting and reacting to other musical ideas from a teacher, they are now responsible for actually causing other people to react to and enact their music ideas. This change is HUGE, and it really throws a number of them for a loop.
They not only have to generate their own musical ideas, they have to convince other people to actually do them!
It’s scary.
Rather than deal with this dramatic change, many students prefer to revert back to technique. They want something specific from me that they can do “correctly,” - Change the grip! Have better posture! Beat 2 goes to the left!
You get the point. . .
This whole “have an idea and convince other musicians to make it happen” is not only new, it’s frightening because it is runs the risk of potentially revealing something about themselves.
Will they have good ideas? Will they have ANY ideas? What if they people don’t want to do them? What then?
My students are confronting this issue in a lot of other areas in their growth as musicians. Most of my students are sophomores and juniors, so either they are getting ready for what we call their continuation (a barrier jury for sophomores before they advance to junior and senior level courses), or their first big solo recital as a junior.
I believe that getting involved in conducting is a big first step to owning one’s own musicianship. It forces you to think about the whole more than the individual. It forces you to have an idea. It forces you to want more from those around you than they are already giving you.
It’s upside down from what they’ve been doing their whole lives up until now, and I enjoy getting to welcome them to this whole new bizarro world.
Grrrr. Arrrgh.
The Law of Magnetism
(Note: This is part of a series based on John C. Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.)
John C. Maxwell has written a number of books about leading and leadership. They all have their merits and some of the books will resonate more with some readers than others, but it is his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that provides some delicious food for thought for us in the conducting business.
Law Number Nine (or, Chapter Nine as titled in Maxwell’s book) is called “The Law of Magnetism.” The byline for this chapter reads, “Who you are is who you Attract.”
I’ll admit this right now: most people I have talked to find this to be a disquieting prospect. Think about it: You are who you attract. When I mention this law, most people cringe in some way. One person said, “Wait a minute… I always joked I was a nerd magnet!” And another said, “Oh no. All I have is damaged people in my life!” I suppose it can go the other way, too. Think about your “circle.” Who’s in it? What kind of people are they? Few of us want to face it, but the Law of Magnetism is eerily accurate. You are who you attract.
I’ll admit something else. This is, perhaps, my favorite “law.” One thing I love to do is watch people and note who hangs out with whom. It is deep in our nature to find our “tribe” as humans. For instance, just look at your ensemble in rehearsal! That’s a case right there where people from all walks of life have found common ground in a passion for music. Even more fun: go to a comic book or star trek convention. I find it very entertaining to see that these people have found one another.
(Not my family photo)
Now, on to Maxwell’s words.
“Effective leaders are always on the lookout for good people,” is the sentence that begins this chapter. In the conducting profession we are often looking for the best musician, which doesn’t always translate into who is a good person. (It is hard to tell that sort of thing from a resume or an audition behind a screen.) But, truthfully, people want to show up every day and see/work with people they like. They want to be around good people. Some conductors maintain they don’t care; they want the best musicians possible regardless of character. But, when pressed, those same conductors will tell story after story of people they have gotten rid of from their ensembles – sometimes a musically based decision, but many times a personal (personnel?) one.
Do you know what qualities you are looking for in other people? I have some I regularly seek:
- Hard working
- On time and reliable
- Enthusiastic
- Pleasant
- Personally engaging
- Not prone to gossip (ok, that’s hard to avoid in our business)
- A person who is not a “cancer” to the organization, a negative attitude is cancerous
- A person who doesn’t deflect responsibility
- A person who gives good energy to the group; a giver not a taker
- A solid musician
The “solid musician” part is usually apparent in the first few seconds/minutes of an audition. You can tell whether or not someone is a good fit, musically, for the group pretty early in the audition process. It’s the other stuff that I spend my time figuring after I have determined that the person is musically appropriate for the ensemble. A big problem is that a resume states qualifications, not character, and an audition reflects the person’s musical skills but not professional or interpersonal skills. I keep asking myself while I listen to them, “what will this person bring to the ensemble?”
Maxwell continues with a little chart you can fill in: “My People Would Have These Qualities.” He then tells us, “Believe it or not, who you get is not determined by what you want. It’s determined by who you are.” Once you make a list of the qualities you want in others, you have to exhibit those qualities to attract them.
A section of this chapter is dedicated to “From Musicianship to Leadership,” one of the few places in this book where Maxwell discusses music. It isn’t in depth; Maxwell basically tells us the story of a church in San Diego where he followed a pastor who was an excellent musician. Maxwell admits to being inferior to his predecessor, musically speaking. After a few years there Maxwell notes that the talented musicians stopped committing to church, but the congregation was stocked with great leaders. His organization reflected the Law of Magnetism.
Why is this chapter so great? Take a look at your organization. Do you claim it is full of positive, hard-working people? Is it full of negative individuals? As Maxwell writes, “If you think your people are negative, then you better check your attitude.” Maxwell continues with a set of characteristics:
- Attitude: Rarely do positive and negative people attract one another. People who see life as a series of challenges and opportunities don’t want to spend time with people who complain about how awful life is. Negative people find positive people often tedious and naive.
- Generation: People tend to attract others of the same age. (For many of us who conduct at universities, we have two different demographics: our colleagues and our students.)
- Background: People of the same or similar backgrounds tend to attract one another. Are you from the Northeast USA and educated at a private school? Are you from the inner city and had to scrape for your education and opportunities? You will naturally resonate with people who have a similar fund of experiences and background.
- Values: People are attracted to leaders whose values are similar to their own. Great values don’t equate to great leadership skills: Adolph Hitler and John F. Kennedy inspired and motivated a lot of people with completely different ideologies. But, your value set will attract a certain type of person. Whatever character you possess you will likely find in the people who follow you.
- Life Experience: Your life experience matters. Think of the 28 year old conductor who has been thrown in front of a professional ensemble. What could they possibly bring to Mahler’s 9th Symphony with such little life experience? This level of experience, and how you use it, equates to attracting people who value such things.
- Leadership Ability: The people you attract will have leadership ability similar to your own. As discussed in the Law of Respect, people follow leaders stronger than themselves. Factoring in the Law of Magnetism, we can safely say that a mediocre leader attracts mediocre leaders, and even lesser followers.
This great chapter closes out with a memorable quote: “If you think the people you attract could be better, then it’s time for you to improve yourself.”
A “Basic” Reading List?
The title of this post refers to an earlier post of mine, “A ‘Basic’Repertoire List?”
(This may be the first time I have been so openly self-referential on this blog!)
The aforementioned post describes, briefly, my first conducting lessons as a freshman in college wherein the professor handed me a “basic” repetoire list. I really wish I could find that original list, but it has been long lost. At the bottom of the page he had a “basic” reading list. I went out and tried to get ahold of as many of those books as possible. In the spirit of that original “basic” reading list, I offer mine to you!
Books about Music-Making and Orchestral Development
- The Orchestra by Paul Bekker
- The Joy of Music by Leonard Bernstein
- The Unanswered Question: Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard Bernstein
- The Orchestra from Beethoven to Berlioz by Adam Carse
- The Orchestra in the 18th Century by Adam Carse
- The Composer’s Voice by Edward T. Cone
- What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland
- The Interpretation of Music by Thurston Dart
- The Composer’s Advocate by Erich Leinsdorf
- The Orchestra: Origins and Transformations by Joan Peyser
- The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
- The Great Conductors by Harold C. Schonberg
- The Birth of the Orchestra by John Spitlzer and Neal Zaslaw
- Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons by Igor Stravinsky
- Defining Russia Musically by Richard Taruskin
- Of Music and Music-Making by Bruno Walter
- Weingartner on Music and Conducting by Felix Weingartner
- Mozart’s Symphonies: Context, Performance Practice, Reception by Neal Zaslaw
Books about Conducting (Not to be a conducting textbook review – see Jacob Harrison’s post regarding that topic.)
- The Conductor and His Baton by Nicolai Malko
- The Conductor’s Art by Carl Bamberger
- A History of Orchestral Conducting in Theory and Practice by Elliott W. Galkin
- The Dynamic Orchestra by Elizabeth A. H. Green
- The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power by Norman Lebrecht
- Maestro: Encounters with Conductors of Today by Helena Matheopoulos
- Wagner on Conducting by Richard Wagner
- Beyond the Baton: What Every Conductor Needs to Know by Diane Wittry
Books about Leadership and Other Conducting Related Topics
- Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes by Katya Andresen
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihayli
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
- Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- The Power of Mindful Learning by Ellen Langer
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
- Enthusiasm Makes the Difference by Norman Vincent Peale
- A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
- Drive by Daniel H. Pink
- Can I wear my Nose Ring to the Interview? by Ellen Gordon Reeves
- The Element by Ken Robertson
- The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge
- My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor
- Creativity by P. E. Vernon (editor)
- The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins
- Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden with Steve Jamison
I am sure there are ones I left out! And, I am betting there are books out there that you love and that have impacted your conducting. Please share them with us!
Leadership Notes
After 15 years out “in the field” conducting, I decided to go back and get a doctorate. I was ready for a career change, and the doctorate was a way to get the credentials to become a university conductor, which was my goal for the next phase of my career. It turned out to be a life-changing process for me, both personally and professionally. One of my first classes back in school at Arizona State University was “Principals of Orchestral Leadership” taught by Tim Russell.
I didn’t know what to expect. We were told to acquire four books: Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, The Breakthrough Company by Keith R. McFarland , Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden, and Good to Great by Jim Collins. Note that not one of these mention music in their title and they aren’t written with musicians in mind.
John Wooden
ASU is the only school I know about that has a class like this. And, while I could go on and on about the effect it had on me, I think I will just address some notes I took from one of the lectures.
***My class notes from years ago begin here***
A Leaders’Domain is the Future whose Principal Task is Motivating Followers
Five Qualities of a Good Leader
- Leaders Model the Way
- Leaders Inspire a Shared Vision
- Leaders Challenge the Process
- Leaders Enable Others to Act
- Leaders Encourage the Heart
Leaders Model the Way
- Passions Lead and Give Purpose
- Values mean something; give clarity of your personal values; be sincere
- Leaders have shared values
- Leaders help people find their own voice
- Leaders exhibit tireless work
Insipring a Shared Vision
- Leaders are driven by the vision; they have a mental picture of “tomorrow”
- Leaders provide purpose
- Leaders understand what motivates followers
- Leaders listen as well as speak
- Leaders make enthusiasm visible
- Leaders are authentic people
Challenging the Process
- Leaders ask tough questions
- Leaders experiment and take risks
- “The Dream must be grand, but the process must consist of small acts”
Empowering others
- Leaders create an atmosphere of trust
- Leaders foster collaborations
- Leaders accept personal accountibility
Encouraging the Heart
- Leaders recognize people with public praise; they “catch” them doing something well
- Leaders praise people with a specific personal touch
- Leaders tell moving personal stories
- Leaders spark a fire within, not under, their followers
- Leaders celebrate values and victories
- Leaders create a community of persons with similar values
Summation: Leaders recognize the importance of humility.
*** NOTES END HERE***
At the end of our semester together we were asked, “What have you learned from this class that you might remember in 20 years?” One of us said “nothing” (unwisely), while the rest of pointed out the perspectives that the class had brought us.
I think often of the phrase, “Leaders Model the Way.” This seems to resonate profoundly with conductors: We ask our musicians to be prepared, but are we? We ask our musicians to be on time and be at rehearsal with a great attitude, but are we? We ask our administrative leadership to execute things in a timely and productive manner, but do we contribute to an environment that does these things? Do we, as conductors, on a daily basis demonstrate the highest professional standards we can?
The “bullet points” about leaders empowering others seems especially significant to me. Isn’t that the essence of what we do as conductors? Don’t we empower the musicians in our ensembles? So many conductors don’t accept personal responsbility for their actions and many do not create an atmosphere of trust. As a matter of fact, many conductors create an atmosphere of distrust.
One sentence from my notes above that really got me – “Leaders spark a fire within, not under, their followers.” What a great thought!
While I could write more about the atrocious leadership I have seen over the years (see one of my previous posts about “The Law of the Lid.”), I would like to end by asking you out there: What examples of GREAT musical leadership have you seen?
Your comments are appreciated!
Programming, Programming, Programming
not my first conducting teacher
One of my first conducting teachers said to me, “You know, how they say in real estate, ‘location, location, location?’Well, it’s like that when you are a conductor: ‘programming, programming, programming.”‘ Come to think of it, he didn’t say much more than that. I remember nodding in tacit agreement not knowing what the heck he was talking about. Now that I have spent the past 17 years conducting, I think I understand some of the broader points of “programming, programming, programming.”
One topic of discussion on the League of American Orchestras conductors’e-mail list is that of a “programming advisory committee.” Some boards of directors feel necessary to have such an entity for a Music Director. Truthfully, they are probably a mixed blessing. And, I would bet money (for what it’s worth these days) that the effectiveness of such a committee is directly related to the attitude of the Music Director. If the Music Director is the slightest bit territorial or insecure, or is a mean-spirited jerk, the whole process could devolve into an ugly morass.
(But I WANT to program all Wagner!)
At my first conducting jobs I did the usual thing a young conductor does: I programmed music I knew from grad school and I programmed music I wanted to conduct, regardless of whether or not the orchestras could play it. I didn’t have the expertise to predict what my orchestras could sound successful performing, and building an audience was off my radar. The first youth symphony I ran (for 12 years) was fairly easy to program: lots of standard repertoire. They weren’t getting it in their public schools, so we were filling a niche. The kids complained only once in that time about the repertoire. The offending piece? “The Orchestra Song” by William Schuman.
(Sorry I broke your track record, Brian.)
As much as I admire Schuman’s music, I have to side with the kids on this one.
With my adult orchestras I began to develop some philosophies that put “butts in the seats.” We seemed to do well when we programmed: 1. music that was an “event” like Beethoven’s 9th or Carmina Burana, 2. a concert that involved a collaboration such as The Nutcracker Ballet (or see #1, for pieces with choir), or 3. A concert that featured someone who had a local cult following.
But now I am in a very different situation. I have a nice youth orchestra that has lots of talented kids in it that don’t need a steady diet of standard repertoire. I have been wondering what it is that they would like to play; and the best way to know is to ask them. (Well, duh.) When I did, I was suprised by what I heard. Some want to play movie music (they still love Star Wars after all these years), some want to play the old standards like Beethoven, some want to play Stravinsky and Bartok. Most don’t really think about it that often outside rehearsal (they do have other lives outside rehearsal, you know) and are happy to get to play most anything. The college orchestras I conduct have similar points-of-view, but I think it is part of my job to expose them to as many different styles and genres as possible while they are here.
(Luke, I am your Conducting Teacher.)
One of the college groups I am conducting is doing a concert that will feature Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Jazz music – all for string orchestra. The group seems to love it and they sound good.
So, what does all this “programming, programming, programming” business mean? Here are some thoughts that I put into choosing repertoire:
- What will the group enjoy playing?
- What will sound good on the group?
- What will I enjoy conducting?
- What’s new for me – what have I not conducted yet?
- What’s new for them – what style of music or composer have we not touched on yet?
- What will the audience enjoy hearing?
- What will a guest artist bring with them? (They inspire the orchestra as well as the audience.)
- What will the “stake holders” enjoy? (That term strikes me as a bit smarmy, but there are patrons out there for most orchestra programs, and it is probably in the orchestra’s best interest to know their interests.)
- What is in the best interests of the group as a whole?
- What repertoire addresses the orchestra’s strengths?
- What repertoire helps lift up the orchestra’s weaknesses?
This isn’t necessarily listed in order of preference, of course.
What are some things you consider when you program? Your comments are appreciated!
The Law of Intuition
(Note: This is part of a series based on John C. Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.)
John C. Maxwell has written a number of books about leading and leadership. They all have their merits and some of the books will resonate more with some readers than others, but it is his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that provides some delicious food for thought for us in the conducting business.
Law Number Eight (or, Chapter Eight as titled in Maxwell’s book) is called “The Law of Intuition.” The byline for this chapter reads, “Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias.”
Have you ever been thinking something and the person next to you says it out loud? Have you ever been talking about someone and then they suddenly appear, walking around the corner? Have you ever been thinking about someone and suddenly they call you? To me, these are forms of intuition (to others they are mere coincidences) and they happen many, many times a day. Some of these flashes of intuition are trivial and some are very significant.
Let’s talk about intuition further. Just what is it? A quick jump over to dictionary.com gives us these defintions:
- direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension.
- a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way.
- a keen and quick insight.
- the quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight.
- Philosophy .
- a. an immediate cognition of an object not inferred or determined by a previous cognition of the same object.
- b. any object or truth so discerned.
- c. pure, untaught, noninferential knowledge.
Just reading these defintions reminds us of how intangible intuition is. It’s that “little voice” that sometimes whispers in our ears. It’s that “gut feeling” that tells us when something is great and when something is terribly wrong. It’s your “little man” inside you:
Leaders simply must listen to their intuition. Whether or not it comes to making daily decisions, or staffing decisions, or even decisions about how to execute critical tasks, you’re intuition is a vaulable resource.
Where does intution come from? Is it innate? Can it be developed? Does it develop organically with experience and wisdom?
Maxwell writes, “The Law of Intuition is based on facts plus instinct and other intangible factors. And the reality is that leadership intuition is often the factor that separates the greatest leaders from the merely good ones.” After those few words, Maxwell goes on to describe scenarios using football players, coaches and play selection. He is driving toward the process of planning – writing down plays, anticipation, preparation and then combining that with listening to one’s intuition. In a somewhat logical transition, Maxwell proceeds to discuss Gerneal Norman Schwarzkopf and his leadership abilities. Schwarzkopf was known to take sub-performing military battalions and transform them into top performing troops. How Schwarzkopf did this, though, was based on strategy, drive and planning. Intuition was a small part of the process, not the core part. Intuition factored mainly in Schwarzkopf’s assignments – he picked troops that he “felt” could improve and do a good job.
According to Maxwell, “Intuition helps leaders become readers of the numerous intangibles of leadership:”
- Leaders are Readers of their Situation
- Leaders are Readers of Trends
- Leaders are Readers of their Resources
- Leaders are Readers of People
- Leaders are Readers of Themselves
Maxwell gives us a brief paragraph explaining each of the above. In a few short words: He talks about how leaders “feel” certain changes and trends. And, of course, he reminds us that “{Leaders} never forget people are their greatest asset.”
An interesting topic follows: “Who you are dictates what you see.” He goes on to explain a businessman might look upon a large forest and see a vast expanse of resources and wealth while another might see the beauty in the trees. Still others might just see trees, beauty not withstanding.
Three levels of Leadership Intuition:
- Those who naturally see it. (Some people are born with exceptional leadership gifts. Watch any kindergarten class and see who moves the kids from point A to point B.)
- Those who are nutured to see it (Maxwell implies ALL people can have their leadership intuition developed, but see number three below.)
- Those who will never see it (Reserved for people who don’t have a “leadership bone in their body” and aren’t interested in developing any leadership.)
Maxwell closes the chapter discussing some approaches leaders use to solve problems, but it isn’t as in depth as some of his other discussions. One bit of prognostication: Maxwell talks about Apple Computers and their moves that, at that time, are seeming to “turn around” the company (This book was published in 1998, when Apple was not quite the international presence they are today.).
Intuition plays such a large part in our lives as conductors. Think about how you use it: repertoire selection, personnel selection (including hiring and part assignments), rehearsal passages, rehearsal language, the amount of time “fixing” a passage, the way you conduct a phrase, and more. While not all things I just mentioned are governed by intution, they are often informed by intuition. Your intuition is there, and it is more important than you think to listen to it!
Wardrobe Malfunctions
Not too long ago, the pianist Yuja Wang got a lot of attention in the press and the blogosphere for more than her excellent playing. The above dress created quite a stir at a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, apparantly elliciting whistles and catcalls from the audience when she walked out. After LA Times music critic, Mark Swed, positively reviewed her performance of Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concerto, he had this to say:
Her dress Tuesday was so short and tight that had there been any less of it, the Bowl might have been forced to restrict admission to any music lover under 18 not accompanied by an adult.
My thoughts are that if someone can pull something like that off, more power to them. But it also got me thinking about dress codes and some of the “wardrobe malfunctions” that have happened while I have been working with students and community orchestras.
Professional orchestras have a explicit dress code for their concerts. In fact, they usually have a variety of dress codes depending the day, time, and audience of any particular concert. For my groups, I have always required men to wear tuxedos (or what looks like a tux from the audience) and asked the women to dress in all black and conservatively (meaning shoulders covered, long skirts if skirts are worn, etc.). And while I have provided numerous guidelines over the years, interesting “solutions,” always seem to pop up.
One particular concert sticks out in my mind. In the rehearsals leading up to the concert, I had given my usual guidelines to the orchestra members, and this orchestra member did wear all black at the concert. But . . .
Rather than black slacks, and a black blouse of some sort, she elected to wear black sweat pants, a black hoodie sweatshirt, and black flip-flops. So in one respect, she had technically met the criteria I had given. I believe this is understood to be following the letter, but not the spirit . . . or something like that. Now, before every concert, I tell my orchestras, “No sweats, no hoodies, no Flip-flops!”
But getting back to soloists and the outfits they wear, I had yet another experience of odd concert attire. One of my groups in Arizona put on a Night at the Opera concert. It featured a variety of overtures, arias, duets, trios, etc. Now, this was a concert performance. It was not in any way staged, semi-staged, mini-staged. In fairness, I had not given a dress code to the soloists, but I had expected to see the soloists in formal attire – women in gowns, men in tuxes. And almost all of the soloists showed up for the concert dressed appropriately.
Except one.
One of my soloists, who will remain nameless, showed up 5 minutes before the concert IN COSTUME!
Not the actual soloist in question, but this was the costume.
Not knowing what else to do, I sent him home to change, I started the concert about ten minutes late, and hoped, once I did start the show, that he would be back when it was time for him to go on.
It worked out . . .sort of.
He showed back up in time and was in a suit, but he was not wearing socks (really? yes, really). He did have a lovely pink tie. . .
What sort of wardrobe malfunctions have you had at your concerts? Share your stories in the comment section!
Kinda pricey, if you ask me.
Good morning! Stolen from a Facebook friend’s wall and too good not share!
Jacob Harrison
brianstjohn
