The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Conducting Music

To the untrained eye, conducting looks simple. You just wave your arms to the music, right? Not exactly. Conducting requires precise skills. As the conductor, it’s your job to guide a band, orchestra, or choir through every note, coaching the performers to make beautiful music together. This book will teach you how.

Full of easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on the basics of conducting, this helpful guide gives you everything you need to know to lead any type of ensemble, in any musical genre. In it, you get:

• A behind-the-scenes look at what a conductor does both on and off the podium.
• Simple suggestions for reading, researching, and marking up a score.
• Tips for leading effective rehearsals so everyone gets — and stays — on the same page.
• Essential information on working a baton and assuming the proper stance on the podium.
• Lessons for learning all the beat patterns, from the basics to advanced meters and subdivided beats.
• Advice on interpreting a piece and mastering tempo, dynamics, phrasing, cues, accents, and even unmetered music.
• A primer on different types of conducting, from jazz bands to operas to video game soundtracks.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Conducting Music includes insightful interviews with several of today’s top conductors:

• Pete Anthony
• Tim Davies
• Dave Hahn
• Manny Laureano
• Glenn Nothern
• Eric Stark
• Eric Stern
• Larry Yurman

Bonus online videos help you perfect your conducting technique!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS ALL VIDEOS AND ONLINE CONTENT

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