Liz Garnett creates yet another interesting column, this time on the communicative mode of conducting gesture. Quoting a research study by Michelle Sampson of Roehampton University. Referring to a study in which singers and conductors watched videos of conductors in action,I observed that when the singers watched the video clips, they could usually write down immediately what the conductor wanted the singer to do. When they tried to describe the physical gestures, however, they needed to view the clips a number of times, and copy the gestures themselves, to explain to themselves what was happening.
Liz uses this as a springboard to connect conducting with other kinds of nonverbal communication and refers to studies of “mirror neurons” to explain how people often respond holistically to a gestural message without being aware of its component parts. Well worth reading in its entirety.
My takeaway, though, is to reflect on how difficult this makes it to teach conducting. The conductor is in many cases unaware of what changes of gesture actually lead to what messages conveyed, and even if they analysis is done well, it’s hard for the students to see them, easily though they can respond to them.
P.S. Thanks, Liz, for whatever change in your software allows me to read your entire post in my RSS reader, rather than just the first few sentences.
Art by Genece Hamby
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