ROLAND YEUNG will give two Conducting Classes as part of the Australian National Band and Orchestra Conference ANBOC 2012 schedule. The classes will be repeated once. He will also give private conducting lessons.
SAITO CONDUCTING CLASSES I & II
The two conducting classes will focus on conducting gestures using principles of the Saito Conducting Method.
How can a conductor lift the confidence of the musicians so they will play in time?
How can a conductor show the expressive elements whilst maintaining the traditional conducting patterns?
How can a conductor show expression and maintain the musical flow?
How does a conductor reduce the strain in the neck and shoulder?
The first class, through practical activity, will introduce the key concepts of the method. Saito analysed conducting gestures and discovered that clarity and artistry in gestures is dependent various parts of the motion, namely the beat point, secondary point, and movement between these using acceleration and deceleration. Conductors will be able to reflect on their own conducting referenced to the three basic conducting gestures in simple quadruple time. How these gestures in the various parts of the motion influence changes in articulation, dynamics and tone colour are illustrated.
The second class will revise the three Saito gestures learnt in the previous class and introduce other gestures in the Saito Conducting Method. Saito categorized gestures by the relation of the secondary point to the beat point. Those which there is an acceleration leading to the beat point, are called into-point motions. Those bursting gestures, which decelerate to the following beat point, are called from-point motions. By combining the two motion types conductors can clearly show phrasing without interfering with the rhythmic flow of the music.
By understanding how to control the secondary point, conductors allow the performers to anticipate when the beat will occur and to envision the ideal sound. Having the ability to predict gives performers the confidence to control timbre, tuning, articulation and ensemble blend. Of the dozens of methods used to teach conducting worldwide, these concepts remain unique to Saito’s method.
To each session conductors should bring their own baton if they are comfortable using one. Some notes and worksheets will be made available.
Make an appointment by sending an email message or posting a reply. The Conference runs between 5 – 8 July 2012. Details of the conference can be found here.
