Arts-In-Education Exploratory Enrichment

An Invitation to the Dance: Human-Centered Conducting

Presented by David N. Fryling

What does a conductor do? How do they do it? What is the purpose of our hands and our face? How can we be helpful while encouraging musical independence and critical thought? In my 25+ years of collaborating with secondary choirs and their conductors, I’ve noticed that conducting is often seen as scary, mystifying, and even “extra-musical.” I think too often as conductors we try to “perform at” instead of “dance with” our ensembles. Consequently, we end up accidentally tamping down a vital part of the group’s responsibility: Creativity in the Moment. When we invite our singers in as equal musical partners they take a deeper ownership of the process, actively engaging their own creativity in rehearsal and performance. Finding this creative space is a collaborative exercise, involving mindful attention from both conductor and ensemble—in fact, I can think of no other classroom experience where the “two-way street” of teaching is more evident, nor more satisfying!