MUS 643A The Assistant Conductor for the American Orchestra
There is no specific training available anywhere that prepares young conductors to undertake successfully the position of the assistant conductor of the American orchestra . This 2 credit elective will introduce the varied required assignments for the position, and teach the skills the young conductor will need to audition, interview, and prove ready to undertake all expectations. The following categories and techniques will be introduced and taught in this course:
Young Peoples Concerts: concepts, repertoire, and script writing , audience communication skills.
Pops Concerts: repertoire, scripts, entertainment techniques, working with Pops performers, and preparing concerts in 1 or 2 rehearsals.
Outdoor Concerts: appropriate repertoire , audience communication skills. Building the varied concert program and accomplishing preparation in1 rehearsal.
Special event concerts: Christmas, New Years Eve, July 4th, MLK event, Benefit events, and other special events.
Tour events: conducting the reworked repertoire for tour with no rehearsal.
Communication skills: pre concert lectures, script writing, speaking to audiences ( assisted by Drama program)
Inventing the creative concert, and creating the inventive concert ( with drama, dance, film.)
Score reading for TV and recordings.
Auditioning and interviewing at the audition.
Being the back-up/stand-in conductor, emergency substitution.
Assisting the development department, and PR, and Board relations.
How to best serve a Music Director.