| The domain of expression is fundamental to any musical study, yet in the realm of conducting this vital area has been overlooked. As a fundamental component of music-making, expression should be taught during the beginning stages of conducting study. Most authors note a problem in teaching conducting students to be expressive in the literature review, yet few address teaching the domains of expression until technical issues such as basic techniques of gesture have been learned. In an informal survey conducted as part of this project, most conducting teachers noted that expression is a high priority, yet few spent much time teaching it in their undergraduate conducting classes, choosing instead in their limited, valuable time to concentrate on basic gestural vocabulary.;This document notes the lack of instruction in expressive gesture in the literature and in current undergraduate curricula and recommends infusing expression into the gesture at the beginning stages of conducting. To achieve this, the theories of Rudolph Laban are examined as a means to assist the new student to learn expressive conducting. In addition, a handbook for first semester conducting students is presented using Laban's theories. This handbook is designed to accompany Elizabeth A.H. Green's classic text The Modern Conductor, seventh edition, and also uses examples from the Norton Anthology of Western Music, fourth edition. |
