Conducting and Ensembles Curriculum

Overview

Graduate studies in conducting may have an instrumental or a choral emphasis. Students interested in this program should consult with the Division of Conducting and Ensembles during their first year. Upon successful completion of an audition, students formally enter this program at the end of their third year.

Instruction in conducting includes courses in choral and instrumental conducting at the beginning and advanced levels. We stress baton and rehearsal techniques, score preparation, and interpretation.

Advanced courses cover every aspect of the conductor’s craft: harmonic and formal analysis, rhythmic security, aural imagery, knowledge of the instruments and voices, technique and vocabulary of gesture, group management and psychology, rehearsal techniques, and programming.

We encourage students in this program to participate in student ensembles and assist in their preparation for public performance, as it is an essential part of the conducting curriculum.