Expressivity in Conducting Pedagogy: an Overview and Recommendations

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, yet few address teaching the domains of expression until technical issues such as basic techniques of gesture have been learned. This document 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 those movement theories. This handbook is designed to accompany The Modern Conductor, seventh edition, by Elizabeth A. H. Green, and uses examples from the Norton Anthology of Western Music, fourth edition.