Entry three
Well, I can say full chest that I definitely bit off more than I can chew. Anita forgive me for my poor conducting, I tried my best. Looking back on the criteria I set for myself, I’m not sure what I was thinking. I’ll get there though for sure, just maybe not with only 6 hours of practicing.
In the end, I am very proud of my progress, although still unsure about a lot of it. Previously, when I conducted a piece, I had close to a year to prepare for it from the initial proposal to conduct a piece. I’d say, although I may mess up many times in this recording, I will still do my darndest to effectively show my learning.
This process has been super fun because if anything, it only strengthened the determination that I’ve had for teaching music and conducting a lot more. It did feel a little funny though, to imagine a band in front of me and not actually be conducting any sound. I feel a that a lot of the fun in conducting is actually having control of a band, and being responsible for the overall sound of an ensemble and how everything clicks together in concert band pieces. I found a good recording of my piece on YouTube but it does feel strange trying to match what that conductor is doing. I’ve listened to that recording countless times.
Also too add, who knew that trying to change pages while conducting is so hard? I clearly did not until my first run through and I almost had a panic attack as I tried to keep tempo while using my other hand to frantically flip the page.
All in all, this was a super fun and fulfilling project for me to be able to pursue! I had a really good time preparing for it and searching up videos of how different conductors conduct, it felt like a silly version of homework that I could just relax and mimic. I love passion projects and independent study projects, I think they’re super motivating and help me become excited about my future!