MUSIC MAESTROS: Conducting workshop instructs local band and orchestra directors

POCATELLO — An ensemble of East Idaho conductors and band and choir directors spent last week developing their conducting and leadership skills through an informational workshop.

Led by Conductor and Artistic Director of the Idaho State-Civic Symphony and Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities Nell Flanders, the group met from 9 a.m. to noon every morning at the Idaho State University Fine Arts Building last week to focus on conducting techniques or the gestural language of a baton, along with discussing, learning, studying and interpreting music.

“What we've been doing this past week is a professional development training session for instrumental ensemble directors — that's orchestra and band directors at the middle school and high school level — although we've also had a couple of people involved who are past or future high school and orchestra band directors,” Flanders said. “We've also had loads of really interesting conversations about how to effectively rehearse and how to manage the different skills that these teachers are trying to communicate to their students over the course of a year.”

Flanders continued, “My goal in creating this class was to hopefully give people some inspiration, new ideas and new skills to head into the next academic year, but also to have an opportunity for all of us to spend time together so that during the year, we can all be a support network for each other.”

The class also provided a developmental credit through the Albion Center at the ISU College of Education. Teachers are required to accrue a certain number of professional development credits each year and this workshop provided an easy avenue to accomplish that endeavor.

Each of the instructors in attendance took something valuable from the workshop, absorbing important information that they can pass onto their students or showcase through their own conducting talents.

“The thing that the biggest takeaway for me was the ability to communicate the music through the baton without words,” Alameda and Hawthorne Middle School orchestra teacher Sandra Kenney said. “I think as a middle school teacher, we spend a lot of time talking and trying to explain things to kids. We are teaching all the time. We're obviously not conducting all the time. But I felt like it was huge to be able to communicate through the baton. I found that there are habits that I have fallen into and things that I really needed to brush up on and things that I needed to get clear. I feel like I'm leaving as a better conductor than when I came.”

Maggie Price, orchestra director in the Snake River school district, also learned a variety of ways to improve her skills and how that can translate to her students.

“My biggest takeaway from the whole event was how much more detail oriented I needed to be with my conducting and even in my teaching,” Price said. “There was a section of string pedagogy and I loved how (stage director) Robert Wilson broke down each of the steps, teaching great posture for young students and how to prevent injury in their posture. I thought it was a really great step-by-step process that was really clear and (explained how) a lot of problems in the future for a lot of violinists would be solved just by setting them up correctly the first time.”

Other facets of the workshop included attention to detail and subtly encouraging musical progress in their students through an open-minded invitation during conducting and instructing, rather than through force.

“We learned so much in this class,” Franklin Middle School and Highland High School orchestra director Sharlie Winder said. “I think trusting our musicians more will help them get better and just being more detailed in the way that we conduct will really improve the music.”

Music can often be an uplifting and positive experience for those involved and the intentional and often inspiring instruction of teachers can have a profound impact on students during their journey through musical expression.

“I'm really thrilled with how it came out,” Flanders said. “Everybody has been very engaged and I see tremendous growth in everybody who participated in the workshop. It's been a really fun experience for me. I'm thrilled and I hope that we can make this an annual event. I have to thank the board of the Association for the Idaho State-Civic Symphony because they sponsored this event and ISU for the opportunity to use our wonderful Fine Arts Building.”