Conducting
Conducting
Conducting
Rehearsing Music:
Nonverbal Cues, Body Language, and Facial Expression
by Robert J. Garofalo and Frank L. Battisti
T
he quality of musical sound that is pro-
duced by an ensemble (orchestra, band,
chorus, or chamber ensemble) is greatly af-
fected by a conductor’s gestures, body lan-
guage, and facial expressions – nonverbal cues. This
may partially explain why different conductors obtain
different results and sounds from the same performing en-
semble. Conductors need to build a repertoire of physical (body)
gestures and psychological (facial) expressions in order to convey
music more effectively on the podium.
A conductor should be able to show what he or she wants, and not have
to explain it in words. Stopping to explain what is desired reduces the time
the ensemble has to put desired musical ideas into art expression. To improve
your ability to convey musical expression on the podium using nonverbal cues,
consider studying mime and ASL (American Sign Language). Both of these com-
municative modes utilize a wide variety of facial expressions, hand gestures,
and body language.
For every composition to be performed, the conductor must ask two ques-
tions: What is the musical message of the composition – the spiritual essence
and/or expressive character of the music? And how can I communicate that
musical message to the ensemble (via body language and facial expression) so
that the performers can convey the message through their playing?
The taxonomy of conducting behavior that follows focuses on the body,
head, and face (especially the eyes and mouth) of the conductor. Nontraditional
conducting gestures that utilize the hands, arms, and body are also covered.