Resumen de Observations of Three Expert Wind Conductors in College Rehearsals
Three expert wind conductors were observed rehearsing intercollegiate honor bands. The conductors were observed for the entire rehearsal process from the initial reading of the repertoire to the final rehearsal; approximately 1,476 minutes of rehearsal were observed. Field notes were compiled and organized using rehearsal organization, repertoire/score preparation, rehearsal techniques/ strategies, and conducting/modeling as narrative categories. One piece from each concert program was selected for rehearsal frame analysis. Frequency and duration data were collected on specific teacher and student behaviors in 149 rehearsal frames totaling 314 minutes. Findings suggest that there are commonalities among expert conductors in college band rehearsals. The conductors observed in the current project tended to address multiple rehearsal targets simultaneously, spent approximately half of the time talking and modeling and approximately half of the time engaging the students in performance. They rehearsed at a pace characterized by frequent and short episodes of conductor talking and modeling. Other characteristics that were common to all three conductors are discussed.
