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Conductors and horn players can have odd relationships.

Getting Rattled

Don't rattle my cage Sir Simon Rattle quoted in a recent interview: Actually you never eyeball a horn player. That’s one of the real rules....

What is the difference between an orchestra and a bull?

A twist on an old joke. Wait for the final punch. WARNING: PG-13 rating for brief cartoon female nudity. I blame it on crazed groupies...

Two Typical Leadership Styles of Conductors to Watch For

With regard to leadership there are basically two types of music conductors: Those that lead from the side Those that lead from the front Conductors...

But I Was Following the Conductor!

If I were to add one more point to "Who's the New Guy?" - an article with advice for young music professionals - it...

Conductors Say the Darndest Things II

The great American horn teacher Philip Farkas had a story about water in the horn that he loved to tell. Nancy Fako relates the...

Conductors Say the Darndest Things, part I

Earlier this year I had a couple interactions with conductors (not in Arizona) that gave me pause. One conductor, on a work that was...

Napoleanic Conductors

Because there can never be enough conductor humor:

Ein Hand-enleben III – Getting the Conductor “Hand”

Dealing with the Hand - continued from Parts I and II. As musicians we are trained in school to be free and assertively pursue our...

Ein Hand-enleben II – Getting the Conductor "Hand"

Conductors and the Hand - an "old school" technique, continued from Part I. A big factor in the stop-gesture () described yesterday, is the facial...

Ein Hand-enleben I – Getting the Conductor “Hand”

On a common music director's gesture known as "the hand." Most wind players are familiar with two well-known quotes from composer (and conductor) Richard Strauss:...