Category: News

This piece of Wind Orchestra music has been written as a dedication to my sister, Caroline who passed away late last year from cancer. I want this to be a free download (parts and score on PDF) all I’d ask is that groups could make a contribution, no matter how small to any local Cancer Charity.

Here is the music:

https://soundcloud.com/keiron-anderson-music/new-wb-piece-23?si=e256c6b6340c493da60a5849dfd0503f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Email me directly or through the website.

keiron@keironanderson.co.uk

I’ll send the zip file right away.

Feel free to share it.

I have been writing music for as long as I can remember. It was quite a long time before anything was published although many things were performed. I wrote things mainly for practical purposes, the musicals for the students at school for example. I created work that was inclusive, customised for the actual available cast and musicians and differentiated by ability. None of it was ever published but the performances were appreciated by the performers and the audience.

I’ve written for brass ensemble, woodwind groups, wind orchestras, string groups, choirs, flute choirs, clarinet choirs, sax choirs as well as solo instruments with piano.

I am in awe of the contemporary composers writing today. I’d be on the breadline if I depended on my compositions for an income. These talented and brave people have my total respect. Unlike myself, they are constantly expected to be original and innovative whilst trying to ensure that the music is performed and appreciated. The quest for new sounds is not always what audiences want and it certainly is not something that I feel compelled to do.

I’m not frivolous about my work. I expect to create something that has meaning and emotion using largely a musical vocabulary that is fairly easily understood. There have been many great works of fiction created without the need to invent new words or the need to make things as difficult to comprehend as possible.

“The Price of Feeling” for wind orchestra explores the nature of anxiety and the manic highs and lows of this common condition. “Las Encantadas” depicts the discovery of the Galapagos Islands, exploring how the first people to arrive there might have reacted to such beauty and such strange newly discovered creatures. “The Search for Hope”, written in a year of war, famine, climate emergency and increasing poverty, finds hope in a single descending minor third depicting the pitch of a gentle voice addressing a loved one. “Reunited” is a joyful piece to celebrate musicians returning to their groups after the pandemic lockdowns.

I don’t feel compelled to be completely original in the writing although I’m very conscious of the need for each piece to be entirely different from the rest. There are still elements of scoring that are quite innovative and some ideas about form and cohesion that I have tended to develop but I am not haunted by the “avant garde”.

Maybe that’s why I’m not rich. Just honest.

The Journey Home

The week of music making and coaching composers at The Bavarian Music Academy in Marktoberdorf was full of wonderful people, great tutors/conductors and musicians who were keen to perform well together and enjoy one another’s company. After a great concert on Saturday evening and a final drink together in the Bierkeller, everyone met at breakfast to say their goodbyes.

I was fortunate to get a lift to Munich Airport with Andreas, who kindly took me right to the terminal in very good time. We chatted about the lack of traffic and the great course which had just concluded.

In the airport there was a big queue (Q1) which appeared to be for the Sky Priority check-in. I wended my way to the front of the ordinary check in and wondered if I was in the right place. Priority had only one desk open, manned by someone with the speed and motivation of a tortoise glued to the floor. I started to think that I must be in the wrong queue and might have to move to the back of the now huge amount of people mesmerised by the lack of progress. Just then a slightly more animated person opened the non-priority desk and the whole queue fell in behind me. After dropping the case off, the agent gestured for me to head left, which I obediently did. It took a while to work out that the security gate was the other way.

The next queue(Q2) was for security. The Sky Priority people had one gate and the others three. Self scanning of the boarding card is meant to save time and labour but it doesn’t because half of them don’t scan properly and the grumpy gate keeper has to come out and enter the numbers by hand. He had to do that for me and I definitely scanned it with aplomb.

The next queue (Q4) is to go through perhaps the slowest security check ever. There appeared to be two sides but in the end it was just one. They were scanning a little girl in a tiny summer dress as if they were sure that she was hiding some offensive weapon. Perhaps checking their list of 7 year old terrorists.

Eventually I got through with far less fuss than the little child had. Since I had allowed three hours for this I now had two hours before the flight boarded. I was glad to have that whole thing out of the way and got in the queue for coffee (Q5).

At the gate Sky Priority people queued first then everyone else queued to pass through the barrier. Again the self scanning slowed everyone down. As (Q6) got through we walked to the aircraft. It’s fascinating to watch the faces of people who had bought the official sized cabin bag when it won’t fit in the overhead locker without using brute force. No one can move until the people ahead have finally taken their seats. (Q7)

A feeling of satisfaction that the howling baby is at least two rows away and people are getting settled. We sat and waited for the aircraft to move. It didn’t. An announcement that no one knows why we’re not moving.

The captain made several announcements about how little he knew about the situation. Some sort of security issue. He announced that no planes were taking off. A rumour of some kind of explosive device or a piece of unaccompanied baggage had been loaded.

After another hour he announced that we would not like it but we’d have to disembark with all belongings and re check-in. This was in the end a poor translation as we had to go through security again, but not check-in. That was a good thing as the glued tortoise was probably still at the desk.

It took as long to get off as it did to get on as the wedged-in cabin bags proved just as awkward to get out.(Q8)

Back in the terminal it was chaos. Every plane had disembarked and no attempt had been made to usher people through plane by plane so around 1000 people are now outside security again. A board said that about 8 flights should use fast-track; remember the single gate?

An announcement was made that cause applause and ironic cheers but that drowned out the English version. It turned out to be advice to stay 1.5 metres apart. We were 1.5 cm apart. Police came and started ushering people, including myself out of the terminal. Most didn’t go because there was no way out. It was the departures area.

I went back in and found myself at the back of the vast throng (Q9) although it’s a bit more of a rabble than a queue.

It took hours to get through the little gate although my scan worked perfectly; practice makes perfect. Q9 was to get scanned again and get through the security check, I noticed that my connection from Amsterdam to Leeds would now be boarding.

Back to the boarding gate (Q10). The Captain was there telling us that we couldn’t leave until all of the passengers with luggage checked-in had managed to fight their way through the crowds.

Hilariously, they boarded the lucky Sky Priority customers first then everyone else.(Q11)

Now, you’d think that having practised putting the *** bag in the same *** overhead locker, they’d now manage it better or quicker. Nope! (Q12).

Back on board, we were told that information about transfers and mitigation would be given 20 minutes before landing in Amsterdam. There was a later flight to Leeds that with luck, I could get. In the end we took so long to get away that all transfers were missed. KLM reps would meet us and guide us through the next part of the (ordeal) journey.

At Amsterdam the two reps (standing together so that they couldn’t deal with more than one person at a time)sent us to a self check in machine to print out transfer boarding cards. Afterwards I asked if baggage would be transferred to the Leeds plane and was told it would and dismissively sent towards a bus rank for hotel transfer.

There were many buses and many hotels so I followed some passengers I recognised.

The bus took us to a hotel. It wasn’t the right one then I walked next door to the correct one. I was asked for a voucher. I had checked the website and all the information and no voucher could be found. The guy in the queue(Q13 unlucky) had found information as he was with Air France. I couldn’t find any way to find or print a voucher. No voucher, no room.

There were many hotels. Booking.com showed one nearby at 95 euros and I walked around to find it.The guys behind the desk seemed to sense that I might have had a tough day. They organised a taxi for me for 6:00am to be back in the airport three hours before my flight.

The basic room felt really lonely after the wonderful, friendly atmosphere of Marktoberdorf. I had no luggage so basic things like toothbrushes, razors and wine were unavailable. I asked the four guys what there was nearby restaurant wise. “Oh man” they said “Ya day jus gat worse” It was McDonalds or nothing.

Back at the hotel I set the alarm for 5:15am and went to bed. There was football on the TV and my team had lost their first game of the season.

At 3:30 am a very loud noise woke me. I first wondered how my phone had done this but no, it was the fire alarm.

Voices outside confirmed that people were up. It went off three times. I heard them say that someone had burned a pizza in the microwave at reception. It didn’t occur to me how bad pizza is if you microwave it and yet it’s worse if you actually set fire to it. So I was really wakened by poor culinary skills.

I had gotten up early to clean teeth and generally prepare for the flight home but there was nothing to do so I headed in the taxi for the airport.

There was no need to check in so I headed straight for the security area. Q14 was orderly but huge and it took a long time to get through but I had allowed plenty of time. There was a queue for passport checks(Q15) and I could use the automatic digital passport checking machines. The machine informed me that due to Brexit, I would then have to queue (q16)to get my passport stamped, the first stamp in my passport ever.

In the main area there were coffee places and breakfast bars but the queues were too long. I found a little kiosk on the way to the gate.

At the gate there was a queue(17) but in the end they boarded everyone by priority which was marked on their boarding pass. The propriety people had saved themselves at least 2 minutes of standing there.

The flight was really full and overhead locker wrestling was the order of the day. When I finally sat down it was now 25 hours since I’d left the haven of Marktoberdorf.

It took off largely on time and apart from the giant suchi takeaway that the guy next to me ate throughout the flight and the howling baby nearby I only had to worry about the potential chaos of Leeds/Bradford airport.

Q18 was amazingly quick and after a wait for the suitcase I was back. My friends who came to the concert had driven home to Sheffield with my suit etc. They had an overnight stop and still reached home before me.

Still, it could have been worse………………………………………….

Leroy Anderson probably wrote one of the best Christmas arrangements ever in 1950 when this piece was published. I have known it since childhood and it has a special place in the hearts of many players.

It is often, however performed very poorly and a look at the tempo structure of the piece can help to improve the experience for players and audience alike.

The first step is to look at the markings and most people get the opening tempo right. After the allargando, if the 152bpm doesn’t happen; and it’s often a dodgy moment, the piece will not be able to function properly.

The tempo has to be lively and when the l’istesso tempo marking arrives in “God Rest Ye…” it does mean keep the speed. This can drag terribly and whn you arrive at “Good King…..” it becomes necessary to speed up to 144bpm instead of easing the tempo down. When you get to “Hark the Herald…” the tempo can ease to 132bpm but on many occasions it drops well below this.

It’s clear that Leroy has carefully planned his tempi to ease with each section to the “Silent Night”part which is not terribly slow it is marked around 86 bpm which stops it from dragging and allows the music to flow. The dynamics are really effective here with a chance fro clarinets to play sotto voce and create a lovely atmosphere.

Picking up the speed for “Jingle Bells” can be tricky and it has to get back to 144bpm. If the balance is right the trombone entry will be heard easily.

There’s no rall. into the 103bpm ending sequence so the triplets can be easily subdivided. Again, this section is often too slow and loses the momentum of the piece.

Finally the 185 bpm ending is a very bright tempo and players need to be prepared for it. If all goes well it’s a great five and a half minutes of any concert in December but if it lasts seven minutes, it loses a lot of the sparkle.

Merry Christmas 2020

This year has been very tough for musicians. Professionals with secure jobs have suffered due to lockdowns and lack of performances. Semi-professionals have had all their work suspended, often with no support and keen amateur players have lost a huge part of their musical and social lives.

I have decided to fund a recording of some of my music in order to allow local semi-professional players to, at least get to play together and be paid a fee. I’ll try to get some donations from sympathetic people to make that fee decent and fund the venue and recording people.

If you’d like to help in any way or be involved please email.

keiron@keironanderson.co.uk

Wind Orchestra:

Homecoming (unpublished)

Alice in Wonderland

Brasiliana

Cat Walk

Children of the World- Wind orchestra and choir

Fiesta

Funk

I am not yet born- wind orchestra and choir

In the Moment

Praeludium (manuscript)

Radio Days

Reunited

Sherwood Folk

The Price of Feeling – wind orchestra with optional choir

Mischief and Meditation

Chorale Prelude

Brass ensembles

A single Step – Brass Band (manuscript)

Alleycat for Brass

Aviator- Brass and percussion

Aviator- Brass Band

Bebop for brass and percussion

Blewz – Brass Band

Blewz- Brass and percussion

Brass Basiliana for Brass and percussion

Brass Brasiliana- Brass band

Carol Fantasy for Brass

Cat Burglar for Brass Ensemble

Cat Walk -Brass Ensemble

Chorale Prelude -Brass Band

Chorale Prelude -Brass Ensemble

Cirque Russe- Brass Band

Cirque Russe- Brass Ensemble

Closure- Brass Ensemble

Cool Pieces – Trumpet/Piano opt rhythm section

Darkest Hour- Brass ensemble

Darkest Hour-Brass Band

Elegy- Soprano cornet and brass band

Funk – Brass band

Funk- Brass and percussion

Harlequin Dances- Brass Band

Harlequin Dances- Brass Ensemble

Marsden Moor- Brass Ensemble

Praeludium- Brass ensemble

Riffilicious- Brass Ensemble

Sea of Tranquility- Brass Band

Showtime-Brass Band

Showtime-Brass ensemble

Showtime-Flute ensemble

Stray Cat- Brass ensemble

Tango de Buenos Aires- brass and percussion

Tango de Buenos Aires- Brass Band

Tubilation- Tuba solo w brass band

Tubilation- Tuba solo w brass ensemble

Woodwind ensembles

Alleycat for Clarinet Choir

Alleycat for Sax choir

Andromeda for Flute choir

Atlantic Air for Flute Choir

Blackwood Breeze for Clarinet Choir

Blackwood Breeze for Woodwind Orchestra

Carol Fantasy for Clarinet Choir

Cat Burglar for Carinet Choir

Cat Walk -Clarinet Choir

Cat Walk -Sax Ensemble

Closure- Sax Choir

Cool Pieces – Saxophone/Piano opt rhythm section

Dance of the Sprite- Flute choir

Dark Matter- Flute Choir

Harlequin Dances- Clarinet Choir

Harlequin Dances- Sax Choir

Marsden Moor- Clarinet Choir

Quicksilver-Flute Ensemble

Rondo di Cairoli- Flute ensemble

Rondo di Cairoli-Clarinet choir (manuscript)

Sea of Tranquility- Flute Choir

Showtime-Sax Choir

Thornbury Air- clarinet choir

Thornbury Air- woodwind orchestra (manuscript)

Twin Spires- wind quintet

Musicals

Live at the Empire

Maurice and his Amazing Educated Rodents

School- the Scandal

The Seven Ages of Man

String orchestra

Marsden Moor String Orchestra (manuscript)

Solos

Cool pieces for Trumpet and piano (with bass, drum optional parts)

Celebration Album (one item flute and piano)

Scherzo for Trumpet and piano

Recordings

Electronic recordings, unpublished music, as well as live recordings of some published works is available at: https://soundcloud.com/keiron-anderson-music

Q+A

Having read the thoughts on rehearsals, a few queries have come in through various social media platforms and it seems like a good idea to address them. I won’t publish the details of who is asking as that seems unfair but I will try to address each one as fully as possible.

{paraphrase} What makes you so sure that these elements will work?(refers to the blog on restarting rehearsals)

It’s a fair question really. We see a lot of “wisdom” and even dogma written about rehearsal techniques. I’ve even seen detailed accounts of how to rehearse certain pieces which are annoyingly prescriptive given the writer is making assumptions about which errors and omissions people in the group might make. The elements above however, are proven and constructive ways of improving ensembles. In some groups the improvement can happen in one rehearsal, provided the skill and understanding of the players is very high. In the early stages of less skilled groups, things may take longer but with persistence and consistency as well as encouragement and enablement, the results will soon be evident. I have used these methods with many groups and they have been developed through the years. I can’t think of any group that hasn’t improved. I can think of a couple of individual players, lacking self awareness and humility for whom it was too difficult; I think even a cattle prod might not have helped them to better their regime.

How do you deal with awkward questions from players in rehearsal?

This is a multi-faceted question I think. Players have several reasons for asking questions and some are simply genuine queries which should be answered quickly and politely. If it’s a complex issue about a score or possible mistake in the parts, I’d recommend waiting for a break and discussing it with the player with score and part together in order to save time.

If it’s a question regarding how you’re beating a particular bar or passage, this can be asked for two reasons. It could be that the player is counting rests or playing sustained notes and is struggling with counting but it could also be a little challenge to insinuate that you are not easy to follow. You can usually tell the difference pretty easily. My answer is usually “Don’t assume that it will always be taken in (2-4-8 etc) it will depend on the reaction to live events” I remember in Elgar’s In the South saying “If you follow it’ll be in 1, if you wallow it’ll be in 3”.

There’s a common question that often arises from players who like to control others. “Am I the only one marked piano here? Everyone else is too loud” It could be someone getting grumpy because if they play quieter they can’t hear themselves although balance is more to do with priorities than simply and equal blend of players. The answer is to thank them for playing softly and comment that you’re glad you don’t have to judge the group’s balance whilst sitting in it playing an instrument.

There are the awkward moments when someone is deliberately being awkward to make you uncomfortable or to make themselves feel important. It happens. Often those people being disruptive are the least qualified to comment on anything, asking questions that are difficult to answer without being entirely contradictory. I’ve tried not to rise to the bait under these circumstances but sadly have occasionally been a bit mean. “If by some amazing turn of events you miraculously become more musically experienced and knowledgeable you’ll realise what a stupid question that was.” I shouldn’t have used so many words when a simple glance would have done.

As a rule of thumb, deal with things politely, quickly, clearly and accurately. Be assertive but not rude and a smile is always better than a scowl.

How much score preparation do you do?

Score preparation is a very interesting and important element of conducting. I have to say that working with four groups simultaneously and often dropping into other orchestras, it’s really important to be able to sight read and catch on to music quickly. I’m lucky in having experience of a huge variety of musical styles and genres so I can take a piece from library to first rehearsal with a quick flick through.

There is a vast amount of information in any score and I’m always a bit shocked to see what conductors write on them. Huge pencil marks for cues, arrows, wavy lines, pairs of glasses and whilst knowing the score is crucial to conducting, sometimes the minutia gets in the way of the big picture.

I have had to write in multiple time signatures in scores where it’s virtually impossible to see the time signature, scores with bars of four that are shorter than a subsequent 3/8 bar don’t help.

In the end you’ll know what a page of score is going to sound like as soon as you see it. Your beat will automatically follow the metre without triangles and up down arrows. Those movements are instinctive in the end and you can concentrate on the sound picture that you have in your heart and mind. In other words there’s more to knowing the score than just having perused every bar. You need to know what you expect to hear, how the dynamic map of the piece works, how tempi are related and how to create a climax before you reach it. Communicating that constantly to the players, they will come to trust that you’ll help them to enjoy the music at its best and respond to your movements. In this regard, avoid unnecessary movements that don’t mean anything, don’t over conduct in case it diminishes the effectiveness of extra energy when you need it. Conduct the music, the players and the score, reacting to events and staying alert to upcoming corners.

I’m happy to answer any that come in so there’s a contact page on the website and there’s FB, Twitter etc.

Restarting Rehearsals

At some point, hopefully soon, many groups will tentatively begin a return to some sort of normality. There will be a huge role for organisers in making the return safe and reassuring to all of the players and their relatives. Venues may be different, certain rules could make things feel very different from the days before Covid-19. Musicians will find themselves more isolated from their sections and other sections than before. So how do we as conductors, musical directors, leaders, make this work effectively?

Given that the details of how, where and when rehearsals can get underway will be handled by committees and organisers, it is the role of the conductor to ease the groups back into musical excellence in a carefully managed way. I want to address some aspects of this here. I have spent years developing methods for ensuring constant improvements in ensembles of many kinds with players of a generally high standard. There will now be a necessity to assess the impact of several months without rehearsals and a variety of practice regimes within the group of players. The temptation would be to start where we left off only to find that the situation and result is a not good for the morale of the group.

The Layout

With more space between the players and the sections a group could take almost three times the space formerly needed. Inevitably, this will seem strange. Players will hear themselves far more clearly but those in sections that double a lot might find cohesion a little harder to achieve. Clarinet sections in wind orchestras, string sections, cornet sections in brass bands; all of them need to phrase together, match attacks and note shapes as well as the crucial intonation and balance.

Often a player will depend on someone close by who dictates phrasing well and note lengths which are easier to match with proximity.

Solutions

There are certain skills that we encourage and value in ensemble playing and particularly when sections need to double. The fundamental ones will be the ultimate solutions here and should improve the group even when restrictions are eased.

Sub division

The first time I played in a top professional symphony orchestra, whilst still a student, I was amazed at the ease and sheer accuracy of the rhythmic subdivision within the sections and across the orchestra. Partly it was natural to the players to do that but they also had such refined techniques that they had practised it into their regime. Many amateur players have great techniques although certain elements can cause them to rush easier passages and trip up on more complicated ones. Multiply this across a section and it can cause a lack of focus and this has a knock on effect disturbing the balance and the tuning. If players have to take more responsibility and can hear themselves very well in the space, it’s possible that in time there will be a marked improvement in rhythmic cohesion. This will open up space in the soundscape and allow people to play more in tune.

No player wants to play with poor intonation and although they can usually identify that things are not quite right, they find it hard to take appropriate steps to address it. With more physical space and players taking personal responsibility, there is a pathway towards improvement.

Note shaping and attack

When working with individual players, it can be difficult to explain some concepts of note shapes and attacks until the player has mastered resonance, producing a consistent and centred sound. All instruments have their techniques in this respect with correct use of air, bow etc being a crucial part of the solution. Brass and wind instruments create a set of frequencies which not only characterise the timbre but also form the carrier wave that helps the sound to travel across the group and the venue. Essentially, high frequencies travel faster and are more directional than lower frequencies so with those resonances under control the sound is vibrant and travels well without overblowing.

Many amateur players and their instruments are very capable of producing vibrant and centred sounds and in individual lessons in small rooms the variability of this element can be missed. When players produce a note tentatively and add the correct procedures after production a huge shift in resonance can make the sound bulge and over distance it can even sound as if the music is behind the tempo. If one player can do this, imagine 18-25 players with similar issues. An audience, and the more distant members of the group perceive this as a lack of rhythmic cohesion and the players causing it will be largely unaware due to their proximity to one another.

It takes a lot of time as a musical director to eliminate this problem because the individual player is often unaware of the impact on the sound of the ensemble. Yet, by trying to get players to improve their control of phrasing and breathing this can be improved. It is possible that with space between players increasing, more individual responsibility could help to solve this problem. This could create the space in the score that is needed to improve intonation and articulation.

Creating Space

In every musical group from small ensembles to huge symphony orchestras the individual player needs to be able to hear themselves and others in the correct proportions. In groups where balance is handled electronically with amplification, monitoring and mixing, the constant struggle is feeling that others are too loud with the result that everyone increases the volume with disastrous results.

With new rules on spacing there could be fewer problems with being “drowned out” yet there may be issues with the ability to pick out parts that you need to blend with.

Solutions

If we think of space in terms of the audio spectrum there are many ways to divide it up. In groups without discipline, space is totally filled up, often with undesirable elements such as the “bulgy note” issue explored above.

There are ways to create space in the music and when this succeeds, everyone wins; players, audience, conductors, recording engineers, everyone. Balance, note shaping, attack variability, rhythmic subdivision, articulation and phrasing can be carefully rehearsed to create that vital space. Let’s address them in turn.

Dynamics

Many groups find it difficult to achieve a full dynamic range and this is largely due to the fundamental easy to produce and loud normal playing level. Groups ignoring subtle dynamics are often bland. They get accused of playing too loudly yet when they really are required to create a full on fortissimo they rarely have the power to do it. The result is a lack of a real dynamic map of a piece and huge element of large ensemble music is lost. When things are often too loud, players suffer listening fatigue and the tuning can become quite impossible to fix. It is essential then to insist on an understanding of the group and sectional dynamics. Players need to get used to the feeling and the thrill of playing softly and the power of playing strongly. Forte is just normal; yes, it means loud but that is normal for many instruments.

Articulation

If a solo singer has complex lyrics to express, this is not too difficult and the listener can easily hear both text and notes. Add more singers forming a choir and the articulation and diction becomes absolutely critical. The chorister has to over articulate some things in order for the group message to be heard. Instrumentalists have lyrics too but in the form of articulation laid out in the score. A solo player can be subtle about this yet they have to be carefully observed in order to bring life to the melody. Sections need to be even more careful to be attuned to the group articulations otherwise the space, which is so critical, is filled with inaccuracies. Imagine one player slurs a passage whilst two others do not. Result? Blurred and indistinct music. Space can only be created when players are disciplined about the group articulations and this includes note lengths, short notes, accents and tenuto notes which must connect. Some passages with multiple counter melodies are distinct because of the frequency, the timbre or the relative dynamics. However it is the role of the shapes of the phrases and articulation to give clarity to complex textures and allow the full impact of the score to be audible. Success in this area will inevitably improve intonation as players are more able to hear themselves and others.

Phrasing

Philip Jones as a teacher and player was always encouraging the need for phrasing and breathing to give consistent resonant life to music. Many players of all instruments allow the intensity or the richness to lapse within phrases and this can result in the continuity of communication to be lost. Once the listened has lost that thread, it can be hard to bring the interest back. This problem can be magnified when groups of players fail to keep that energy going throughout a phrase. It can happen to amateur string sections very easily and it takes a great deal of encouragement and energy to avoid the issue. Essentially, making music is all about energy and communication and nothing comes out without a lot going in. The new space arrangements could make that even harder due to the lack of group energy that players are used to feeling. Whilst conductors are often preoccupied with the correction of rhythm, pitch and tempo, it is of great importance that the musical phrases are understood and brought to life. A few minor errors can happen at any time but if the music doesn’t live and breath, there’s almost no point in creating it.

If you’re still reading then you’re probably already doing all of the above and have some further suggestions which I’m happy to include in this discussion. We often conduct in a room with large numbers of people and yet we’re quite isolated and have to form our own methods and procedures I’m only sharing things here that have worked in the past. We can all share things that might work in the future.

Welcome to the new website. There will be a lot of new content appearing here very soon, including composition links, articles on restarting ensembles after lockdown, soundcloud links and news. Thank you for visiting!