small groups as a way to give a greater number of students a freer feeling to talk about music. This kind of classroom interaction lends itself to a meaningful self-evaluation where one can seek to improve in their weakness. The students may feel a nudge to improve up to their friends ability. Or the students may find how different people offer different views to music, and that in itself can be an inspiration to seek out more perspectives or to grow more personally with their music. I feel like talking about conducting right now because this is going to become a huge part of music teaching when I Actually get there. There are many incredible conductors out there. Some of their qualities are so impressive. Some characteristics of a good conductor are having clear definite down beats, they are commanding in their leadership role and have the players attention completely. They should be able to express the meaning or atmosphere of the music through their gesture. They should be able to pick out the different parts of the music because they know the instrumentation and score well. They should know the history and context of the music so that it is presented in the manner the composer intended. The technique of their arm movements should be well-trained, and with the ensemble they should be motivating, encouraging, and inspiring. To obtain a certain quality of conducting requires a great deal of skill. Practicing conducting like any instrument, or any sport or art for that matter, is required in order to reach that high state of excellence. I as a trombone player practice a substantial amount to achieve a superior level of playing. Conducting is no different. It too requires a lot of practice. The conductor, however, works on conveying an inspiration of what the music is intended to sound like by the composer. The conducting teacher relates the composers inspiration, the historical background, listens for parts that requi...
