Conducting courses
with Peter Stark.

Many of you have asked about my new silent conducting courses, ‘The Learning Conductor’.

I have always found that the traditional way of teaching and learning conducting is flawed by the music-making. Whether it is two pianos, an orchestral masterclass or a little ensemble made up from members of the course, it is always somehow unsatisfactory.

There is obviously some benefit from the experience of standing in front of a group, but the learning that goes on is always second-rate. Even if you have an orchestra there, you cannot learn whilst you are being overshadowed by a teacher who simply tells you, ‘Don’t do it like that!’ You are not in charge of the orchestra, so you are not conducting.

Conducting, in its basic form, is a silent activity. We should learn to be able to do it without players there in order to delve more deeply. This means learning how to do it before anything else. Just because there is no sound does not mean there is no music!

Most young conductors crave a better technique, but few actually make themselves learn one. Few really know the score they are conducting because they do not know how to learn one, and most have a real lack of understanding of physiology, psychology or body use.

This is a fairly radical way of studying this wonderful art. It is designed to appeal to those who are desperate to learn rather than those who simply desire podium time.

How do you learn a score? How much do you know about how your body is designed? How aware are you of the psychology of the professional musician?

This explains something of my change of focus, and therefore why the courses are now silent. I am thrilled to follow this new direction!