Music conducting: classroom activities  (Page 3/4)

Keeping a steady beat

Objectives

• The student who is designated conductor will clap and then conduct an audible steady beat.
• The other students will cooperate in keeping the beat chosen by the designated conductor, by clapping or playing on the indicated beat.

Procedure

1. Same setup. This time the conductor claps, then beats with the baton, a steady beat, which everybody follows as closely as possible.
2. Point out how much easier it is to anticipate the next clap when the beat is steady. The children should be listening for that "big clap" that sounds when they are all together.
3. Encourage different conductors to pick different tempos. The tempo is how fast or slow the beat is going. Discourage accidental changes of tempo. Beats that unintentionally get faster and faster, called rushing , or slower and slower, called dragging , are considered poor musicianship (unless the music specifically calls for changes in tempo such as accelerando ).

The conductor shows the beat

Objectives

• The student who is designated conductor will conduct a steady beat using only a visual signal, as in standard conducting technique.
• The other students will keep the beat chosen by the designated conductor, by watching the conductor carefully and clapping or playing on the indicated beat.

Procedure

1. Same setup. Same procedure as previous activity, except the conductor beats on air at belly height, making no sound, rather than on an object.
2. Point out that the beat is easier to see if it remains a quick, bouncing motion as if they are still beating on something.
3. The "orchestra" still claps or makes sound when the conductor's "beat" hits the bottom, the same as before. Tell the students that this is called playing on the downbeat .

The conductor counts the measure

Objectives and extensions

• Objectives for Designated Conductor - The student will conduct an audible steady beat, demonstrating a particular meter by using movements based on standard conducting technique.
• Objectives for other students - As a group, the students will keep the beat chosen by the designated conductor, and perform different sounds for each beat of the meter.
• Extensions - The following instructions are for a very simplistic style of conducting that relies mostly on sound for cues to convey the beat and meter. A real conductor working with trained musicians does not audibly beat out the time (except when frustrated). If you have older or more advanced students who are ready to conduct and be conducted using visual cues only, you may use the instructions at Conducting as a guide.

Introduction

• Ask the students if they have ever heard a conductor or band leader count off at the beginning of a piece of music. ("A-one-and-a-two-and-a-one-two-three-four", for example)
• Tell the students that music is divided into very short sections called bars or measures . Each bar is only a few beats long, usually two, three, or four beats. This helps everyone keep track of where they are in the music. If you listen to the music, you can hear the bars and count along, one-two-three-one-two-three, or one-two-three-four-one-two-three-four. (For activities on listening for meter, see Musical Meter Activities .)
• Tell the students that one of the conductor's main jobs is to show with the baton which beat (of the measure) is presently being performed.