Allan McMurray

Review: Conducting work begins not with movement, but with the study of music. Before conducting students can pick up a baton and lead with confidence, they must know where they are going. Allan McMurray, a recognized authority on conducting pedagogy and wind repertoire, takes students through his innovative and music-centered approach to conducting technique. Each of the thirteen sections focuses on a specific movement that embodies an understanding of performance practices, style, music history, form, etc. McMurray expertly guides viewers through the basics of the preparatory ictus and eye contact to the more advanced concepts of use of space and "looking like the music." This DVD is the perfect resource for anyone learning to conduct or as a refresher course for directors at the middle school, high school, or college/university levels. The running time is 1 hr. 40 minutes. Allan McMurray is Chairman of the Conducting Faculty and Director of Bands at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He studied conducting with H. Robert Reynolds at the University of Wisconsin and went on to complete post-graduate work at the Advanced Institute of the Arts in Montreux, Switzerland.

Songlist: Preparatory Ictus Rebound, Baton, Eye contact, Plane, Posture, Score and energy, Entering into silence, The left hand, Use of space, Look like the music, Facial expression, Encourage collaboration, Looking ahead