Conducting music

I had the privilege of going to an Activity Day last week with 18 of the cutest 8-11 year old girls in my ward. The leaders had asked me to come and spend an hour with them teaching them how to conduct music. This would help them fulfill one of the requirements in their 'Faith in God'. (It is under 'Developing Talents' page 10- "Learn to play, sing, or lead a song from the Children's Songbook.") I put together a slideshow to help with my presentation. It ended up being 28 slides long with…

Most contemporary music is in 4/4 time and is the basis for nearly every famous song I can think of. Most people couldn't name five songs without at least two or three of them being in strictly in 4/4 time. For a long time I have wondered what made the music I love particularly unique. Recently, when I have asked my more musically inclined friends why this was, most of them made reference to odd time signatures and unconventional time signatures not typically employed in Western Music. They…

Conducting patterns

A flow chart of conducting

Gabriella Teychenné allows us to get inside a conductor's head...

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has announced that Klaus Makela, a 28-year-old Finnish conductor, will take over as its music director in 2027. Makela, currently the chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, has gained recognition for his work with orchestras across Europe. He will succeed Riccardo Muti, who has held the position since 2010. Makela's appointment is significant not only because of his age but also due to his unique approach to classical music. He believes that…