The conductor has several jobs both during rehearsal and performance.
During rehearsal, their main job is to cross reference what it’s being played against the score and identify mistakes or areas to improve upon. These points are then provided back to the group and problematic areas are focused on. This may also identify times where some parts have a long rest and would benefit from being brought in at the right time.
During a performance, any mistakes will not be noted down, as they will be providing timing for the group, to aid everyone in staying in time and providing the initial tempo, and any variations in tempo (eg rall). They will also bring in parts as identified in rehearsal to avoid any counting errors.
Notably, they do not tell people what to play, as they either know it by heart or have it written down in front of them. They may settle any engraving queries during rehearsal if something sounds wrong, but that is the extent of it.
If you have any more questions about playing in a group or conducting, feel free to ask me, and I’ll try to answer as best I can.
Multiple TV programs have done a bit where a random nobody has been given the stick and told to conduct a single piece, it’s always a cacophony. The conductor is paramount for the band to function.
The conductor has several jobs both during rehearsal and performance.
During rehearsal, their main job is to cross reference what it’s being played against the score and identify mistakes or areas to improve upon. These points are then provided back to the group and problematic areas are focused on. This may also identify times where some parts have a long rest and would benefit from being brought in at the right time.
During a performance, any mistakes will not be noted down, as they will be providing timing for the group, to aid everyone in staying in time and providing the initial tempo, and any variations in tempo (eg rall). They will also bring in parts as identified in rehearsal to avoid any counting errors.
Notably, they do not tell people what to play, as they either know it by heart or have it written down in front of them. They may settle any engraving queries during rehearsal if something sounds wrong, but that is the extent of it.
If you have any more questions about playing in a group or conducting, feel free to ask me, and I’ll try to answer as best I can.
Multiple TV programs have done a bit where a random nobody has been given the stick and told to conduct a single piece, it’s always a cacophony. The conductor is paramount for the band to function.