Embodied Conducting℠ is a revolutionary, interdisciplinary approach to conducting that shifts the focus of instruction from the baton to the conductor’s real instrument–the body. Developed by renowned pedagogue and conductor Charles Gambetta, Embodied Conducting uses the principles and terminology of the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System to observe, explain and experience every aspect of conducting technique in vivid specific detail.
Conductors trained with the Embodied Conducting approach develop the capacity to raise to the level of conscious thought the processes involved in deciding:
- where in the body movements initiate,
- which parts of the body are active,
- the ordering or sequencing of movement through the body,
- how to use your weight and gravity to move more efficiently and expressively,
- which dynamic qualities of movement convey specific characteristics of musical expression,
- what locations, directions and pathways in space best support your musical intentions,
- how the changing shapes of body and limbs help you connect with your collaborators and convey phrasing and shape.
What You Learn from Embodied Conducting Instruction
You will learn to release accumulated tension and minimize fatigue in your limbs and body, enabling you to move with greater efficiency and grace. You will eliminate guesswork, doubt and counterproductive, idiosyncratic gestures from your conducting, permitting you to move with increased confidence and accuracy. You will discover the unseen yet very real architecture of your conducting space and how to use it effectively. You will learn the four dynamic qualities of movement and how to combine them to create compelling, communicative gestures, and you will significantly enlarge your palette of movement possibilities.
Will Embodied Conducting Help Me Improve?
Embodied Conducting will deepen and refine your conducting practice regardless of domain, idiom or level of proficiency. The principles and techniques you learn apply whether your specialty is orchestral, choral, opera, ballet, wind ensemble or jazz. Students will progress more quickly, and teachers will acquire new pedagogical tools and techniques that will help them teach more effectively. Whether you are a beginner, a seasoned professional or anywhere in between, Embodied Conducting will help you become a better conductor, leader and musician.
Where Is Embodied Conducting Taught?
All workshops and masterclasses at the Embodied Conducting Institute offer daily Embodied Conducting instruction with Charles Gambetta, creator of the Embodied Conducting approach. Applications for the 2021 Advanced Conducting Academy, Mastering Concertos and Prelude Conducting Academy open in September 2019. Apply early to secure your place!
Embodied Conducting℠ 