Conducting and Ensembles

For students with a strong interest in conducting, Oberlin offers a five-year program combining graduate studies in conducting with an undergraduate major in performance, composition, music education, electronic and computer music, or musicology; students receive both the B.Mus. and the M.M. degrees. Graduate studies in conducting may have an instrumental or a choral emphasis. Students interested in this program should consult with the conducting department during their freshman year. Upon successful completion of an audition, students formally enter this program at the end of their junior year.

(from http://www.oberlin.edu/con/divinfo/conducting/)

Topics covered by courses include choral and instrumental conducting, rehearsal techniques, score preparation, interpretation, analysis, rhythmic security, aural imagery, knowledge of voices and instruments, technique and vocabulary of gesture, group management, and programming. Students are typically expected to participate and assist student ensembles in preparation for public performances.