A Comparative Analysis of Conductor Behavior and Time Use in High School and Collegiate Orchestra Rehearsals

The purpose of this study was to examine conductors’ behavior and use of rehearsal time in high school and collegiate orchestra rehearsals. In this study, eight conductors (high school, n = 4, college, n = 4) were video recorded leading two ninety-minute orchestral rehearsals. After the data were collected, the videos were analyzed to compare the conducting behaviors used in each rehearsal. The percentage of time and rate in which conductors engaged in twelve conducting behaviors were calculated. Results indicated that both collegiate and high school conductors spend the most time giving nonverbal directives and verbal directives and engaged in nonmusical behaviors. The results also indicated a pattern of individual variability among the high school conductors and consistency among the collegiate conductors