Graduate Conducting for the Worship Leader – WMUS 515

Course Description

Intermediate and advanced instruction in conducting techniques for worship leaders in traditional and non-traditional worship settings. Knowledge and skill areas stressed are a review of conducting gestures and patterns; advanced score interpretation, rehearsal management and technique, special problems in vocal and instrumental situations.

Rationale

This course is designed to refine pre-existing choral and instrumental conducting skills in the worship leader. Specific attention will be given to the worship leader as conductor and minister. Representative literature from various periods will be studied and conducted. The course provides extended teaching, coaching, and podium time working with worship teams, choirs and/or orchestras in rehearsal.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus, Student Expectations, and Introduction to Biblical Worldview training, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 4 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at least 400 words for Discussion: Conducting as Communication, Discussion: God's Singers (Head Charts and NPR-TV), Discussion: Non-verbal Communication, and Discussion: Instrumental vs. Choral. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 200 words. For each thread and reply, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 1 scholarly citation and 1 biblical reference in current Turabian format.

Discussions: Video Critique (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 2 Video Discussions in this course. For each Discussion: Video Critique thread, the student will submit a 2–3-minute video of him/herself conducting a song/piece. The student will then critique at least 2 classmate’s videos. Each written critique/reply must be at least 200 words and contain at least 1 citation. Current Turabian format must be used.

Score Analysis Assignment

The student will complete advanced analysis and marking as applied to a work by a choral or instrumental ensemble. The instrumental student must prepare at least 100 measures of a piece of music as if he/she will rehearse it. The choral student must choose a song from standard high school or sacred/worship literature that is 3–5 minutes in length. In addition, the student will complete a paper of 1,000–1,500 words. The paper must include at least 2 citations and be in current Turabian format.

Live Rehearsal Observation Assignments (2)

The student will contact a local conductor about viewing rehearsals at 2 different points in the course, and complete a written observation for each rehearsal. Each observation must be 500–800 words and must be written in current Turabian format.

Worship Conducting Essay Assignment

The student will complete a 500-word essay summarizing philosophical, methodological, and theological approaches to conducting a choir or orchestra for worship. The essay must include at least 2 citations and must be written in current Turabian format.

Conducting Video Assignments (2)

The student must begin the preparation for these assignments during the first module of this course. The student will video himself/herself conducting an ensemble. The choral conducting student must conduct 1 song for each assignment. The instrumental conducting student must conduct a piece that totals 5–8 minutes in length. The student will be conducting live choral or instrumental ensembles.

Final Presentation Assignment

The student will complete a 10–15-minute video presentation. This presentation must include an introduction of a piece of music that the student will be conducting. The music may be from a live performance (preferred) or an audio recording (the student must receive permission from the instructor to use an audio recording), and 3–5 minutes of the video must showcase his/her conducting skill. The remaining portion of the presentation will include his/her thoughts on techniques and strategies he/she has learned in the course, and how he/she implements these into his/her conducting.