Perhaps your kids have been learning about the four instrument families of the orchestra: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion. But do they know about a V.I.P. called…(drumroll)…the conductor?
In today’s Musical Mondays post we’ll be discussing the role of a conductor and how they use non-verbal communication to lead a group of musicians. I’ll also be sharing three fun, easy activities you can do at home to help your kids practice conducting on their own!
What you’ll find in this blog post:
- Explanation of the role of a conductor
- Three conducting activities for different age groups
- Bonus game idea with the 4/4 conducting pattern
What does a conductor do?
The conductor is in charge of leading a group of musicians: whether it be a band, chorus, or orchestra.
I always tell students that this person is a V.I.P. in the music world. “Why??” they ask.
Let’s think about all the things a conductor needs to communicate:
- when to start and stop
- which section of the ensemble should play and which should rest
- how fast or slow the music should go (tempo)
- how loud or soft the musicians should play (dynamics)
- the overall expression and emotion of the piece
And the most impressive part? They do all of this without speaking a single word. Everything is communicated through hand motions, facial expressions, and body language.
Conducting activity for young kids
A great introductory activity is what I call “Start and Stop Conducting.” This one focuses on just two conductor skills: giving the signal to start and the signal to stop.
To set it up, you’ll need two items of different colors. I like to use two rhythm sticks (one red and one blue), but you can use anything — two scarves, two pieces of construction paper, two different colored cups.
Assign one color as the “play” signal and the other as the “stop” signal. The conductor holds up the play stick and musicians begin playing. When the conductor switches to the stop stick, everyone freezes. You can also add two more sticks representing loud and soft.
What makes this great for young kids is that they can take turns being the conductor. It’s simple enough for a 3-year-old to hold up a colored stick, and they feel very important doing so!
If you have rhythm instruments at home (or homemade ones!), divide them into groups by color and assign each group to a stick. When the conductor holds up the red stick, only the red instrument group will play the steady beat on their turn. Consider adding some themed background music to make it more interesting. And if your kids are ready for a challenge you can try holding up multiple sticks at a time.
Conducting activity for elementary
Once kids have mastered start/stop signals, they are ready to try something a bit different. I like to call this activity “conducting in reverse.” The normal scenario would be that a conductor uses his/her gestures to show the players how to play. But I’m guessing you probably don’t have a live orchestra sitting in your living room to practice with. 😉 Instead, kids will listen to a recording and then create hand gestures to reflect what they hear in the music.
We’re less concerned about them tapping the steady beat in the air (although it’s fine if they choose to do so) but rather, we’re watching to see if their motions match the music. For example, do their hands speed up as the music gets faster? One of my favorite pieces to use with this activity is In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg. This piece is perfect because it gradually gets faster and louder, giving kids a clear musical change to respond to. You can easily find this piece on YouTube or any streaming service.
Conducting activity for upper elementary and beyond
For older students who are ready for more structure, teach them the basic 4/4 conducting pattern. This is the most common time signature in music, and the pattern looks like this:
Beat 1: Down
Beat 2: In (toward the body)
Beat 3: Out (away from the body)
Beat 4: Up
Have students practice the pattern slowly at first, then try it along with a recording. I like to use well-known songs in 4/4 time like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or “Happy Birthday.”
Bonus game: Once they’ve got the pattern down, try the “Silent Conductor” game. One person conducts using the 4/4 pattern, but instead of playing instruments, the followers must do specific actions on specific beats. The conductor does not use any background music. Instead, he/she will assign the followers a set of motions to perform on any given beat. For example, “Clap on beat one, and snap on beat three.” This challenges whoever is following to pay close attention to the conducting pattern and know which beat is shown.
Considering switching roles after each round, and make it even more challenging by assigning a different motion on each of the four beats.
I hope you have a new appreciation for the role of a music conductor, and that you’ll be inspired to try some of these exercises with your kids. If you want to see any of these activities in action, check out this YouTube video from Morning Basket Music.
Happy music making!