Get Them Watching!

Here are first draft excerpts from the chapter Get Them Watching from: Igniting Response (to our conducting), Publication: 2019

These Gestures are ALWAYS watched!

Drivers obey the policeman’s “Stop!” The nurse places the scalpel in the surgeon’s outstretched hand, handle first, just so.

Both gestures are highly intended and easy to see. Motorists and nurses have learned what the gesture means, why it must be followed, and what happens if it's not.

Is there a message here for conductors? You Bet!

Do give it a think: how effective would our gestures be if our students watched like motorists and nurses?
How much more rehearsal time would we create if our students watched and could then follow? There'd be little need to stop and correct as long as our gestures were as effective as those of the policeman and surgeon?
Doesn't it make sense that our expressive gestures won't - actually, can't - be followed unless they're watched?

In school and at conferences and professional development sessions, gestures get lots of attention, but teaching young musicians the skill of watching generally doesn't.
That's why I've written this chapter on how to teach the technique of watching. If we truly want to create the kind of music and experiences that inspired us to go into teaching, we must make Watching a keystone of our ensemble cultue.

Proving it's Worth the Time to Teach students the skill of Watching

I have done this many times, and it never fails to be revelatory.
Recruit a responsible student to sit in the back of your ensemble. Rather than sing or play s/he will listen and fill out this form (no names, please), then give it to you.
Either copy the form for your ensemble, or share the results out load.
Do it a few times over the space of the weeks you're teaching your ensemble(s) to watch; the results will be powerful, and the improvement is sometimes much more than you might have expected.
I have made up the issues and the piece and the timing. But you'll understand the approach

Issue	Where	Why	approx. # minutes to stop, correct, rehearse, mark, get started again
Cutoff after the fermata wasn't together	m. 77	Not everyone watched	4"
Weak crescendo	mm 6-12	Gesture not watched or followed	5"
Sax section entered a measure early	Measure after 2nd repeat	Saxes didn't watch for cue	3"
Didn't take conductor's tempo	Letter C	Stopped watching at the downbeat; couldn't get tempo unless following measure was watched	4"

Time that was wasted because ensemble did not watch: 16" (1/3 of a 45" rehearsal)!

If you have two rehearsals/week; each 45", and you save 15" at each rehearsal, over the course of 10 weeks, you'll have created 300 minutes of extra rehearsl time. How would you feel if your principal gited you five hours extra rehearsal time? What could you do with your ensembles with five more hours of rehearsing?!
Even if this seems overly detailed, I urge you to do this. Both you and your students will be stunned by the results. Then you'll have far more time to work on the musical elements, rather than basics.

For readers who want their students to watch (and follow)

There are over a dozen, proven, step-by-step methods in this chapter; they'll help you make this happen.
Each builds on the other and and is easy to use. I know because I've been using them for over thirty years!
They'll deliver such positive experiences that Watching - for elementary, middle and high school musicians - can become the norm in your ensemble(s) within a month.
These are big claims, but here are two ways you can experience being able to get your students watching at your next rehearsal

Two Quick Start Approaches to get Your Students Watching at your next rehearsal:

1. Happy Birthday Always Works

Tell your students you'e working on getting them to Watch you (more). This is important since they'll know you want to improve; that you're open to sharing your thinking and, therefore, have confidence in them. This, in turn, increases their engagement, trust, rapport, and enjoyment - all of which make for much improved music making.
Have them play Happy Birthday - since they all know it, they can all watch you.
Conduct it through just beating the beat pattern with little animation or enthusiasm, and with no facial expressions.
Then conduct it with dramatic gestures in both hands, vivid facial expressions, and positive energy.
Ask them which creates a better musical experience and more fun. Remind them there's a party going on up front and they're invited to join in.

2. The Three Beat Scale - Get Them Watching - Exercise
It’s a very effective, engaging, and fun exercise that gives both you and your students a strong experience of the benefits of watching.

Tell your students “We’ll warm up with a G (or Bb) major scale – two octaves, three beats to each scale degree.”
Begin slowly, in time, and with large, clear, and expressive gestures.
After a few notes, speed up a little, then slow down a little. It will sound horrible since few will be watching and even fewer following. With a smile, but no comment, start over.
After a few notes in time, hold a note out for 5-6-7 beats… indicate a big crescendo – then a subito ppp. Have fun! Conduct so students don’t know what’s coming next unless they watch and follow!
Do it again. Then again. After a bit, they’ll really get into it – as long as they know you’re on their side and see your smiling nods of encouragement and approval. When a student doesn't watch or respond, s/he usually laughs in embarassment, and since your not at all critical, but rather enjoying, an atmosphere that's ripe for learning will prevai.
In only two or three rehearsals, you and your ensemble can experience living – as a group – in the creative moment.
Make sure your students can beat 3 and understand the left hand expressive gestures. ‘Believe me, your students’ will be fully engaged and enjoying themselves!
And some of you may, for perhaps the first time - being truly watched and followed...and free to express yourself.

The central issue: we must be worth watching:
For these Quick Start activities to work:

Our students must see us looking up when they do.
They want to see our nods and smiles of encouragement.
They must see gestures that are expressive, directed at them, and look like we want the music to sound. Like the policeman's and nurse's.
They want to feel a personal connection with us.
And they want to experience how much better the music sounds and how much more fun it is to watch.

Will our young musicians watch and follow our gestures if this is what they see when they look up? Our maestro may be busy "conducting," but he certainly isn't igniting much response in his young musicians.

To deliver the kind of peak experiences that led us to go into music, we must be clear, alive, and inspiring to look at. Our gestures must be expressive, varied, and heartfelt. If we merely conduct the beat pattern, they won't watch (and rightly so).

Before we get to How to Teach your Ensemble(s) to Watch...here are four basic understandings that inform our work:

1. Young musicians are afraid of looking up and making a mistake, or losing their place.

The emphasis when young musicians begin studying is usually on correct execution. Looking hard at the printed page to get the notes and rhythms right, feel good, earn their teachers' smiles, and feel good about themselves...was the priority.
Now in an ensemble, these students are told to look up from their "lifeline" - an enormous risk - without knowing exactly why.
Few are willing; they don't want to feel bad - or be reprimanded - for making a mistake. Since they may not understand the director's gestures, haven't experienced the musical benefits of looking up, and aren't taught the technique of watching - they frequently don't.
After all, how many adults would risk feeling bad about themselves or being reprimanded in front of their friends to do something whose value wasn't clear?

2. Vital: Students need to be taught how to watch

Although we may not have thought of it, watching is a skill that, like other skills, must be taught, learned, and practiced. As we know, telling our students to "Watch Me" just doesn't work.

Students understand that tuning and warming up is important because we do it at every rehearsal. Not working on watching sends the message to students that it's not important and, consciously or not, they'll understand. If that's the case, we shouldn't be upset that we're not being watched, since, by not working on watching, we've "told" the students it's not important.
As professional performers, we know the necessity of watching; few of us would go to a rehearsal or concert and not watch.
Since we've personally experienced the importance of watching, why wouldn't we insist on in with our ensembles?

3. They must experience the payoffs for watching
We must also deliver the benefits of watching and following our gestures.
These include: , those benefits include: the memorable feeling of being one with the ensemble - in a state of "flow;" the unforgettable experience of feeling like the ensemble is composing the music while playing it; and the timeless joy of living in the moment.

4. Their Watching Depends on Us: We must:

Be able and Willing to Watch Them (See Score Study is Rehearsal Planning Chapter, pp __-__, and; Us Watching Them chapter, pp__-__);
Know how to teach students to conduct (See Teaching our Students to Conduct Chapter, pp __-__);
Have a repertoire of gestures and facial expressions that communicate powerfully (See Following our Gesturing Chapter, pp __-__)
Have terrific posture (See the Power of Posture chapter, pp __-__);
Be able to have our Section Leaders work with their sections on watching (See Section Leaders Can Transform your Rehearsals chapter, pp __-__);
Be willing to enforce their Watching, stopping when they're not (See Rehearse Slow & Enforce section of Woodshedding Chapter, pp __-__).

TEACHING THE SKILL OF WATCHING

Getting Ourselves on Board
The fundamental issue in watching is about us - not our students: have we decided - absolutely - that watching is non-negotiable: all ensemble members must absolutely watch. If we haven't made this decision - and constantly communicated and insisted on it, our students won't watch...and the responsibility is ours, not theirs. And yes, of course, we have to give them something interest to watch.

The first step, then - and the absolutely necessary and fundamental one - is our committing to doing whatever it takes to get our students watching.

Get correct Music Stand and Chair Position & eliminate Visual Clutter

A very, very important preliminary: make sure students position their chairs and stands so they can see you simply by looking up.
Ask them to point at you as if you did something wrong (they love this!). Their music stand should be right under their arm (this will take a bit of negotiating when there is a stand partner).

This can be difficult because students often bring so much "stuff" to their seats that they can't move their chairs or stands (string players virtually always bring their cases).
Have everyone leave everything - Everything! - at the side of the room and just bring: music, instrument, and vital equipment (pencils, resin, water for reeds, valve oil, etc.) to their seats.
It's absolutely amazing the difference this can make (for you, too). Just try it once. You'll see.

Show Them What they Look Like

Bring a friendly, but a reluctant watcher, up to the podium. Go sit in his/her seat and look hard at the music on the out-of-position stand.
Ask the student if they feel they're in touch with you.
They'll understand quickly, and you won't have to say a word.

Make a Mistake - it's ok!

Address their fear of making mistakes by inviting everyone to play lot of wrong notes - now! - so they know it's ok to make a mistake (in the service of taking a risk) and that you won't be mad if they do. Students of all ages find this a lot of fun!
Conduct through some music, insisting that everyone look up. Ask how many made mistakes because they looked up! Applaud them and congratulate them for trying the fearful behavior: "Anyone throw his/her back out? Who fainted? No one? Then good for you for taking the risk of watching...making a mistake...and seeing that nothing bad happened."
I frequently tell students how great they did if they make a mistake because they looked up. (Of course they'll need to practice the music so they can both look up and get the notes and rhythms right.)

Teach the Skill of Watching

Write out a piece or compose an exercise using whole notes only; have the students memorize the first note so they can watch the opening downbeat.
Then, tell them to look down quickly, memorize the next note, then look up fast.
Repeat and repeat. Don't give the next downbeat until all eyes are on you; they shouldn't feel very rushed (just a little).
The key concept here is: look down, look up; take a risk!
Write out pieces/exercises using half notes, then quarter notes, then mixing up the note values, and go through them the same way.
Click here for a variation on this approach that also works well.

Warm-up their Watching

Warm-ups are the best time to teach and sharpen the skill of watching. Consider beginning your warm-up with a scale - perhaps three beats to each scale degree - but don't conduct in time. Start slowly, speed up, slow down: condition your students to think that they're not sure what's coming next.
During the warm-up, talk about your beat pattern and teach the pattern to your students; that way, you'll all be speaking the same language.
Also, show them what your left hand gestures mean - crescendo, accent, fp, etc.

Teach your students to conduct

Then, teach your students how to conduct them; you'll be teaching them the "language that you're speaking."
Their physical involvement in the learning process demands their attention, increases their engagement, and is especially valuable to kinesthetic learners.

** Have them Experience the importance of Watching; rehearse it every day! **

We don’t really build a culture of watching if we just tell them “You’re not watching!” when they don’t follow. If we work on these areas every day, we send the message that they’re important, students will understand they’re important because you’re devoting time to them, and they’ll develop skills in those areas.
If you devote 5-10” at every rehearsal doing routine warmups, why not do a different warmup from time to time – one that will make watchers, followers, and markers?!?
After your warmup, students should get out a piece of paper and pick up their pencils.
For the first few times you do this, ask them draw four large whole notes.
Then tell them you’re going to conduct those whole notes in 4/4 time and you’re going to indicate dynamics, crescendo, accents, and so on: they are to watch what you indicate, and write those dynamics, crescendi, dynamics, accents, etc. into the music.
It will help their watching, following, and marking if you ask them to imitate your gestures before they marking their music.
They can then check their gestures and their marking with a partner; they should feel free to ask you to repeat what you did so they can make sure.
Even after the first time you do this, you’re likely to see a big improvement in watching as well as following your gestures and marking!

Create a "Watching Checker" Crew
Create a crew of watcher checkers who agree among themselves how to measure the watch activites of their ensemble.

Without naming names, the crew might find that 56% of the kids watched on Tuesday, then 65% on Wednesday.
They can also compare watching before you started doing the exercises you're doing...with watching after you;ve been doing them for while.

Turn those stands around!

When students have become familiar with a piece, ask them to turn their stands around so they can't see the music. .. and then play a phrase or two. Tell them not to look down at the backs of the stands, so conditioned are they to looking down (yes, students often do this!)
They'll be amazed at how well they actually know the piece, and they can have a totally new experience by watching the conductor all the time.
Then have them turn their stands back, and ask them to play the same passage again without reading the music.

Heads Up (yours)

Keep your head out of the score; you can't expect the students to watch you if, when they do look up, you're not looking at them.

And make sure that your conducting is expressive and changes with the music so that, when they are watching, there's something worth watching.
Yes, this means a bit more time looking through your scores, but you needn't know every note on the page; see the chapter on Score Study (to come) for more on this.

Wait for everyone's eyes

Make sure everyone is looking at you - Everyone! - before your raise your hand/baton to begin.
If you don't you're sending the message: "I'm going to start even though you're not watching..." as well as the more subtle ones: "It's ok not to watch" and, "It doesn't matter if you don't watch." - the exact opposite of what we want!

For Younger Musicians: Take the "Prehistoric" Approach

"Class, let's pretend we lived in dinosaur days. We don't have language, writing, or notation, but we are teaching our children how to sing and play in ensembles." (Readers: kindly ignore the lack of logic in this scenario; anything for an effective teaching point, right?)
"Except the inarticulate grunt or two, we can't say which notes should be long and which should be short: only have left are our movements."
"We want to show a short note. What would that look like?” (Get members of your class to show you; imitate their gestures; get the class to identify the most effective ones.)
"Now we we want to show a long note. What would that would look like?" (Do the same.)
(Now say something to your ensemble like:) “OK, cave-ensemble members, let’s see if the motions you suggested to me will work.” (Then, with the ensemble playing or singing your favorite major chord - so it sounds good - indicate longer and shorter notes using their gestures.)

It can be absolutely incredible to see and hear that your gestures are actually watched and followed! This can make your day...your week...even more!

You are sure to see your students transferring this experience (with gentle reminders and repetitions of the cave-ensemble exercise) to their warmups and to the music you’re rehearsing.

If this works for you, do it for crescendo, decrescendo, accents, subito this and that, etc.

Remember: the key to getting them to watch is our commitment to teaching them the skill of watching. Yes, it will "take time away from rehearsing the music."

But what if they consistently watched you and followed your gestures?
Wouldn't that save so much rehearsal time? In my experience, taking whatever time is needed to teach ensembles to watch - and insisting they do - will create that longed-for item: "enough rehearsal time."

Do try the approaches that resonate with your style, and adapt them to your personality. The difference that you can create is likely to increase their attention, active participation, and willingness to "go with you," since they'll experience and be inspired by the improvement they hear.

To help make Igniting Response (to our conducting) as helpful as possible, please leave a comment: Was this helpful? Could something have been clearer? Do you have a suggestion? Did you try it in your ensemble and did it help? Do you have any questions you'd like me to answer? Thank you! David

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