Discernment: How to Pick Quality Music

Discerning quality and appropriateness when selecting music.

What does artistic excellence look and sound like?

• Expectations
• Form, shape & design
• Orchestration & density
• Style
• Development
• Idiom
• Musical validity
• Appeal & interest to players, audience and us
• Being the adult in the room - training musical palates rather than pandering

Download the Determining Excellence Checklist

Blog post: Why can't the kids pick their own music? {LINK to blog}

Stephen Budiansky's Washington Post article: The kids play great, but that music...

How to develop your own discernment and taste

• Getting out of the rehearsal room
• Listening beyond your ensemble/genre
• Listening to great (and bad!) performances
• Listen outside classical music

Musical Inspiration for Conductors (Youtube playlist)

Appropriateness

• How to listen
• Where to listen

How to select music that is appropriate for your:

• Ensemble
• Occasion
• Audience

Download the Determining Appropriateness Checklist

Action Steps

1. Select a work that is new to you and assess its artistic excellence using the checklist.
2. Select an upcoming performance in your calendar. Assess the work from Step 1 for its appropriateness to that event using the checklist.

Share your action steps with us on Instagram! Take a photo or screen shot, tag us @conductingartistry and use hashtag #conductingartistryinaction

Keep on learning!

Check out our blog, resources and courses at ConductingArtistry.com

Follow us on Instagram

Join the community Facebook

Check out our videos YouTube