Elements and Performance Criteria
- Develop musical direction skills
- Research scores and performances with musical possibilities and outcomes in mind
- Participate in formal and informal learning experiences for own artistic and professional development
- Explore cultural contexts, contemporary issues and other art forms for their potential application in own work
- Plan work opportunities in line with career goals and artistic aspirations
- Prepare performance programs
- Discuss vision for programs and expected performance outcomes with relevant people
- Propose repertoire after discussing and confirming casting with producers
- Consult appropriate people on repertoire and its suitability to scope, range and capabilities of ensemble instrumentation or vocal ranges of performers
- Evaluate feedback, and use it to inform the final selection of repertoire and program
- Communicate final musical vision to promoters, producers and performers
- Prepare to rehearse performance programs
- Assess musical and technical aspects of the repertoire to determine their effect on rehearsals
- Prepare repertoire to ensure that performance shape and vision can be achieved with the performers and within allocated rehearsal time
- Confirm that resources required for rehearsals are obtained and available
- Plan specific techniques to assist communication with performers, and optimise learning of the program
- Develop strategies to meet potential technical and artistic challenges
- Evaluate the music and its potential expressive qualities in preparation for own conducting
- Finalise rehearsal schedule
- Allocate rehearsal time adequate to the repertoire and to achieve agreed outcomes
- Communicate details of rehearsal content and standard of musical preparation required to relevant personnel, allowing sufficient time for preparation
- Communicate details of responsibility for equipment, instruments and accessories, and venue for each rehearsal to relevant personnel
- Confirm that relevant work health and safety (WHS), copyright and performing rights requirements are meet
- Anticipate problems that might arise in relation to rehearsal schedule, and develop contingency plans
- Direct rehearsals
- Apply listening skills to ensure that individual and collective tuning is accurate
- Use body to give clear directions for structure, beat, entry cues, dynamics, colour and expression
- Recognise and work with the collective and individual skills of performers
- Apply music knowledge and technical skills to bring out the best in performers and to achieve performance excellence
- Provide feedback to develop performers’ work
- Evaluate rehearsals
- Participate in debriefing sessions with relevant personnel to identify strengths and weaknesses of rehearsal processes, and areas for future improvement
- Document the outcome of debriefing sessions according to enterprise procedures
- Reflect on own performance as rehearsal leader and others’ feedback, and note areas for future improvement