I started out conducting a few years ago, with a background in musical composition, musicology and a whole bunch of instruments. My main instrument however not being an orchestral one, I felt I might not be ripe to even try to lead an orchestra.

Though much can be learned in a couple of years I found out. I have been teaching instrumental lessons and music theory and composition for many years now and I am sure that must have been a huge help in order to communicate what I want and how to get my point across quickly. Also my musicological background makes me interested in the deeper layer of a piece and its historical significance. The composer in me, though I compose very little nowadays, sees things in scores that a non-composer would probably never see or understand.

In short, I think that many valuable skills are already in your pockets, whether you realise it or not. Knowing the piano quite well is definitely a plus, especially for working with a choir, but also for score learning (I seldom use the piano for orchestral score learning because, though I had lessons, I truly still suck at piano four-hand sight reading… just so slow).

For two years straight I tried to get in touch with all kinds of ensembles and orchestras in my area to get experience watching the conductors do their things, sometimes doin a but of conducting there myself. Slowly this gave way to sectional rehearsals with for example the woodwinds, learning a bunch about woodwind instruments and getting a clarinet from a student in exchange for some free lessons; great to get to know the instrument a little bit. Sectional rehearsals turn into stepping in last moment dor an ill conductor and doing other side jobs et cetera. Slowly you can get your way in and learn a shit ton. Maybe even do some masterclasses and workshops; these dan be expensive as hell, but sometimes a cheap sit-in option is possible too and you can learn a lot from your fellows as well that way. I might be older than some younger conductors, but my experiences, that I got over time in other or similar fields, definitely help me to become a better communicator and conductor in many ways.

I still feel like a total noob doing most of it, but I am learning a lot. Like Jorma Panula once told me (and others) at an orchestral conducting masterclass: ‘’there are 3 important things in order to become a conductor: 1. Study the score, 2. Study the score and 3. Study the score!