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Be glad. Now they will appreciate you better.

Please ,no offense,but, THE Marine Band or A marine band?...

The fact that he plays saxophone doesn't help either.

Now that the baton is gone, you can start directing with a crowbar. Not only is it more authoritative, but it is good exercise ... really helps build up the arms.

SplatterTone wrote:Now that the baton is gone,

... ask him if you can use one of his saxes to beat the stand like it "outta be"...

SplatterTone wrote:Now that the baton is gone, you can start directing with a crowbar. Not only is it more authoritative, but it is good exercise ... really helps build up the arms.

When I was in graduate school, one of the conductors was famous for the wild things he did in the name of furthering conducting. Once, while the student workers were cleaning out a storage area, I found a retaining rod from an old filing cabinet. This was a steel rod about 18" long with a knurled brass handle on one end. I took it to rehearsal early the next day and was play conducting with it. He, of course, saw me and asked about it. I told him it was the newest in conducting warm-up exercises. You know how baseball players swing weighted bats...? Well, he just had to have one, so I got "my guy" to make him one. He used it in rehearsal for the next month or so. Imagine playing a delicate choral with the conductor swinging a one pound baton! After a few far away conducting seminars... he never used it again. I do not know if he figured it out or if one of his idols told him what is really was.

I made my first, and probably last, foray into conducting some months ago when I "conducted" (i.e., tried to beat time in a visible fashion) the brass band as they read through a piece I wrote for them. Eh....I think I'm not a conductor. Although they were very courteous I could tell that my time-beating was extraneous to their playing; that is, they were fully capable of playing a march with no conductor at all.

sorry about your baton....you said the assistant conductor went and got it out of where it was locked up? Then s/he is responsible for its demise and should have to cough up the dough for an equivalent new one, learning a lesson in the process.

MA

No offense, but what is the advantage of a hand-made baton?

Greg wrote:

windshieldbug wrote:

SplatterTone wrote:Now that the baton is gone,

... ask him if you can use one of his saxes to beat the stand like it "outta be"...

I plan to do that.

I think I will take some of the advice given and feed my assistant director that line of bull about the re-bar. I will also go get a foot of re-bar and leave it on my stand. Can you get it with a tear-drop handle?

How about getting the shop teacher to turn you a solid steel baton? I think that would be cool!

Teubonium wrote:No offense, but what is the advantage of a hand-made baton?

If you have to ask this question, you obviously don't know if silver or lacquer is better. In fact, I would have to bet that you don't have a "world class" sound, either. I believe you need to spend more time studying what it takes to be a great conductor and musician.