Conducting

Colorado State University offers an outstanding program in graduate conducting, with instrumental and choral specializations; undergraduate conducting courses are also available. CSU provides a nationally-renowned conducting faculty, superb facilities designed for conducting instruction, and high quality ensembles for laboratory experiences.

Study With

Wes Kenney

Professor of Music
Conducting
Director of Orchestras

Wes.Kenney@colostate.edu

James Kim

Associate Professor of Music
Director of Choral Activities

James.Kim@colostate.edu

Rebecca Phillips

Professor of Music
Conducting
Director of Bands

Rebecca.Phillips@colostate.edu

Jayme Taylor

Associate Director of Bands
Director of Athletic Bands
Assistant Professor of Music

Jayme.Taylor@colostate.edu

Kevin Poelking

Instructor of Music
Assistant Director of Bands
Instructor of Undergraduate Conducting

Kevin.Poelking@colostate.edu

Degree Programs

Undergraduate Conducting

Within the B.M. Music Education Concentration, students take a rigorous academic program in theory, composition, history, orchestration, and secondary instruments which prepares them for the level of musicianship required of the modern conductor. Additionally, students perform in high quality ensembles, such as choir, wind ensemble, symphonic band, orchestra, and jazz bands, which are directed by some of the finest conductors in the nation. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of conducting in a beginning conducting class in the fall of their junior year. In the spring of the junior year, students take an advanced conducting class focusing in either instrumental or vocal conducting. Students receive hands-on conducting experience with the wind ensemble, symphonic band, choirs, and in their student-teaching (music education).

Graduate Conducting

To develop the musicianship and skills that will be important for the student's future professional success, graduate courses are organized in the areas of music literature and theory, the choral/vocal instrument, conducting, and teaching.

Master of Music, Conducting Specialization (Choral, Instrumental)

Choral Area

The program is committed to musical excellence with a curriculum designed to build a well-rounded choral conductor/teacher, using the musical and personal strengths of the graduate choral conducting student.

By the completion of the program, the student will have developed advanced conducting skills and techniques that are appropriate to a variety of musical needs. The student will learn effective rehearsal techniques and score preparation, and become a knowledgeable scholar of important choral scores representing repertoire of various music periods and secular and sacred styles.

The program accepts a limited number of students who pursue a variety of professional goals, including education and directors of choral/instrumental ensembles. Students who are full-time music educators at the middle/high school levels are considered if they have three years prior teaching experience and are presently conducting an ensemble(s). Students who are not public school educators must show a minimum of three years of full-time music/conducting employment and be presently conducting a high school, religious, or community ensemble.

A personal audition is required for admission into the choral graduate conducting program.

Aspirations for Student Achievement:

Develop the necessary analytical and theoretical skills to successfully analyze choral scores and prepare scores for effective rehearsals.
Develop historical skills to examine scores and documents to confirm historically informed decisions and apply the appropriate performance practice issues for different eras.
Develop the necessary linguistic skills to be proficient in English, German, Latin, and French and be competent in International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) when necessary.
Develop technical skills to conduct community, professional, school, church, and university choirs on different levels domestically and internationally.
Develop the skills to achieve effective and efficient rehearsal techniques by utilizing the appropriate verbal instruction and proper visual conducting presentation.
Understand the origin and the history of choral music from the Renaissance to present by examining the canon of the choral repertoire and attaining knowledge of the background of main choral genres.
Develop a clear understanding of how the voices work, especially in choral settings, to achieve the necessary blend, balance, and sound, and provide vocal instruction to ensemble members.
Research and prepare to program appropriate repertoire for choral concerts on different levels.
Attain competent instrumental conducting technique to lead rehearsals and performances in major choral-orchestral repertoire such as oratorios, cantatas, requiems, and symphonic masses.
Understand the current trend of choral profession by studying the living composers, their compositions, and the entrepreneurial aspect of the choral music industry.

Orchestra Area

The program offers students the opportunity to conduct a broad range of ensembles in preparation for their career. The art of conducting is examined from the perspective of gesture and movement, score study/analysis/ear training, and rehearsal techniques and strategies. For students focused on orchestral conducting, this is a program of advanced study in repertoire and advanced orchestral techniques with a strong supporting program of theoretical and analytical studies.

The conducting degrees accept a limited number of students who pursue a variety of professional goals, including education and directors of choral/instrumental ensembles. Students who are full-time music educators at the middle/high school levels are considered if they have three years prior teaching experience, and are presently conducting an ensemble(s). Students who are not public school educators must show a minimum of three years of full-time music/conducting employment and be presently conducting a high school, religious, or community ensemble.

A personal audition is required for admission.

Aspirations for Student Achievement:

Develop the skill, intellect, and musicianship necessary among those who wish to become the next generation of leaders in the field of conducting.
Develop a method of score study to help in all educational and professional settings.
Develop the skills necessary to lead ensembles in their specific discipline (band or orchestra, including theatrical accompaniment) with best-practice rehearsal strategies and methodology.
Conduct repertoire in all three disciplines of varying difficulty levels, spanning many genres and time periods.
Integrate best-practice rehearsal strategies with sound conducting technique in order to inform instruction with conducting gestures.
Develop the ability to think abstractly, analyze complex ideas or phenomena, synthesize or generalize knowledge across disciplines and sub-disciplines, interpret and apply scholarly findings to specialized topic areas, and communicate ideas effectively in both oral and written forms.
Develop an awareness of substantive publications in the field of music and conducting.
Describe the contemporary role that programming and assessment design plays in the teaching-learning process.

Band Area

The program offers students the opportunity to conduct a broad range of ensembles in preparation for their career. The art of conducting is examined from the perspective of gesture and movement, score study/analysis/ear training, and rehearsal techniques and strategies. For students focused on band conducting, this is a program of advanced study in repertoire and advanced wind/percussion techniques with a strong supporting program of theoretical and analytical studies.

Graduate band/wind conducting students are also an integral part of the Athletic Bands Program, assisting with rehearsals and games and learning the administration of an athletic bands program.

Details about applying to this program are available at: music.colostate.edu/graduate-wind-conducting.

Aspirations for Student Achievement:

Develop the skill, intellect, and musicianship necessary among those who wish to become the next generation of leaders in the field of conducting.
Develop a method of score study to help in all educational and professional settings.
Develop the skills necessary to lead ensembles in their specific discipline (band or orchestra, including theatrical accompaniment) with best-practice rehearsal strategies and methodology.
Conduct repertoire in all three disciplines of varying difficulty levels, spanning many genres and time periods.
Integrate best-practice rehearsal strategies with sound conducting technique in order to inform instruction with conducting gestures.
Develop the ability to think abstractly, analyze complex ideas or phenomena, synthesize or generalize knowledge across disciplines and sub-disciplines, interpret and apply scholarly findings to specialized topic areas, and communicate ideas effectively in both oral and written forms.
Develop an awareness of substantive publications in the field of music and conducting.
Describe the contemporary role that programming and assessment design plays in the teaching-learning process.

Master of Music, Music Education—Conducting Specialization: Distance Graduate Degree with Summer Residency

The unique program is designed for music educators, enabling students to earn a master’s degree while continuing to work full-time. With the exception of a two-week summer seminar held on the CSU campus, all course work can be completed online or using your own school orchestra, choir, or band as your conducting laboratory. DEGREE DETAILS

News and Events

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Conducting News

Dr. Rebecca Phillips Honored as Guest Conductor of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band

By School of Music, Theatre, and Dance | May 16, 2022

Dr. Rebecca Phillips, Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Colorado State University, grew up in Washington D.C., attending many military band concerts. Phillip’s father and grandfather were trombonists in the U.S. Navy Band, which instilled in her a natural reverence for military band traditions. Phillips was incredibly honored when Col. Jason K. Fettig, […]

Promotional Photo of University Center for the Arts External Spring

Benjamin Pouncey Selected for the 2022 Young Composer/Conductor Mentor Project

By School of Music, Theatre, and Dance | Apr 25, 2022

Colorado State University graduate conducting student Benjamin Pouncey, was recently selected from a national pool of applicants to conduct the U.S. Air Force Band this summer in the National Band Association’s (NBA) Young Composer/Conductor Mentor Project in Washington D.C. The Young Conductor Mentor Project was implemented in 2004 at the suggestion of mentor Frank Ticheli […]