{"id":8710,"date":"2019-07-27T17:35:16","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T16:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=8710"},"modified":"2019-07-27T18:49:48","modified_gmt":"2019-07-27T17:49:48","slug":"coming-up-short-as-a-conductor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2019\/07\/27\/coming-up-short-as-a-conductor\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming up short as a conductor"},"content":{"rendered":"

This made me laugh.<\/a><\/p>\n

I am, generally speaking, not an aficionado of the short.<\/p>\n

As far as I can tell, shorts are at their most permissible as recreational or sporting clothes for kids or grown ups (biking shorts are allowed as long as you are on a bike, kids should be able to wear shorts all summer, running shorts are a thing if you run…). I’ve never understood how other cellists could play in shorts without destroying the finish on their cellos, but my hat is off to those who can.<\/p>\n

It did once come up at a conducting workshop I was teaching whether shorts should or could be worn on the podium.<\/p>\n

My strong view was “no”. It seems disrespectful to the musicians and the music, and particularly distracting (sometimes genuinely revolting) to the players on the first desks. I’m generally anti-sandals on the podium, too (regardless of gender in both cases). Again, if you’re sitting on the first stand trying to play Brahms or Sibelius, you really don’t want a pair of sweaty, cheesy feet in your sight line.<\/p>\n

In this conversation, there was one conductor who had been wearing shorts all week. He was brave enough to ask “do you mean we should never wear shorts when we’re conducting -not just in formal situations with established orchestras.”<\/p>\n

I spoke slowly and clearly, gently and firmly:<\/p>\n

“It is my opinion that, as a conductor, you should _never_ wear shorts in front of the orchestra.”<\/p>\n

“Even if it is very hot, and the orchestra vibe is informal?”<\/p>\n

“Never.”<\/p>\n

“Ever? What if the players are wearing shorts?”<\/p>\n

“Have you ever seen a basketball game?”<\/p>\n

“Yes”<\/p>\n

“What were the players wearing?”<\/p>\n

“Shorts.”<\/p>\n

“What was the coach wearing?”<\/p>\n

“Hmmmmmm,, urgh……”<\/p>\n

“The players were wearing shorts because they were playing basketball. The coach was wearing a $5000 suit because he was not playing basketball.”<\/p>\n

I continued.<\/p>\n

“If you are asking my view, which you just have, that view is that you should never, ever wear shorts in front of an orchestra.”<\/p>\n

I don’t need to tell you, dear readers, what he wore to conduct the next day……<\/p>\n

I tried to speak in a gentle but firm tone, as positively as I could…. “I thought we discussed yesterday that shorts are not appropriate attire when conducting?” I said.<\/p>\n

“Oh,” he said, “I’m very sorry. I didn’t realise you meant even here.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Shusha… Donta tella anyway one I’mma wearinga shortsa downastairsa<\/p><\/div>\n