Posted by Rick Denney on May 20, 2003 at 22:59:47:
In Reply to: Re: are Band Directors Musicians? posted by Tom Mason on May 20, 2003 at 19:02:31:
Good musicians must have two things: Good music in their heads and the necessary skills to express that good music.
A conductor has to have two things: Good music in his head the necessary skill to get that music out of the ensemble.
I have played under good directors who were not great performers, because they never perfected their performing skills. But they can still have that music in their heads, and they can perfect their conducting skills.
Most bad band directors in my experience have not had the music in their heads in the first place. This made them bad musicians as well as bad band directors. But I don't think a good conductor has to be a great performer on an instrument.
Rick "trying to separate cause and effect" Denney