Conductors Collegium

Addressing the need to find ways to connect and grow as conductors, the Collegium presents an opportunity for instrumental music educators of all levels from around the world to meet and discuss common goals, shared concerns, and practical solutions with colleagues and performers.

Morning Session Curriculum: Lecture, Discussion, and Small Group Coaching Module (Daily, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM CDT)

• In the first half of each morning session, we feature Lectures and Discussions. These sessions will include topics such as masterworks overview, score study, repertoire and programming, rehearsal techniques, conducting fundamentals, educational philosophy, and will include live discussions with world-renowned guest conductors and educators. 
• In the second half of each morning session, participants will be broken up into small groups (generally 9-12 players) to conduct small ensemble excerpts. Conductors will receive coaching in this format as a supplement to the afternoon activities.

Afternoon Session Curriculum: Conducting Rounds and Coachings (Choose Any/All Rounds June 16-28, 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CDT)

• Conducting Sessions will consist of live, in-person individual sessions and group coachings on select masterworks with the Collegium Faculty with the North Texas Wind Symphony.
• The conducting rounds are structured as four sets of three days. Each conductor will have the opportunity to receive coaching for three sessions (one round) and perform in concert with the North Texas Wind Symphony. The performance will be recorded via wide-cam, condcutor-cam, and HD audio, with files provided to participants.
• While the fee allows all access to all 12 days of coachings, participants may select to attend only 6 or 9 consecutive days rather than all 12 if desired, to maximize flexibility as per your schedule needs. Our stipulation is that those who conduct one round must observe one other, hence attendance for only three days (one round) is not permissible.
• Rounds available are: Round 1: June 16-18, Round 2: June 20-22, Round 3: June 23-25, Round 4: June 26-28. For example, if you indicate that you would like to participate in Round 2 and 3, you would likely observe the Round 2 coaching and conduct on Round 3. You would have three coachings followed by the concert performance on the evening of the third day). Round 1 conductors are generally selected from those who have attended the Collegium in a previous year.

In-Person Non-Performing Option

Individuals wishing to observe but not conduct the afternoon sessions may register for our non-performing track. This curriculum allows attendees to conduct during the morning sessions, attend the lecture/discussion series, and observe the coachings that occur during the afternoon sessions.

Public school educators are especially encouraged to attend the Conductors Collegium. In conjunction with the UNT Professional Development Institute, our faculty are equipped to approve continuing education credit for each hour of participation. Individuals attending select rounds of the Collegium may receive a prorated allotment based on instructional hours completed. Our workshop conforms to the SBEC standard for continuing education credits toward re-certification and we offer this service at no additional fee to participants.

Registration for the Conductors Collegium is available through Acceptd. Visit the link above labeled "Click Here to Register" and select Conducting as the area and Conductors Collegium as the program.

Past attendees have had the following to say about their Collegium experience:

“I definitely have found new ideas and challenges in how I approach programming, score study, and what I consider repertoire.”

“I thought this was a fantastic experience for me as an educator and conductor. The Collegium has given me a lot to work on and a lot of things to consider when it comes to teaching. I hope that I can attend the Collegium next year and continue to grow through that experience.”

“Thank you SO much for providing such a comprehensive workshop in this format. I am excited to continue developing my abilities and hope to see my friends from the workshop in the future!”

“The afternoon conducting sessions were AWESOME! I felt so privileged to be coached by our three great clinicians and likewise enjoyed watching all my fellow students being coached. It gave me some new ways of freeing up my baton hand and more sensible and musical usage of my left hand for expressivity that works! I feel that we all benefited greatly from these things. I watched in awe, the transformation of us all, through the series, from decent to looking like professional conductors!"

"Thank you for giving each and everyone one of us the opportunity and the space for self-exploration in a safe and welcoming musically immersive environment. I watched each and every teacher meet participants where they were at and gave all parties involved the space to show up fully and authentically themselves. Talk about uplifting the minds of the future through the music of our past. This weekend was monumental, and I am honored, blessed, and thankful to have been able to experience such high educational and musical practices over the past week. Thank you for inviting us into your home, this has truly changed my musical and education DNA fibers for the rest of my life, and for the better!"