All Episodes

Day 90: I’ve noticed things like D.C. or D.S. written in music — what do those tell the musicians to do?

Day 89: I always hear people mention 4/4 or 3/4 time — what does that actually mean when we’re listening to the music?

Day 88: Sometimes music sounds unusual or mysterious — is that because of different keys or modes?

Day 87: Why is a tuning fork shaped the way it is, and how was the standard pitch (A440) chosen

Day 86: Which composer had the most children?

Day 85: What piece of classical music has the biggest orchestra in it (like Mahler or Strauss works)?

Day 84: Who was the youngest famous conductor or prodigy (like Stokowski started young)?

Day 83: What is the “concertmaster” and how did that role start?

Day 82: Why does the conductor’s score look different than individual parts?

Day 81: Who was the first famous female conductor?

Day 80: Which composition is the longest (by duration) or has the most musicians on stage?

Day 79: Why do orchestras wear formal dress (tails/tuxedos), and is it still required

Day 78: What do Op. (opus) numbers or K. (Köchel) numbers mean in a title?

Day 77: Have you ever composed your own music or written arrangements?

Day 76: How do cartoons or non-classical art (like “Fantasia” with Leopold Stokowski) influence how people see conductors?

Day 75: What do you think about pop/contemporary music – do any artists inspire you?

Day 74: What are the steps to be a conductor?

Day 73: Which composer or musical piece is your absolute favorite to conduct, and why?

Day 72: How do conductors communicate with section leaders or the concertmaster (first violin) in rehearsal?

Day 71: How do you prepare for a rehearsal or a concert? How many hours/days before do you study the score?

Day 70: What happens during an orchestra rehearsal? What do conductors do in rehearsals?

Day 69: How do you conduct a piece that has no strict beat, like a free-form introduction?

Day 68: What is a fermata (hold) or a caesura (pause) in music, and how does a conductor signal it?

Day 67: What's your favorite instrument to ignore?

Day 66: What is the point of melodic minor scales?

Day 65: What’s your opinion on tuning apps for orchestra playing? The apps D seems too high for my hearing and the G seems too low. Is it true that orchestra players should use the app tuning?

Day 64: So your first/only instrument is the piano, how about a very short tutorial and show us what you can do?

Day 63: How do you deal with nerves?

Day 62: How do you deal with the acoustics in a room?

Day 61: What is the layout of the orchestra?

Day 60: What is one of your favourite pieces to conduct?

Day 59: Is there any point in faith?

Day 58: Show me some unusual things about an orchestra.

Day 57: If you weren’t a conductor, what career would you choose?

Day 56: Do you have a lucky charm?

Day 55: Why do orchestras play on a specific layout?

Day 54: Who invented the piano?

Day 53: Do you watch any other conductor and learn from them?

Day 52: What instruments do you play and how does it help you conduct?

Day 51: Can an orchestra play without a conductor?

Day 50: What does a conductor do during a cadenza?

Day 49: Why are musical terms in Italian?

Day 48: Why is sheet music written on 5 lines?

Day 47: How do you get the players to stop playing at the end of a music?

Day 46: What do you do when things go wrong?

Day 45: How do you deal with mistakes during live performance?

Day 44: Why do all orchestras tune to a equals 440 hz?

Day 43: Why do orchestras tune to an a and why is it usually the oboe that provides the A?

Day 42: What was so special about the conductor Toscanini?

Day 41: What is the history of the baton?

Day 40: How do you give a cue to a single instrument when it’s their turn to play?

Day 39: How do you conduct unusual beat patterns like 7/8, 5/4, or 12/8?

Day 38: How do you signal to an orchestra about speed changes like accelerandos and ritenutos?

Day 37: How do musicians keep the pulse if they're playing syncopated rhythms or off-beats?

Day 36: What's the difference between a choir conductor and an orchestra conductor?

Day 35: Who was the first-ever conductor?

Day 34: Do you need to learn every instrument to be able to be a conductor?

Day 33: What piece of classical music inspired you when you were younger?

Day 32: What's the biggest mistake does the audience make about conductors?

Day 31: Have you ever had a performance go off-script?

Day 30: How do you show dynamics?

Day 29: How do you balance conductingn your family life with conducting on stage?

Day 28: How do you transport your baton?

Day 27: What do I carry with me in my conductor's pocket?

Day 26: Has conducting made you change the way you listen to music?

Day 25: How do you hold a baton?

Day 24: What do you do to get into the correct headspace?

Day 23: What are the beat patterns?

Day 22: What is one piece of advice that you would give to an aspiring conductor?

Day 21: Do you play any other instrument apart from piano?

Day 20: How much time do you have before a concert?

Day 19: How do you tune a piano?

Day 18: What do you do if a violin string breaks in a concert?

Day 17: Do you have a requirements, like a rider for your dressing room?

Day 16: Who chooses the music for a concert, and who chooses the order?

Day 15: What do you do whilst an orchestra is tuning on stage and you're not yet on stage?

Day 14: Did you ever want to do anything else other than music when you were younger?

Day 13: What inspired you to be a conductor?

Day 12: What is it like backstage, at a concert hall?

Day 11: Your baton doesn't really make any music. Do you play a real instrument?

Day 10: How does some conductors memorize whole pieces, and do you have to do that?

Day 9: Has anything ever happened to you that is embarassing during rehearsal?

Day 8: Why do some conductors tap the baton with their stick to set the tempo?

Day 7: What is your pre-concert ritual?

Day 6: Can you conduct without using a baton?

Day 5: What are conductors’ dressing room like?

Day 4: What does it mean when a conductor draws circles or does unusual shapes?

Day 3: Why do conductors count beats before the orchestra starts playing?

Day 2: If the musicians have a part already, why do they need a conductor?

Day 1: What does a conductor actually do when he waves his arms about?