Book Reviews

Andrew Crow, editor

Becoming the Choral Poet: Considerations and Techniques for the Advancing Conductor

Jerry McCoy, Foreword by Ann Howard Jones

GIA Publications, 2020

264 pages, soft cover $27.95

ISBN: 978-1-62277-452-4

The Choral Poet—a person who inspires others to express themselves communally in choral music with imaginative beauty and thought. … Through one’s mastery of the techniques of poetic expression as shaped by the composer, the conductor’s decisions can create a deeper sense of expressive intimacy and, as a result, enhance the composer’s aural metaphor” (from the Prologue). Jerry McCoy’s book explores the technical aspects of artistic music-making through thoughtful interpretation of poetry. A unique approach in choral singing, McCoy provides the conductor with strategies for developing a poetic analysis, techniques for the development of detailed musical decisions to support the interpretation, and effective techniques to realize a comprehensive artistic vision. The book comprises four chapters, each containing multiple subcategories, followed by several applicable appendices. Personal anecdotes, inspirational quotes, examples, and exercises create an engaging resource for any choral director who would like to explore the expressive potential of language in choral singing.

The first chapter, “The Conductor’s Poetic Imagination” discusses elements of poetry, musical elements influenced by text, composers’ methods for illuminating meaning, and decisions performers and directors must consider to further enhance expression. McCoy provides a phrase from a simple melody and discusses a spectrum of decisions for the director’s consideration in how the text may be sung: the use of glottal or easy onsets, the placement and range of microdynamics, the length of consonants, the color and shape of vowels, the voicing or aspiration of consonants, and the execution of diphthongs. This type of expressive singing is often organic to highly sensitive musicians. However, as McCoy points out, in an ensemble setting the conductor is responsible for developing an interpretation and communicating the technical aspects of expression and musicality to the ensemble in order to realize a coherent vision. McCoy cautions the reader to remember that the ensemble director’s decisions must always be in service of the music and the composer’s presentation of the text.

The second chapter begins with an apropos metaphor that likens the choral conductor’s interpretive role to the experience of viewing an Impressionistic painting. The ensemble director is tasked with making many minute, highly detailed decisions to bring into existence a composite, comprehensive whole. Analyses are provided for four famous examples: At Her Fair Hands, My Spirit Sang All Day, Io Piango, and Domine Filii Unigenite. McCoy provides for each piece an Interpretive Analysis, which is the term he applies to the detailed musical decisions the conductor must make to realize a comprehensive artistic vision. In addition to a detailed interpretive analysis, each section includes exercises for the reader, topics for discussion and questions to consider. includes a list of American choral composers producing exciting music in the past few decades, as well as a list of international contemporary choral gems listed by geographic location. Both sections include information on the publisher or the composer’s website so that the reader can access the scores.

In contrast to the preceding chapters, the next portion of the book focuses on the skills, techniques, and qualities the conductor must develop in their role as interpreter and Choral Poet. Chapter 3 contains sections on attributes of a successful choral conductor, alternative conducting patterns, auditions, choral seating formations, rehearsal techniques, vocal exercises, programming considerations, thoughts on the conductor’s ability to listen, and a phrasal study of Bist du bei mir . The vocal warm-ups and rehearsal techniques suggested in this chapter are a particularly useful tool for any ensemble leader. The exercises are creative, clearly described, and could be used with a variety of ensembles. The analysis of Bist du bei mir includes thoughtful considerations of the musicality required of the singers and technical exercises that may be utilized in rehearsal to achieve the aesthetic goals that serve the music and poetry. Ensemble leaders at the beginning of their career will find the section on repertoire selection and crafting a program particularly helpful.

Becoming the Choral Poet provides thoughtprovoking and useful technical information for directors of many types of choral ensembles and is primarily applicable to the work of conductors in training and those early in their career. Experienced ensemble leaders might also find the first two chapters, the later sections on rehearsal techniques, and the repertoire lists enlightening and informative. While many of the stories and examples are based in McCoy’s experience in academia, those who lead high school programs, professional ensembles, or church choirs will find the content and techniques applicable to their ensembles. It would be wonderful to get McCoy’s insight into specific textual/vocal/pedagogical issues that arise working with different types of ensembles, including youth, community, and religious ensembles. Readers might also wish to know McCoy’s values in selecting a text, or his rationale for selection the musical examples included in the book. McCoy’s ability to quantify how to make choral magic and his generosity in sharing his strategies, as well as inspiring quotes and stories woven throughout the book make this a fresh addition to your choral library.

— Katie Gardiner

Over the course of McCoy’s extensive experience and successful career, he has developed a wealth of resources. Chapter 4 is a compilation of words of wisdom, helpful lists, philosophical musings, and a few odd inclusions not necessarily related to the subject of Choral Poet. This chapter also

Katie Gardiner recently completed her doctoral degree in choral conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Dr. Gardiner has taught at Skidmore College, William College, and the University at Albany, and has recently served as instrumental director at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis and cover conductor of the Carmel Symphony.

Music Discovery: Improvisation for the Large Ensemble and Music Classroom

Daniel J. Healy and Kimberly Lansinger Ankney Oxford University Press, 2020

224 pages, $24.95

ISBN: 9780190462079

The field of music education has long emphasized the importance of improvisation, enshrining it in the 1994 and 2014 national standards for our discipline. However, many director-teachers cite lack of comfort, expertise, and curricular time as primary barriers to including improvisation in their music classes and ensembles. These challenges are compounded in ensembles whose time is dedicated first and foremost to preparing repertoire for the next public performance. In Improvisation for the Large Ensemble and Music Classroom, Daniel J. Healy and Kimberly Lansinger Ankney seek to light the path to collective improvisation by addressing each of the concerns listed above through sample lesson plans, vignettes, and a diverse set of recordings, including several field recordings of ensembles working through the lessons and exercises.

Daniel Healy is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Education and Head of Music Education at Roosevelt University. Kimberly Lansinger Ankney is Assistant Professor and Director of Music Education at Christopher Newport University. Both authors studied at Northwestern University with Maud Hickey, a foremost expert on teaching and assessment of musical creativity through improvisation and composition. Separately and together, Healy and Lansinger have published articles on improvisation and creativity in several trade journals including Psychology of Music, Music Educators Journal, Advances in Music Education Research , and the conference proceedings Envisioning Music Teacher Education.

In the introductory chapter, the authors outline the purpose of the book: to provide detailed yet flexible lessons and activities centered around core musical elements, coupled by detailed assessments and rich audio examples, all grounded in musical improvisation which they define as “any form of spontaneously expressed musical ideas” (5). They outline a series of claims that by engaging spontaneity in problem solving, improvisation leads to more meaningful musical discovery and helps individual musicians to “develop a sense of self or identity” (8–9). By bringing improvisation into the study of ensemble repertoire, students grow to understand the music more deeply and “teachers become more attuned to students’ natural music-making instincts” (11–13).

Section I continues with a summary of the common myths surrounding improvisation: it can’t be taught or assessed, it’s noise, it requires extensive training and experience to learn to improvise and especially to teach it. Section II, “Understanding Improvisational Teaching and Responsive Planning,” uses vignettes and examples to paint a picture of improvisation-based teaching within lessons and across units as well as opportunities and methods for assessment. Anticipating discomfort on the part of students, the authors include sections on responding to students’ experiences and encouraging flexibility, responsivity, and open-mindedness.

The core of the book is Section III, nearly 120 pages of lesson plans based around six core musical concepts: melody, harmony, rhythm, texture and timbre, articulation, dynamics. The authors make it clear here that most of these exercises will not result in a performance piece; rather, they are improvisatory activities meant to hone student skills in the musical element being addressed. The chapter is structured so that each unit has six lesson plans: two levels each (beginner and intermediate) for instrumental/choral ensembles, jazz ensembles, and improvisation ensembles. According to the authors, instrumental and choral ensembles “for the sake of simplicity were merged into one category.” Although it is true that choral and instrumental ensembles share many goals and sensibilities, there are several exercises that will prove challenging for choirs without adaptation to account for singers’ range and need to audiate pitches before singing them.

Each lesson plan includes a description, list of required resources, step-by-step procedure, learning goals and benefits, assessments, and recordings and resources meant to demonstrate or inspire aspects of the activity. The procedures as written are generally quite clear and easy to follow or adapt as the situation requires, and the recommended recordings are diverse and plentiful. When needed, notated examples clarify lesson objectives, but unfortunately the book’s online resources do not include these examples in editable or reproducible formats, leaving teachers the task of re-notating materials as needed. The assessments could be more clearly and deeply described; the authors often list concepts teachers could assess formatively or summatively but rarely provide concrete rubrics or examples.

The authors make a point to say that improvisation exercises can be the focus of a lesson or unit, or can be sprinkled in briefly to save time. However, many lessons include steps for small-group experimentation and sharing out to the large group, which could be cumbersome and time consuming depending on the size and configuration of the ensemble and facilities. That being said, the authors do an excellent job throughout the book of anticipating and responding to many of their readers’ worries about teaching improvisation. With this goal in mind, the authors conclude the book with Section IV: “Portals of Discovery,” which synthesizes the philosophies and practicalities of the book into a series of vignettes that help the reader to better visualize how and why they might approach this work in their own contexts.

Ultimately, choral directors looking for plans and materials to incorporate improvisation into their concerts should look elsewhere, as improvised performance is not the goal of the book. Healy and Ankney have made a strong case for improvisation as a powerful rehearsalclassroom tool that develops musical agency and creativity through intentional experimentation. In practice, collegiate conductors will need to be particularly thoughtful about adapting the choral lessons and materials to target the maturity level of older students, but may find promise in the sophistication of the lessons for improvisation ensemble. Although I still find myself worried about giving up rehearsal time on repertoire to work on improvisation, the proof (that doing so will improve the music-making in the long run) will be in the pudding, and Music Discovery provides ample guidance for those who are ready to adapt the lessons and assessments to suit their students. This book belongs on the shelves of conductor-teachers at all educational levels, along with the music education professors who train the next generation of conductor-teachers.

—Christopher G. McGinley

Christopher G. McGinley serves on the choral music education faculty at the University of WisconsinEau Claire where he directs the Singing Statesmen, Symphonic Choir, Novum Voce, and teaches Secondary Choral Methods. His research interests include choral improvisation, archival transcription, women composers, and historical pedagogy and performance practice.

Foundations of Conducting Technique

Frank Eychaner

GIA Publications, 2020

366 pages, hardcover only, $49.95

ISBN: 978-1-62277-437-1

When a conducting teacher selects a textbook for the students in their beginning conducting course, a wealth of options lay at their feet, from historical gems that have run to multiple editions to newer publications. Dr. Frank Eychaner’s Foundations of Conducting Technique, newly published in 2020, is a strong choice for the conducting teacher looking for a 21st-century approach to their instruction.

Possibly the most unique and newly practical tool Eychaner brings to the scholarly conducting textbook is the use of accompanying videos. At several points in each chapter, usually following a verbose, detailed description of a precise physical gesture (an unavoidable occurrence in any conducting text), Eychaner includes a QR code that, when scanned by a smartphone, links to a public YouTube video of himself demonstrating the corresponding physical gesture, with voiceover narration detailing the action. This is an invaluable resource; while the presence of an in-person conducting instructor is instrumental in translating any potentially confusing and cumbersome verbal descriptions of gesture into physical demonstration, here the student has the luxury of witnessing physical demonstration during their own independent reading. And while Eychaner’s verbal descriptions of gesture are clear for the most part, some elements of his writing on gesture may be difficult to understand (e.g. his description of the “impulse gesture” with regard to cues is particularly confusing). However, the videos accompanying any of these descriptions clear up any confusion as he demonstrates physical mastery of each concept.

Aside from the use of QR codes and videos, the other novel touch offered by Eychaner’s text is a study of transformational leadership. Near the end of the text, he steps completely outside of the realm of technical conducting gesture and into the atmosphere of effective, inspiring leadership. How prescient that Eychaner, in finishing writing this book shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world of choral music on its head, would include material that would be so immensely relevant. He discusses the importance of relationships, the value of personal connection, and the true synergy between conductor and ensemble when the conductor is genuinely invested in each member’s mental and physical well-being. Other historically-established conducting texts may be excellent guides with regard to the fundamentals of gesture, but their sometimes direct or even authoritarian approach to the idea of ensemble leadership is in conflict with the needs of modern student ensembles. Eychaner’s approach is perfect for our current atmosphere.

Eychaner intentionally builds his text out of short, succinct chapters on specific elements of conducting in a way that allows for malleability; the instructor of a conducting course can skip chapters or reorganize them in any way necessary to fit the curriculum of an all-too-short academic semester. Taken in the order provided, however, Eychaner’s sequence of concepts is one that wisely emphasizes the importance of freedom of motion, internalization of musicality, and nonverbal communication over the technicality of conducting patterns. He espouses the Rudolf Laban school of movement analysis, filling the introductory chapters of his text with an overview of Laban’s “Effort Actions” with regard to Space, Weight, and Time, thoroughly