Original Études for the Developing Conductor is a collection of supplemental études designed to enhance contemporary conducting pedagogy by amplifying the voices of composers from historically excluded groups. Each étude was commissioned from and composed by a living composer, the majority of whom are woman-identifying composers and/or composers of color. Each étude also addresses multiple specific pedagogical goals common to all conducting classrooms.

Conducting textbooks commonly include musical examples to expose student conductors to various musical challenges and situations. However, due to the relative ease of using only music from the public domain, most examples found in commercially published books are excerpts of larger works composed by deceased cisgender white men of European descent. Often, this music bears little relation to a significant portion of the music contemporary students engage with and perform. These excerpts also tend to be quite short (i.e., less than a minute) and do not create cohesive, self-contained musical arcs.

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This book was awarded Highly Commended for ALPSP's 2023 Impact Award.
2023 ALPSP Award Winners.
A video [4:56] introduction to the book is available at: https://youtu.be/xcbWwbXkYV4.

How to access this book
The main landing page for this book is https://doi.org/10.21061/conducting.

This text is available in multiple formats including:

1. High resolution PDF of scores and parts (linked on the left side of your screen)
2. Low resolution PDF of scores and parts (linked on the left side of your screen)
3. High resolution PDF of scores only (linked on the left side of your screen)
4. Low resolution PDF of scores only (linked on the left side of your screen)
5. A spiral-bound softcover print version (scores only). Click here to order a print copy.
6. MIDI realizations (MP4s) are available via a YouTube playlist or in the zip file (linked on the left side of your screen)
7. Files containing the score and parts for each étude (linked on the left side of your screen). These enable easy printing and use in apps for accessibility and annotation such as MuseScore.
8. A version with alt text embedded for each étude and part. [coming soon]

ISBNs
ISBN (PDF - scores and parts): 978-1-957213-51-4
ISBN (PDF - scores only): 978-1-957213-52-1
ISBN (print - scores only): 978-1-957213-53-8
Click here to order a print copy

Features of the book

• The chart "Musical Opportunities by Étude" differentiates the études by tempo, style, meter, and potential pedagogical goals.
• The PDF version of this book is designed to be easily navigable. Hyperlinks and QR codes are provided throughout the text to help you move from the Table of Contents into composer biographies, scores, parts, and from parts back to the Table of Contents, Score, or to the main landing page for the resource.
• The clickable "Jump To" menu on each composer biography page and first page of every score links to the table of contents or transposed parts in C, B-Flat, F, E-Flat, and alto clef. Instead of scrolling, use the links found in the footers of each transposed part.
• For print users, a spiral-bound, scores-only, print-on-demand version is available for order here. Book pages may also be self-printed. The table of contents has all the page numbers you need, and you can still use the QR codes, URLs, or the DOI at the bottom of every page to find your way back to the complete book.
• MIDI realizations are provided for all études on this page, and via a YouTube playlist.
• Each étude’s composer biography page includes the composer’s biography and photo, a link to the composer’s website, information regarding length, meter, tempo, and style of the etude, potential pedagogical goals, the composer’s description of the Étude, and an audio realization (linked to YouTube).
• The text and images in the PDF versions of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability. The music in the PDF versions of this text is machine readable through outside tools such as MuseScore.

Featured composers

1. Arias, Spencer: The Jester
2. Biedenbender, David: Swirl
3. Botti, Susan: Vespers (Walking in Beauty)
4. Bozone, Judy: Lyrah
5. Browne, Matthew: Saunter
6. Browne, Matthew: Tarantella
7. Bumgarner, Trevor: Choppy Frontier
8. Chen, Yi: Ban (Beat)
9. Davids, Brent Michael: Native American Étude
10. Flagello, Gala: Bulletproof
11. Grafe, Max: Fanfare With Afterimages
12. Herryman Rodriguez, Ivette: Tumbao Pesante
13. Jolley, Jennifer: Legend of the Moonlight Above
14. Joyce, Molly: Offbeat
15. Lamb, Alexis: Addolcimento (Sweetly, Softening)
16. Lambrecht, Lynnsey: Festive Fugue
17. Li, Shuying: Étude for Conductors
18. Lorenz, Ricardo: Estudio a Cuatro Voces
19. McCune, Sally Lamb: Pony Hollow Trail
20. Purrington, Hilary: Keepsake
21. Rowe, Will: Loose Canon
22. Sherwood-Gabrielson, Christopher: Last Waltz in Paris
23. Specht, Elena: Fortress
24. Tann, Hilary: Moonrise
25. Zare, Roger: Reverie

About the editors
Jonathan Caldwell, Lead Editor
Jonathan Caldwell is the director of bands and assistant professor of conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. Prior to his appointment at UNCG, Caldwell held positions at Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and Garner Magnet High School (Garner, NC). His writing has been published in the Journal of Band Research and the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. He has given presentations for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the College Band Directors National Association, the Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der Blasmusik (IGEB), and at music educator conferences in North Carolina and Virginia.

Derek Shapiro, Lead Editor
Derek Shapiro is the director of bands and assistant professor of music at Virginia Tech, where he conducts the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting. Prior to his appointment at Virginia Tech, he held positions at Eastern Michigan University, Georgia Southern University, and Cypress Creek High School. A strong advocate for music education with nine years of public school experience, Shapiro has taught at the middle school and high school levels. He has been published in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series and has presented at clinics in Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Virginia.

Suggested citation
Caldwell, Jonathan and Shapiro, Derek (2023). Original Études for the Developing Conductor. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts. https://doi.org/10.21061/conducting. Licensed with CC BY NC-SA 4.0.

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Accessibility statement
Virginia Tech is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Open Education Initiative is committed to continuous improvement regarding accessibility. The text, images, and links in the PDF versions of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability. Links to external websites are provided as QR codes. Audio recordings of each score are available as MIDI realizations via YouTube. Alternative text for scores and parts is scheduled to be available in late 2023. Please contact openeducation@vt.edu if you are a person with a disability and have suggestions to make this book more accessible.

Special thanks
This project was made possible in part by financial support from the University Libraries at Virginia Tech Collaborative Research Grant, University of North Carolina at Greensboro University Libraries’ Textbook Affordability Program (TAP) Grants, and additional funding, technical, and publishing support from the Open Education Initiative of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech.

Disclaimer
This work may contain components (e.g., composer headshots) not covered by the CC BY NC-SA license. Every effort has been made to clearly identify these components but ultimately it is your responsibility to independently evaluate the copyright status of any work or component part of a work you use in light of your intended use.