Teaching conducting for ABCD, Winchester, 2016
Every conductor deserves someone in their corner
Conducting can be lonely.
People see the performance.
They don’t see the decisions, the preparation, the self-doubt or the responsibility that comes with standing in front of a choir.
Having spent more than two decades conducting, teaching and mentoring, I understand those challenges because I’ve lived them.
My role isn’t simply to teach conducting.
It’s to help you become the conductor you want to be.
my experience
As a freelance conducting tutor, I work closely with the Association of British Choral Directors and share expertise with students on all levels of their national training courses. I teach conducting at the request of Schools, Music Hubs, Universities, International choral organisations and Festivals, and in my private studio from home. In 2005 I became a Doctor of Musical Arts (Choral Conducting and in 2020, as a result of the pandemic, I established Choral Leadership and Pedagogy (CLP), a successful online Conducting Course, which enabled me to engage with and share good practise with choral leaders from all over the world.
I have led conductor training for Master’s students at The Royal Academy of Music; Queen's College, Cambridge, Choral Scholar's Programme; the Royal College of Organists, Halle Youth Choir, Sing Ireland and Sherborne International Summer Schools, Surrey Arts, the Independent Society of Musicians and the Military Wives’ Association. I have established my own successful Choral Conducting Masterclass series, which has taken place in Surrey, Durham and London, and have mentored Directors with their own choirs (including Amabile Girls’ Choir, Soundbytes Choir, Surrey Hills Chamber Choir and Guildford Barbershop Chorus).
my approach
I always place the students’ needs at the centre of my teaching and strive to encourage, inspire, motivate and challenge students in a friendly, safe and non-judgemental manner. I have twenty years experience training young people and adults and fervently believe in addressing all areas of choral leadership, including
musicianship, aural training and vocal skills
beat patterns and kinaesthetic gestures
rehearsal techniques and how to get what you want!
score preparation
choosing appropriate repertoire
working with committees!
surviving auditions and interviews!
I am able to do this with reference to industry knowledge, encouragement and advocacy, relevant resources and signposting, thoughtful and practical advice, gentle guidance and good humour.
“The students were being encouraged, cajoled, enthused and enlightened by someone in whom I immediately recognised the rare talent of an instinctive and gifted teacher. Amy seemed to have that priceless ability to inculcate in her charges a feeling that they can do it. I had gone along mainly to observe the students but found myself captivated by Amy’s combination of inspirational motivation and thorough professionalism”
“It’s just a joy having you with us, you really do brighten our lives with your understanding, enthusiasm and care, the students love as I’m sure you know...”
“The workshop with Amy goes to the top of the list in terms of valuable CPD. Although I conduct many choirs, including at a national level, I have never really had any formal training and my conducting skills have developed and evolved over many years’ experience. Amy’s expert advice and calm guidance has really made me think about my conducting style and look again at my role in leading choirs. I have already started to put into practice some of the insights I gained from the workshop.”
previous Choral Conducting Masterclasses
2025, St Nicolas’s Church, Guildford, Sunday 21st September 2025, 10.15am - 5.30pm, with live Evensong at 4.30pm
This masterclass, designed for Intermediate/Advanced conductors, happily and quickly sold out! It’s purpose was to guide conductors to successfully lead sacred repertoire with organ, including Psalms and Preces & Responses, in a live Evensong setting. Members of Harlequin Chamber Choir were once again the capable and responsive ensemble for conductors to work with providing a safe and supportive environment. St Nicolas’s Church, Guildford, was the ideal venue, with Simon Gregory providing unfailingly supportive and artistically robust playing, and Father Neil presiding. All conductors did a wonderful job, each leading different parts of the Evensong service, which brought great musical satisfaction to choir and congregation alike. Our repertoire was as follows:
Repertoire
Good Night, Richard Rodney-Bennett
Abendlied, Josef Rheinberger
In Peace Eternal, Alison Willis
Psalm 63, Edward Bairstow
And I saw a new heaven, Edgar Bainton
Collegium Regale, Herbert Howells
Preces & Responses, Bernard Rose
Saturday 23rd June, 2018, Abinger Hammer Village Hall, nr. Dorking, Surrey
A plethora of new and well-known works were on the menu for all those joined us for this Intermediate-Advanced level masterclass. Holmbury Choral Society hosted the day, which featured Cecilia McDowall's A Fancy of Folksongs, Sarah Deere-Jones' Carmina Iocunda, Holst’s folksongs and other gems. Generous podium time including discussion on body language, gesture, vocal technique and rehearsal techniques was shared throughout the day, and everyone seemed to enjoy the event, including the picnic on the green!
Saturday 27th May, 2017, Brancepeth Castle, Durham
This event was a huge success with positive feedback from all involved. Due to demand, a further Masterclass took place on Sunday morning to accommodate those interested in taking part. In all, 14 conductors and 5 observers worked with Holmbury Choral Society and guests in the castle ballroom. Conductors received half an hour's podium time each with the choir. Repertoire was a varied mix including works from Mendelssohn's Elijah and by Gjeilo, Faure, Durufle, Lauridsen, Runestad, Copland and Seiber.
“I’d just like to say how much I enjoyed the day. Great location, great music, much more than capable singers who love what they do, sociable company... It was great to meet you and to discover, unsurprisingly, that all I’ve read about you is true. You have a great approach to your teaching. You are enthusiastic, encouraging and gently persuasive in the way you obviously know what you want to say, what the conductor needs to engage with and how to get the best out of them. It was also obvious that you tailored your responses to each individual separately, trying to use what they already have as a basis for development rather than having a general, generic agenda.”