Conductors Gone Wild?

Silvey, B., Springer, D. G., Greenbacker-Mitchell, A., Clark, C., Doshier, N., & Dubbert, A. (2025). How much is too much? Effects of unexpressive, expressive, and overly-expressive conducting on ensemble expressivity ratings. International Journal of Music Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/02557614251328171

Goldilocks could have been a conductor, there is definitely a “too much” zone of expressiveness! Find the “just right” zone, and stay there.

  • Overview

    This study explored how the style of a conductor—unexpressive, expressive, or overly expressive—impacts musicians’ perception of how expressive the ensemble sounds. The researchers wanted to know: can a conductor's gestures make an ensemble feel more (or less) expressive, even when the audio remains exactly the same?

    133 college-level musicians watched three videos with identical audio recordings but different conductor styles. Each participant saw all three styles (in different orders), and rated how expressive the ensemble performance seemed based solely on what they saw.

  • Summary

    Participants consistently rated the ensemble highest when conductors used expressive gestures—clear phrasing, eye contact, and musical face vibes. Unexpressive conductors (neutral face, robotic arms) were rated the lowest. (Not?) Surpringly, Overly expressive conductors (dramatic gestures and exaggerated faces) landed somewhere in the middle—above unexpressive, but below the sweet spot of just-right expressiveness.

    Ratings weren’t totally consistent across the board. The order in which the participants saw the videos mattered. In some cases, the conductor seen first was rated lower, regardless of style. In other cases, overly expressive conducting appeared more favorable if viewed after a less animated conductor. So, context and comparison played a role.

  • So What?

    As an audience member (or a judge?), what you see can affect what you hear! Expressive conducting can make your group sound better to those listening and watching. However, there is a point of diminishing returns. But where is the line?

  • Mike's Riff

    If you don’t already do so, you should attend conducting workshops! They are a great way to practice in a controlled environment, and to elevate your conducting into the “expressive zone” as defined here in this article.

    I think for some of us, we may take it too far into the “overly expressive” zone thinking that we are helping. I, myself am guilty of this for sure! But , everything in moderation. Strive to be expressive, but don’t scare anyone in the process.