Countless people, even those with considerable experience, have said that orchestral sessions I conduct run more smoothly and deliver a better output than other people they’ve worked with. They’ve often asked me to explain how I do it.

In this course I plan to share some of my secrets for session success in the hopes that up-and-coming composers and orchestrators can benefit from my hard-earned experience.

Most conducting courses are unable to replicate the extremely high pressure, pace and stress of conducting film, tv and game orchestral sessions, where you may only have 3 hours to produce 14 minutes of music the orchestra has never seen before. With £20,000 on the line, and little time to rehearse, you need to communicate what you need, expertly and fast.

Also, many courses will only teach you a few basic beating patterns, whereas here you’ll learn multiple ways of conducting the same time signature, among other things, so that you can get a more nuanced output.

That said, if you’ve done a conducting course before, you’ll get more out of this course than someone who hasn’t.

But don’t just take Daryl’s word for it. Hear from students who did the inaugural course in September 2023, and the trial run version in November 2021.

Lack of conducting experience need not hold you back. Daryl will tailor his feedback accordingly. That said, you’ll probably find the course quite intense.

Even if you never conduct again, you’ll have a deeper understanding for what is achievable, or not, with live musicians, as opposed to samples. This will make it easier for you to compose music which sounds great, but is not a time-consuming, and thus expensive, nightmare to record.

These insights will also carry over into producing your music, or that of others. You’ll make better suggestions of things to try to get the sound you want, without unintentionally antagonising the musicians, which can backfire.

Hear from Wes, a Tonmeister graduate and experienced producer, who took Daryl’s November 2021 trial run course.

There will be a lot to learn. Daryl wants to create an environment where you feel comfortable making mistakes. The more eyes on you, the more stressful it will be. Conducting two pianists, in front of fellow students, is enough to convey the main points and prepare you for the final day in front of a sizeable orchestra.

On the podium, newish conductors are typically so focussed on technique, they miss other key data. Watching other students make and correct mistakes, while better understanding how visual cues work etc, will help you see things from the orchestra’s perspective, so the teaching will sink in more.

Also, Daryl wants to keep the course affordable for composers at the start of their career. The more professional musicians that are involved, the greater the cost.

Conducting your own music can make a previously out-of-reach project financially viable. You not only avoid the conductor cost, but also you avoid wasting time communicating what you want to a conductor who may not understand what you’re going for right away.

Alternatively, you can put the money you save into hiring more musicians to get a better result.

And, while this is NOT a composition course, taking it will likely make you a better composer. With a greater appreciation of how hard something is from an orchestra’s perspective, you’re more likely to avoid unnecessary levels of difficulty, and thus run smarter sessions.

“Having been taught by Daryl, I can more easily put myself in the orchestra’s shoes and have a better feel for what is likely to work well. I also tend to write more specifically with orchestral sections in mind, rather than just writing some chords and melodies. I stop and think about the flautist who is not going to want, or be able, to play 30 seconds straight without a space to take a breath.”

“Because I have a deeper understanding of how orchestras function, I know how to write better. The music has become more than a Bars & Beats counter on the screen. I feel the orchestra. This is particularly useful for someone primarily using samples, or whose main experience is looking at a screen while the music is played back through something like Pro Tools.”

This depends. Daryl wants to ensure the students will get enough out of the course, without being overwhelmed. To that end, he reviews each application personally and, if needed, will have a follow-up call with applicants to gauge suitability.

In 2023, he turned away one applicant who Daryl felt had too much experience, and many more who weren’t yet of a sufficient musical standard. The diversity of applications has him thinking he might offer a few other courses to address these skill levels.