One needs only to watch Gustavo Dudamel conduct Beethoven, that wild current of curls atop his head ready to break free into flight with each penultimate crescendo, the warning furl of each brow forecasting a tempo change, to understand that there's more to conducting an orchestra than waving a baton around.

It's leviOsa, not levioSA. (Source)

A gifted conductor phrases the music, brings out tiny nuances, and builds bold themes that would otherwise go unnoticed or unadorned. The conductor makes sure these are babied and lavished with attention and can turn an otherwise good or even banal performance into something spectacular and magical.

For the orchestra—that is always trained on its fearless leader—sometimes it's following the baton or a shoulder shrug, or in Dudamel's case, it's often in a look or a furrow of his eyebrows. He actually sees the music. He conveys each movement, each note, every gesture with a smirk, a scowl, or a gasp and the orchestra, in turn, plays the piece through his eyes.

Without a conductor, the Philharmonic—any Philharmonic—is merely a band.

Conductors are also referred to as musical directors. Much like a film director, the orchestra conductor is in charge of every aspect of delivering a piece through his interpretation of it. Instead of actors, he has cellos and bassoon; violas and violins; flutes, timpani drums, and flugelhorns.

If you yearn to become an orchestra conductor, prepare for plenty of education in music—which actually shouldn't be too bad considering your love for music. Don't love music? That's fine. There are plenty of other careers out there.

But we're here to talk about what it's like to work as an orchestra conductor—so let's get back to it. Where were we? That's right—education and training.

You'll go through years of private lessons and formal classical music education classes that will teach you how to perform in an orchestra, as well as how to understand the complexities of music theory. Plan on majoring in music and hitching your wagon to a mentor.

All conductors start out as musicians themselves. Leonard Bernstein was a famous pianist and composer before he took on duties of conducting the New York Philharmonic.

Arturo Toscanini played the cello and piano.

Dudamel even played the violin before picking up the baton at twelve years old—the conductor was out sick—and he never put it back down.

Before having an orchestra handed over to you, expect to put in your time as an assistant or apprentice conductor. You'll work long days learning from your master. You'll spend your time rehearsing, studying the score, and getting to know each and every one of the musicians who will be looking to you to lead. Only then—if you're well liked and show promise—may the baton eventually be handed over to you.

While a conductor doesn't need to be able to play every single instrument in an orchestra, he or she does need to know how each one should sound. Conductors also—this seems like a given—need to know how to expertly read a score and to be able to conduct it to get the best performance possible from everyone.

Because for the rest of us, it's like staring into the Matrix. (Source)

You'll want to stay in shape and keep you upper body muscles strong. You'll have to keep your arms moving over your head for over two hours at a time, so if your arms get tired after doing the wave at a ballgame, you may want to hit the gym.

You'll also be expected to be the face of the orchestra. Having a flamboyant personality—in addition to prodigious talent—doesn't hurt. Being charming also is a plus. Hopefully you're a talented schmoozer, as you'll have to convince and cajole donations from wealthy patrons of the arts at benefit concerts and soirees from time to time. After all, it costs money to stage productions, and while musicians may love what they do, they're not working for free.

No, being a people person isn't absolutely required, but it will certainly help.

You also need to have a good eye for picking out music that your subscriber base will want to pay big bucks to hear. It may be great that you have a personal thing for the atonal sounds of Schoenberg, but will the audience be into it?

Time for another round of our favorite game: Shoenberg composition, or Fluffy wandering around on the keys? (Source)

You'll always be learning about and studying new composers and new musical scores, and working on new ways to interpret the classics—Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Ravel, and Mozart. No matter how many times a piece is played, you'll be required to bring something new to the performance.

You'll need to have superb managerial skills. After all, you're leading an orchestra.

You're also responsible for hiring guest musicians who will attract a crowd and deliver stellar performances of the music you choose. You are—for all intents and purposes—the boss.

The bottom line is that you must live and breathe music to do this job—but that's not quite a surprise, right?

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