[HANASHIR:11296] RE: conductor's podium

[Adrian Durlester <adrian...>]

Rachelle:

In the many (20+ ) years I spent as a theatrical production manager,
technical director, designer et al I had the occasion to build, design or
purchase many conductor's podiums. Combined with my musical and conducting
experience, I think I can give you some information.

Constructing a podium  is not a task that should be taken lightly for one
primary reason: like choir and orchestra risers and staging, the load that a
conductor's podium will take is not a static load, but a dynamic one. The
conductor moves about, bounces, steps on and off, etc. All of this require
that it be built to withstand this kind of dynamic load without too much
deflection. (The generally accepted rule is that the top surface should not
deflect more than 1/8" of an inch under a dynamic load.) Assuming a basic
2x? construction with a 3/4" plywood top, this requires that no point on the
top surface be more than 16" from a support point. (Thinner plywood requires
closer support points, but I would never recommend anything less than 3/4"
plywood or its equivalent in newer style honeycomb materials. Never use
particle board-it is not designed to withstand dynamic loads and will
break.)

If the podium is to be carpeted on the top surface, then either a carpet
padding or piece of masonite should be placed between the carpet and the
plywood. In addition, use only industrial grade non-slip carpet with a very
low and tight knit pile.

The size of the podium is somewhat dependent on how much room you feel you
would need to safely work from it. If you move around a lot, use a guitar,
or sometimes place a chair on it, you would need a larger surface.

The height is also dependent on preferences and the physical layout of your
space. Generally, height is worked in 8" increments. If you are always going
to use the podium on one place, you can make one at a fixed height that
allows you to see what you need to see and for you to be seen by the choir
and musicians, without blocking too much of the congregation's view.
However, designing the podium to be of varying height is always desirable
and easily accomplished with adjustable or interchangeable legs and side
covers.

At my diminutive height, I always use a podium when I am conducting.
However, using a podium usually provides many advantages in line of sight
between conductor and performers. Try, for example, as a choir member,
looking at your music and trying to see the conductor's arms or baton over
the top. If you are standing on the floor and the conductor is as well, it
could be a problem. One of the best ways of determining the best height for
your podium would be to experiment with a few people pretending to be choir
members trying to read their music and also see you at the same time.

Hope this helps.

Adrian

Adrian A. Durlester, M.T.S.  - adrian (at) durlester(dot)com
http://www.durlester.com/
Director of Education, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA
education(dot)director (at) bethelhebrew(dot)org
Conference Chair, CAJE 27, Aug. 4-8, 2002, Trinity Univ., San Antonio, TX
caje27chair (at) caje27(dot)org
List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
shamash(dot)org
http://uahc.org/hanashir
adrian (at) ehavanashira(dot)org



  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at) 
shamash(dot)org]On
Behalf Of H & R Shubert
  Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2002 2:31 PM
  To: Hanashir
  Subject: [HANASHIR:11295] conductor's podium


  Anyone out there direct a choir perched on a podium?  I need to get one to
use with my temple choir, and am thinking of having one constructed and
carpeted to match the bimah.  Anyone have any suggestions -- dimension do's
and don't's etc?
  Rachelle