The conductor stands at the center front so all of the musicians can see him. He leads the orchestra through the rehearsals and performances, guiding the musicians in the study, understanding and dynamics of the music. As the instrument sections perform their parts, the Conductor’s leadership helps to blend the music into the complete work.

The conductor sweeps his baton to demonstrate the tempo (speed of music), style (mood, articulation and volume control) and special entries in the performance. He can hear the entire orchestra much better than the individual players sitting in their sections. For instance, when all of the musicians need to finish the last note of the symphony at exactly the same time, they can all respond at once to the conductor's gesture.

His score is printed with the music for every instrument; therefore he knows exactly what harmonies the strings and woodwinds should be playing when the brass play the melody. Like reading from a book, the conductor is trained to interpret the musical score from the symbols and notations. Almost a partner with the composer, he can excite the musicians for powerful fanfares and sweetly cajole the sections for a delicate melody.