The Armchair Conductor: How to Lead a Symphony Orchestra in the Privacy of Your Own Home

This little book--packaged complete with baton--is a trifle cutesy in places. But along with the whimsy it provides a surprisingly good basic course in conducting, from its history through "How to hold the baton," and simple conducting patterns. It's chock full of illustrations, jokes, telling anecdotes, and conductor biographies. If you've ever waggled a finger in time to the music while listening to the radio or a compact disc or secretly yearned to lord it over a symphony orchestra, you'll find something here to enjoy.