Editing Aaron Copland (section)

== Conductor ==
Although Copland studied conducting in Paris in 1921, he remained essentially a self-taught conductor with a very personal style.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=532}} Encouraged by Igor Stravinsky to master conducting and perhaps emboldened by Carlos Chavez's efforts in Mexico, he began to direct his own works on his international travels in the 1940s.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=533}} By the 1950s, he was also conducting the works of other composers, and after a televised appearance where he directed the New York Philharmonic, Copland became in high demand.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=534}} He placed a strong emphasis in his programs on [[20th-century music]] and lesser-known composers, and until the 1970s rarely planned concerts to feature his music exclusively.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=535–36}} Performers and audiences generally greeted his conducting appearances as positive opportunities to hear his music as the composer intended. His efforts on behalf of other composers could be penetrating but also uneven.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=538–39}}

Understated on the podium, Copland modeled his style after other composer/conductors such as Stravinsky and [[Paul Hindemith]].{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=536}} Critics wrote of his precision and clarity before an orchestra.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=536}} Observers noted that he had "none of the typical conductorial vanities".{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=537}} Copland's unpretentious charm was appreciated by professional musicians but some criticized his "unsteady" beat and "unexciting" interpretations.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=537–38}} Koussevitzky advised him to "stay home and compose".{{sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=533–34}} Copland at times asked for conducting advice from Bernstein, who occasionally joked that Copland could conduct his works "a little better." Bernstein also noted that Copland improved over time, and he considered him a more natural conductor than Stravinsky or Hindemith.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=533, 538}}{{sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=172}} Eventually, Copland recorded nearly all his orchestral works with himself conducting.{{sfn|Pollack|1999|p=535}}