Conducting has more to do with singing and breathing than with piano-playing.
Most musicians count at the beginning, and never count and talk to their musicians after that. They only talk to them at the end of the song. But I would count with them and talk.
Conductors must give unmistakable and suggestive signals to the orchestra - not choreography to the audience.
I think conductors do spend too little time with their orchestras.
Good conductors know when to push and when to lay back. I've known so many great conductors that I'm still doing what I can to learn the craft of this role.
There's nothing worse than working with an orchestra who looks down on working with a conductor who doesn't want to conduct for you. You need to be with an orchestra that can follow you and respect you.
An orchestra knows during the first two minutes of the first rehearsal whether or not they are going to enjoy the person on the podium.
So many times, I've seen conductors that, every time they have a thought, they stop the orchestra and say it, and I can see the orchestra rolling their eyes and saying, 'Oh, God, he stopped again.' So there's a technique to rehearsing.
