When the conductor of an orchestra makes his or her public appearance at a performance, it isn't the beginning of his or her duties but more like the final moments of a long, challenging journey. The conductor of an orchestra does far more than wave a baton at professional musicians, although without that baton many performances would definitely suffer. An orchestra does not go into autopilot mode during a performance, even though individual members may know their parts flawlessly by that point.

The conductor of an orchestra may be involved in a number of creative and business decisions long before the performance season begins. A conductor could have some particular works in mind for the orchestra members to consider, such as programs dedicated to one composer or a series of guest performers. The conductor of an orchestra may also be involved in the auditioning process for new musicians, or else he or she may actively recruit professional musicians with whom he or she may have worked with in the past.

The conductor of an orchestra must also become intimately familiar with all of the musical pieces selected for the upcoming performance season. While an individual musician may only rehearse part of a musical score, the conductor of an orchestra must learn the entire score. The conductor of an orchestra functions as a traffic director for the various sections, so he or she must know precisely when each instrument enters the musical highway.

The conductor of an orchestra is also viewed by many as the public face of the orchestra, so he or she is often called upon to provide quotes for the local media or appear as a guest lecturer in music classes or club meetings. The conductor of an orchestra is often the focal point of promotional materials created by the sponsors of the orchestra. A good conductor is usually part promoter and part musical technician. The conductor of an orchestra may also have to be very diplomatic, since conflicts and disagreements could erupt during the rehearsal process.

The most important thing a conductor of an orchestra does, however, is conduct music. The arm movements a conductor uses during a performance may appear to be a lyrical reaction to the music, but to the musicians it means something completely different. The conductor of an orchestra controls many of the more subtle elements of music, such as tempo and dynamics. The basic timekeeping movements performed with the baton allow the musicians to know when to come in and how fast or slow to play. The conductor of an orchestra usually moves his arm down to indicate the first beat of a measure, then sweeps his arm left or right to indicate the second, third or possibly fourth beats. The last movement should bring the conductor's arm back up in time for the next measure's down beat. A conductor learns the basic timekeeping movements in special conducting classes, but he or she may modify them over time.

Another important element the conductor of an orchestra controls is dynamics. During a musical piece, the brass section may have to play a very loud introduction, immediately followed by a much quieter response. The conductor will encourage musicians to play louder or softer according to what he or she believes the composer would have wanted. The conductor of an orchestra may also point directly at a musician as a cue to crash a cymbal or strike a gong. While musicians may not need to watch the conductor directly all the time, they usually glance at him or her periodically to insure they are maintaining the proper tempo and dynamics for the piece.