Technique is communication: the two words are synonymous in conductors.

Bernstein’s remark collapses the usual distinction between a conductor’s “technique” (beat patterns, cues, rehearsal method, clarity of gesture) and the deeper artistic task of transmitting musical intention. For him, technique is not a private virtuosity or a set of mechanical skills; it is the medium through which meaning is conveyed to an orchestra in real time. The statement also implies an ethical standard: if players do not understand what the conductor wants, the problem is not merely interpretive but technical—communication has failed. In this view, the best conducting technique is the one that makes the musical idea unmistakable, freeing performers to play with confidence and expressive unity.