Central to the Toscanini conducting technique is what has been called “the singing stick” though it is by no means limited to the baton and is relevant to
both choral and orchestral conducting.

Put simply it can be described as complete integration of body movement combined with the use of the baton as an instrument, enabling the conductor to freely, clearly, and expressively convey the music.

Toscanini himself never taught but it was Leon Barzin, principal viola in the New York Philharmonic and also a conductor, who analysed his technique and taught it to a generation of conductors in the United States.

Barzin said of conducting technique:
“Co-ordination means absolute control from the tip of the toe to the very end of the stick, so that no motion of any part of the body may confuse the musical content of the score. A definite sign of a conductor's lack of co-ordination is his need to explain all his meanings through speech rather than through his stick during rehearsal periods.

There is no question that a certain amount of speech is needed. But if you talk to your violin all day it will not play the passage for you. You must create the sound, the precision, the interpretation. So should the baton. It saves a great deal of time. The average orchestral musician is a sensitive human being, who reacts to the slightest motion, even that of a muscle, if it is intended to convey a musical message."