Conductors Connecting with the Community (original) (raw)
Conducting Amateur Musicians: Leadership of Community Orchestras in the United States
Community orchestras are part of the cultural tradition in the United States. This study sought to discover the unique characteristics existing among such organizations and their conductors. A total of 160 community orchestra conductors from the United States received surveys questioning what types of community orchestras exist, what is the experience and education of the conductors, what are community orchestra finances like, what is their role in their individual community, What is the community orchestra’s role in education and How does the choice of literature performed compare with that of professional orchestras? The results of the survey indicated the presence of an active community orchestra culture. The community orchestra’s presence represents a significant artistic and commercial impact. The existence of such orchestras also provides a venue for new composers, obscure American composers, and leaders who are from various walks of life, with a love of music as the common denominator.
The paper is concerned with music programs designed for diverse people or populations facing barriers to participation. While studies in the fields of community cultural development, community music and participatory artmaking have embraced the complex work of aligning various stakeholder interests and outcomes as part of the creative process of collaboration in such contexts, there is notably less discussion of this process through the lens of classical music community outreach and engagement. As such, this paper provides small insights into how conservatoire trained professional musicians perceive this process when employed in regional and remote touring with major performing arts companies in Australia. Particular attention is focused on activities involving collaboration with rather than performance for the communities they visit. My analytic focus on musicians' perspectives recognises the absence of their voices in institutional reports of the benefits of regional and remote touring, pointing to the potential for this gap to be filled through future research. The paper analyses the narratives of two midcareer musicians as case studies, gathered through in-depth research conversations as part of a larger doctoral study. Although numerous studies have identified such programs as a growing employment avenue for professional conservatoire trained musicians, less attention has been paid to the potential observations and insights that might be gathered through investigating musicians' perspectives. This paper makes a small contribution by reporting musicians' reflections on their experiences of community collaboration when employed as part of a regional touring company.
Teachers as Artistic Directors: A praxis for a community responsive music pedagogy
American String Teacher Journal, 2024
The article aims to advocate for an expansive pedagogical paradigm among orchestra educators, one that transcends traditional curricular boundaries and aligns with the practices employed by professional symphony orchestras. It posits that educators in the musical domain ought to adopt the role of artistic directors, thereby fostering a more comprehensive approach to performance that includes engaging with the communities in which their students are embedded. This approach advocates for an integration of the methodologies utilized by professional ensembles that are known to enhance musicianship. Such a pedagogical stance not only transcends conventional instructional methods but also embraces a more integrated view of the musicians' identities, considering the multifaceted nature of their development as artists
2010
The purpose of this study was to explore the motivations of adults in choosing to participate in community orchestras. This paper identifies many of those motivations and examines the reasons and implications of why the adults in the study chose to continue to play in community orchestras. The investigation was conducted in 2007 via a case study of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, a community orchestra located in Northern New Jersey. The adults selected for interview were members of the orchestra. The responses were uniform: love of playing one's instrument, desire for musical challenge, inspiration for practice and commitment to the organization. There was virtually no difference in response from professional vs. non-professional musicians. The data is valuable in understanding the needs of middle-aged adult learners, informal learning practices and establishing goals for music educators in training students for community music involvement after high school. Community orchestra participation is a viable and active form of adult informal education. In the state of New Jersey, where this study was conducted, there are sixty-five ensembles listed with the Association of New Jersey Orchestras (www.anjero.org), only a handful of which are fully professional or youth orchestras. The existence of so many ensembles begs the question of what the motivations are of adults to participate in a community orchestra. Adult education is an area of music education research that has been generally overlooked by researchers, yet has the potential to provide much insight into understanding music learning (Mark, 1996). MENC: The National Association for Music Education (hereafter referred to as MENC) has called for an acknowledgment by music educators that they are training the adults of tomorrow, so insight into why adults pursue music as an avocation is critical in developing school curricula that looks beyond high school (Yarbrough, 2000). In addition, those in music education need to pay attention to the training of those teaching adult learners as music education students may eventually become community orchestra directors. Particular training is required in order to understand that segment of the learning population. Community music-making is more than a group of people passing their leisure time
Canadian Music Educators' Association, 2009
Music conservatories have played a historic role in (re)producing norms of music education and dynamics of social exclusion within the arts. What are the limits and possibilities of private music institutions such as conservatories to enact social justice in music education? This chapter describes the launching and development of a community outreach initiative within a conservatory of music in a large Canadian city from 2003-2008. This initiative was created with the goals of 1) increasing access to music education by offering free programmes in socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods and in partnership with social service organizations; and 2) catalyzing a process of institutional change towards heightened reflection on issues of access and diversity within the conservatory. In the chapter, we examine the major challenges, questions, and learnings experienced by the conservatory’s staff and teachers involved with this initiative, including community partnerships, programme planning, curriculum and pedagogy. Megan Boler’s pedagogy of discomfort is used to critique the traditional charity-based model of outreach. We draw on a recent outreach music programme, a 2008 summer youth internship, and feedback from the ten youth interns, to propose an alternative outreach model based on Lave & Wenger’s (1991) concept of communities of practice.
Nobody’s on the podium: The performance of conductorless orchestras
Conductorless orchestras have different performance dynamics to those of traditional orchestras which follow a unique leader. The idea of a rotating leadership predominates in conductorless orchestras, changing their logic of performance, and enhancing the potential engagement of each musician. This enhanced engagement is reflected in the musician’s satisfaction with playing in an environment which allows the interpretation of the music oeuvre to be shared between all members, and so reach the idea of consensus so well defended by Habermas in his Theory of Communicative Action. This paper addresses the elements of performance of conductorless orchestras, focusing on two orchestras: Persimfans, the first Russian conductorless orchestra (1922-1932); and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, a New York conductorless orchestra that has existed since 1972. Data was carefully collected from both orchestras, adopting Robert Stake’s Multiple Case Study methodology. Seven principles from the Dialogic Learning framework (developed by Flecha & CREA) were applied in order to test the unique characteristics of a conductorless orchestra. This study will show that the performance of such a complex ensemble is composed of many elements, such as the following: 1) New dynamics of rehearsal and the opportunity to allow an egalitarian dialogue. 2) Recognition by each musician of her/his power as an interpreter of the music. 3) musicians’ tolerance of each other and their capability to maintain a consensus despite differences of opinion. 4) New ways of communicating in performance, e.g. changing traditional geographies of the orchestra (and, consequently, having unusual acoustics outcomes). 5) The notion of solidarity among musicians, respect, and trust in order to play together. 6) The creation of a new meaning of the musical performance, and 7) Substantial personal transformation for each musician, and social transformation from this lesson of democracy through music’s collective performance.
Music and Leadership: the Role of the Conductor
Leadership is a social competence linked to the figure of the conductor of a music group (choir, orchestra, gospel, and big-band). In the case of leadership, this is a skill you can develop, as you can learn to be a good director. This paper presents a series of reflections that link leadership and musical conducting, establishing different types of music conductors and their functions within a band or a choir –in rehearsals and concerts-, such as personal dimensions, verbal level, legitimacy, emotional self-awareness, social awareness (empathy, organizational awareness, social skill (inspirational leadership, influence, conflict management, teamwork and collaboration) and self-management (emotional self-control, adaptability, achievement orientation and positive attitude). The paper also speaks about different styles of leadership (analyzed by the psychological and social models) applied to many kind of musical activities, such as authoritarian, semi-authoritarian, laissez-faire, democratic, visionary, organizer, affiliative, and coach leader.
2016
This report, commissioned by the League of American Orchestras, is the first systematic effort to review the record of those fellowships from the perspectives of the orchestras and the musicians who have participated in them. Until now there has been no single source for information about which orchestras conducted fellowships, when they were conducted, and how many musicians were fellows. This report answers important questions about what happened to fellows across all the programs after their fellowships were completed: Did they successfully compete for orchestra jobs? Did their careers take other paths? It also provides a view of their experiences as fellows: How did they benefit from the experience? What kinds of problems did they experience? Until now, no data has been collected that reflects the judgment of orchestra leaders and other experts about the dynamics of launching and managing a fellowship program. Through the frame of these fellowship programs, what can be learned a...
The choral composer/conductor collective: An ongoing experiment in musical self-governance
2016
OF DISSERTATION THE CHORAL COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR COLLECTIVE: AN ONGOING EXPERIMENT IN MUSICAL SELF-GOVERNANCE C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective and Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective are the first choirs to explore collectivity as a method of ensemble organization. While more traditional ensembles have a single artistic director, C4 and Triad share and rotate leadership responsibilities among the full membership. Artistic and logistical decisions develop through conversation, consensus, and/or voting. This monograph draws primarily on interviews with thirteen current and former members of the two ensembles as well as the author’s personal experiences with Triad’s inaugural concert cycle to present a narrative description of member characteristics, governance, and operational processes. Interview responses are compared to relevant and recent findings in business, psychology, and choral music education research, establishing connections with larger social trends toward collecti...
Show us the sound. The art of conducting
Leadership Vol. 7 (1): 51-71, 2011
We describe the leadership activities of symphony orchestra conductors with an aesthetic analysis. In contrast to a popular understanding of a conductor as an individual hero, we depict leadership as an ongoing relational process between the conductor and the musicians. Drawing on our field studies of four symphony orchestras and the literatures of music organizations, organizational aesthetics and aesthetic leadership, we develop three dimensions to study the leadership of conductors: relational listening, aesthetic judgment and kinaesthetic empathy. Our analysis contributes to leadership theory by emphasizing the importance of aesthetic elements, processes, embodiment and work practices.
Guest conductors and choir collaborations, reflections from Jonathon Willcocks.pdf
International Journal of Research into Choral Singing, 2019
The use of a guest conductor for large-scale, collaborative choral works is a common practice. It allows fresh insight into the performance of a work into which the guest conductor may have unique or expert insight. Working with a guest conductor can allow a fresh perspective for choristers and allow for the exchange of musical and pedagogical practices for the regular conductor. Such exchanges are not always successful, however, and egotism on the part of musical leaders can provide for tense situations which is harmful to the musical process. Jonathan Willcocks has emic and etic perspectives of numerous international and large-scale collaborative performances and reflects on projects that were enjoyable and in some cases problematic. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Jonathan’s reflections are explored to understand the manifestation of factors when a guest conductor is engaged for a performance. Implications for positive use of a guest conductor are discussed and recommendations made for efficacious interaction.
Addressing Community Concerns through Music
Music and Medicine, 2016
: Orchestras are responding to changing demographics and concerns regarding inequality, poverty, community trauma and racial tensions by developing innovative community programs. My purpose in describing the two contrasting programs below is to illustrate the difference in the orchestra players’ effectiveness if they team with professionally trained music specialists. I will demonstrate that using specialists, particularly music therapists, to help plan and implement community programs enables them to be more effective in addressing community concerns.Keywords: community programs, music therapists, orchestras, special needsSpanishIdentificando preocupaciones comunitarias a través de la músicaLas orquestas están respondiendo a los cambios demográficos y a las preocupaciones en relación a desigualdad, pobreza y traumas en la comunidad y tensiones raciales desarrollando programas innovadores para servir a la comunidad. Mi propósito a continuación es describir dos programas contrastant...
Performance Reviews for the Orchestral Musician
Australian Journal of Music Education, 2014
Musicians are appointed to positions in professional symphony orchestras-both rank and file and section principals-following a blind audition process. They perform set repertoire works and orchestral excerpts behind a screen. In many higher education programs, musicians focus on learning the orchestral excerpts and instrumental repertoire that they can expect in a blind audition. They practice performing. They seek as much experience as possible for this scenario by performing in competitions and applying for orchestral vacancies-using each audition as a learning opportunity. Once appointed, musicians are expected to maintain the level of musicianship to retain the overall level of orchestral playing. However, musicians in professional orchestras in Australia are generally not involved in regular structured performance reviews. This study explores the introduction of leadership training for section principals in Australian orchestras and the qualitative evaluation of musicians' skills. These two aspects are linked with performance reviews for section principals and rank and file orchestral members in the same way that workers in other industries are required to present for an annual performance review (including the managerial positions in Australian orchestras). An orchestra is an example of an institution with its own culture and levels of leadership, pursuing its operations in the industry marketplace. Musicians employed in orchestras are continually learning and developing their craft. Involvement in performance reviews within the orchestral setting challenges a musician to consider their identity within the orchestra and as an individual musician, together with career aspirations and apprehensions. Each musician needs to articulate their creative knowledge and skills (in both words and music) and refocus their experiential learning and knowledge transfer, appropriate to their current role or a potential career change in or outside music.
Nicholls, C.D. 2024. 'The Layout Helps' – Community Orchestra Performance Spaces
International Journal of Arts Management, 2024
Performance spaces play a significant role in enhancing audience experience and perception of concerts. However, unlike their professional counterparts, community amateur orchestras frequently make use of more humble municipal venues for their performances. This distinction is foregrounded in the present research reporting the experiences of two groups of audience members who attended concerts given by Australian community orchestras: one located in a metropolitan area performing in local churches, school halls and service clubs; the other situated in a regional country town performing in town halls and outdoor settings. Themes of space, proximity and viewership emerged explaining how artistic-social relationships act as powerful catalysts to promote both musical and community connection. The findings highlight the important audience development work community orchestras do and encourage both professional and community arts audience developers to re-consider the ways that space and relationships are mediated as part of thoughtful concert curation.