Leadership

       Leadership in all disciplines must come from a place of love; this love may be of the discipline and/or the leader’s personal connection to this discipline, their students, colleagues, or peers, the act of leading in itself, or the connection leadership creates to something larger than oneself. To be a leader, regardless of context, one must value the process over the end result and the students’ learning during this process. This especially applies in music leadership; a true leader in music understands that a student’s confidence, understanding and appreciation of repertoire, relationships between musicians, et cetera are far more valuable than an assessment score or chair placement. A leader promotes a healthy, safe, and comfortable environment for all, creating a space where students can be vulnerable and real with the leader and with one another, thus enabling them to learn and grow as much as possible. Music can easily foster this environment; for many, it brings out our most vulnerable and emotional sides, as art can reach a place within us that nothing else can. A leader in music also values the opinions of others, offering opportunities to share ideas with one another and learn perspectives that may be entirely different from our own. Music is subjective, with no right or wrong way to learn or teach, and understanding others’ approaches to the subject and the role it plays in their lives is often far more valuable than learning from a textbook. Whether one holds a title of leadership (i.e. a band director), is the principal player in an ensemble, or simply wants to set a good example by being a leader in their music class, the values they must hold come from their love for music and spreading this love to others through education. 

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