What three things do you value most in ensemble leadership?
Asking myself today, I wrote down the following:
Kindheartedness
Growth
Musical Excellence
In order. The ensemble must begin with an emphasis on our humanity and interconnectedness. From there, the next most important value is growth: have the ensemble members grown from where they were last rehearsal, last month, last year. Finally, musical excellence: this is a core value and one to emphasize, but only in the context of the other values.
My hope is to both evidence these values as a leader and instill them in my students, so they carry them forward beyond our time together in ensemble.