There’s a lot of fun to be had in being a “hired gun” – a guest clinician invited to coach an ensemble, or offer feedback and insight. It’s fun to work with no strings attached and fix what you can without being on the hook for the long-term stress, logistical planning, etc.
But there’s a lot more fun to be had working with a consistent group every week, every day. The biggest piece is that with your own group, you are having an ongoing conversation about music and life. This conversation can’t be had when you’re a guest conductor attending to what’s right in front of you. But when you are in rehearsal week-in, week-out with the same group, you can build a rapport, inside jokes, references you can point to. A history.
Your group’s shared history enriches the music-making far more than any expertise you bring to the ensemble. That’s why you make better music with your own group than as a guest.