Good ensemble teaching sometimes means completely relinquishing control.
I’ve been doing a lot of riding in the passenger seat with a training driver; having completed his Driver’s Training, he now has to log dozens of hours of driving before he can receive his unrestricted driver’s license.
The thing about this kind of driving is, he’s learning to drive. It’s my responsibility to anticipate situations as if I’m driving, calmly communicate them, and help him to safely drive as he learns. I have no access to brakes, gas, steering, or any other important control. I have to help him successfully by relinquishing control, even as I communicate and teach.
I think this perspective – of being out of control, even as you guide someone – is a great way to think about effective music teaching. There are those who seek Control with a capital “C” over their ensembles, and that can be a great solution in the short term. But just as I don’t want to be in the passenger seat forever while my son drives, I don’t want my students to be reliant on my control to be successful. I have to relinquish control, so that they can learn.
I have to keep communicating, teaching, guiding, but I can’t keep controlling.