Lessons from my conducting debut

Conducting an orchestra is like leading a dynamic company. I learned this first hand at the Music Paradigm this past week. This amazing experience is the creation of world renown conductor, Roger Nierenberg. Here are a few takeaways I experienced:

• Listen from a different angle – This was my first experience sitting inside the orchestra – It was amazing! But I realized it does not sound as good when sitting in the audience (or the conductor stand). I realized the horns on the left side did not hear the same full effect as the Cello on the right side. They all looked to the front to receive the direction from the conductor. When you are in an organization you hear and see what is around you and receive instructions from the top. Not everyone can stand at the front and conduct. What would happen if you moved around and traded places with an oboe? Would you have a better understanding of what they do and hear? When you went back to your position, you may view the orchestra and sound in a different way. It is always good to move around once in a while to hear things a little differently.
• Find the sweet spot – There is a fine line to walk between giving too much direction or not enough. He conducted the same song twice. First, with little direction and enthusiasm and the second with overpowering force and exact direction. By talking to the orchestra after each song he was able to learn that after the first song they would prefer more direction and for the after the second song they felt micromanaged and unable to reach their full-potential. The key was communicating and receiving feedback on his style. By communicating he was able to better adjust his approach and find the sweet spot to lead.
• The dynamics of a team – One of my favorite instruments is the violin. Roger did a few exercises with the section of 4 violins to show their team dynamics. When someone did not play as well or played to their own tune it still sounded okay. Each time the three other team members were able to adjust to carry the team. Ofcourse, it sounded best when they all played in perfectly harmony. The lesson was that things do not fall apart if you have your own style or someone on your team is slack. Hopefully, you have a team that works together to balance out your style.
• Leading without a leader – For two songs, Roger walked away. What was the orchestra to do? They were given a song and asked to lead without a conductor. There was a moment of hesitation, and then they knew what to do. One person took the lead (as expected it was the first chair violin) and then the teams began to lead each other. You could see their eyes straying away from the music sheets and towards the first chair violin or the teams around them for direction, however, they were reliant on each other and not the conductor in the front. A successful company is able to still function without a leader.
• Every small move makes a difference – I actually had the chance to go on stage and conduct the orchestra (with Roger’s help, ofcourse). With Roger leading my hand I was able to conduct a full orchestra. When asked what it was like, I could only sum it up as, “magical!” Standing in the front where all the sounds come together in perfect harmony was a powerful experience. Before we started conducting he let me in on the plan that we were going to have smooth movements. He noticed earlier that the orchestra had the tendency to hit hard notes and wanted to smooth that out. I could hear with the slight move of my hands how the orchestra would change their tempo. It made me realize that a good leader can see and hear everything fits together at the top and adjust accordingly with the smallest movement to make everything come together


This was an amazing experience that has changed the way that I look at leadership, dynamics of a team and orchestras! All the lessons from The Music Paradigm are soon available to all in Rogers upcoming book, Maestro: A Little Story About Leading by Listening. This is published by Portfolio and will be available on October 20, 2009. I have already added it to my wish list!

*Click on photos to enlarge. Photo’s by Glenn Wasserman.

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