On Saturday night I led the cello section of London based Lambeth orchestra in a concert of Mozart and Beethoven, as our regular leaders were busy being talented elsewhere. It's the first time I've led a cello section since becoming a leadership coach, so I was wondering if what I've learnt about leadership in an organisational context works in the idiosyncratic world of an orchestra...... and for what it's worth here are my reflections on what I try and achieve:
1. Know the music
Count the bars rest, and come in at the right point, nothing is more unsettling for a string section than having a leader who isn't confident. (Counting is not my favourite job but someone has to do it.)
2. Spend time practising the semiquaver passages
If you expect the section to practice the really fast bits on their own time, you have to show you have practised too, by being able to play the fast bits yourself. (I like playing fast bits much more than I like counting.)
3. Do the bowings you say you're going to do
Ideally a string section's bows should all go in the same direction at any time. Where possible this should also reflect what the other string sections are doing. A section will follow their leader's bow. So don't spend hours writing the bowing in the music, and ensure everyone has the same bowing marked, then do something different because the mood takes you. (Sadly I am very guilty of this last point.)
4. Ask for help
There's a really tricky entrance in the final movement of Beethoven's 8th symphony, after 11 bars rest and a page turn. It's very exposed and really easy to get out of tune. We knew we would be so nervous about getting this bit right, then so relieved when it was over that there was a risk that in our excitement we'd stop counting entirely and miss the next entry. Everyone was worried, so I asked our conductor to give us a cue, which he did. (And yes we got the entry right- well done Lambeth cello section!)
5. Turn around
The leader sits with their back to rest of the section (which, thinking about an office context sounds very bad form.) In rehearsals it's tempting to turn around to pass a message back through the section only when we're playing too loud/too fast or in the wrong place. (It's exceptionally rare to have to tell a cello section they are playing too quietly!) Why not turn round to say well done too, and give feedback directly to the back desk, rather than relying on the cascade? They have the hardest job as they can hear/see the least, it can be miserable being at the back.
6. Don't leave anyone stuck behind a pillar
Talking of it being miserable at the back, when we got to the church the platform was far too small, cue endless shuffling of chairs. The further back you are the harder it is to hear and see, and it's harder still if you're stuck behind a pillar. Try and ensure everyone has visibility of you and the conductor, because if they don't, there's not a chance in hell you'll all be playing together. And what would Mozart and Beethoven think about that?
So I guess my version of leading a cello section, which might not be how anyone else does it, is pretty close to how I'd like to lead at work, (although I'd love a version of orchestra where I can see my section without turning round) - I want those around me to feel supported, I try to work on being good technically even when practising semiquavers on a saturday morning doesn't feel like fun, I hope to deliver what I say I'm going to and I really get upset if anyone gets stuck behind a pillar!
And as for the concert.... it went very well thank you, the pianist for Mozart's piano concerto no.25 was phenomenal although, yes, there was a small hiccup towards the end of the third movement. I have no idea, and I'm not sure anyone else does, of what went wrong, these things can happen. However, the minute the piece was over our conductor took full and public responsibility for it. He didn't have to, and that, to me, is great leadership. Mozart would surely have approved.
What is your version of great leadership? Leadership means so many different things to different people, as usual, far too many for this blog post. If you'd like to find out more about what you can get from working with a coach on your leadership style, email me at jennifermccanna@gmail.com and if I'm not the coach for you, I have a network of talented associates i can put you in touch with.
Glossary
Bow - the thing string players scrape across the string to make a noise
Conductor - the boss (answers only to the composer, most of whom are sadly deceased)
a desk - a set of 2 string players who sit next to each other and share music
Semiquavers - fast bits (mostly)
Jennifer McCanna
Certified Leadership Coach
If you like this blog you can follow me on twitter @jenthecoach
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