3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Within their daily work, musicians exercise leadership in countless ways. Indeed, some of the most basic skills that musicians develop as part of their training—deep listening, responsiveness, flexibility, respect for and reliance upon the work of others, and the ability to give and respond to criticism, to name but a few—are also foundational to the cultivation of effective leadership behaviors in many walks of life. In this course, we will consider the many ways in which the work of musicians intersects with the work of leadership. How do we lead as musicians in both traditional and non-traditional contexts, and how might the leadership behaviors that we develop as musicians be applied to other aspects of our lives? How have leaders in other fields been informed by music and the work of musicians and how might their perspectives help us to deepen our understanding of the impact and relevance of our work? What can we learn from historical models of musical leadership, what does effective musical leadership look like today, how might musicians realize their capacity as agents of leadership within their communities? These are among the central questions that will occupy our attention in this course. Our work will be supported by readings from a wide range of writers including Xenophon, Plato, Hamilton, Charles Ives, and Thomas Mann, case studies of historical musical leaders, and conversations with a series of guest speakers. Throughout the semester, students will develop the habit of “sketching” leadership through a series of short writing exercises that will build towards a final project and presentation.