Page 296 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

In the course of our work as professional coaches teaching coaching and leadership skills across the
Education, Arts and Business sectors, we instinctively felt that the kinds of training we were sharing could
be adapted to the needs of performing musicians to create a more positive culture, enhance well-being and
reduce stress. Drawing on decades of experience working with international orchestras and with the benefit
of our Guildhall School-funded research, we first surveyed the UK orchestral sector - with the prior
agreement and full support of the orchestra managements and Musicians Union - inviting principal players
and section players to share their experiences of leadership in an orchestral setting.

We received responses from 23 section players and 15 principal players across 10 different UK orchestras
(from chamber through to opera orchestras). Our research findings told us that principal players, especially
string players, with up to 15 individuals in a section, often felt overwhelmed in terms of their responsibilities
and duties both on and off the stage. Some of the things principal players liked least about their role
included; 'Expectations of perfection from others and a feeling of isolation', 'Personnel Issues', 'Politics and
meetings and emails all the time.' Yet those responsibilities and duties were mostly assumed and rarely
detailed in a job description or set out formally.

Furthermore, the responses from section players only reinforced principal players’ instinctive sense of there
being a very long list of unspoken expectations from their section colleagues. Just a few of these examples
included, 'Interest in section players, listening musically and other, sense of humour, reliability and fairness',
'…- making sure of bus times.. –', 'The ability to hear ideas and concerns and pass them on as appropriate',
'Musical Guidance. Passion. Odd bit of encouragement. Positive criticism'. Our research revealed that the
combination of musical and non-musical leadership requirements placed upon principal players could be
overwhelming. The data, when seen in black and white, came as a jolt. Having said this, principal players
were unanimous in feeling highly competent to execute their musical leadership skills. It was the non-
musical leadership demands of the role which drained them because they did not feel sufficiently upskilled
to carry them out as effectively and efficiently as they would like.

Two responses summed it up well:

'I’m a very very cautious person when it comes to the politics of sections as I never want to be upset or upset
others as my playing might pay the price. That’s what matters to me most at the end of the day. Politics
don’t matter when you’re playing all alone in the Royal Festival Hall!'

'It is apparent that to be a principal player you need to be a fabulous musician but leadership skills are not
taught and do not always come naturally.'

These findings inspired us to devise a non-musical leadership training programme specifically tailored to the
needs of professional orchestral musicians. The findings also helped to craft the content for our musician-led
training programme and have continued to inspire us to pursue further research in the light of our learning.
Our next research project looks at how orchestral institutions might define principal player roles and
responsibilities more effectively, refining existing approaches to player management and leadership.

We ran a pilot Leaders on Stage course in November 2020, and since then have run periodic ‘surgeries’ for
participants. The next course runs from October through to December this year and will be delivered on
Zoom, with six sessions across six weeks. Participants may choose between a Monday evening or Thursday
morning for each session, providing a choice for principals who are now, thankfully, managing busy diaries
again. For more information and to book a place, go to Guildhall School’s website. We’ve had some
fantastic feedback from participants:

"'Leaders on Stage’ was an eye opener. It helped structure my thoughts around what excellent orchestral
leadership is. …. It gave me a variety of tools to help deal with sticky situations, from interpersonal relations
to fostering a better overall working atmosphere. It also showed me that issues I grapple with are by no
means mine alone, and this was the first time I ever had the chance to air some of these with others in
similar positions!'