Taken from an article by Christine LaPierre for the Mount Royal Conservatory

Did you know that participating in orchestra will teach your children important team-building skills that will last them a lifetime?

A good orchestra leader emulates what a good team leader does to keep his team focused on reaching their goal. Here are a few that I observed:

• He told the truth so the children knew exactly where they stood.
• He created a supportive learning environment.
• He had many different purposeful ways of doing this.
• He made it clear to them what each part of the orchestra was doing and brought it all together with synergy.
• He praised when it was due and used his facial expressions and body language to communicate his ideas in a consistent manner.
• When he gave admonishments, he did so in a positive, uplifting manner and the children responded with greater self-control.
• He encouraged them to try their best and how to overcome pitfalls.

As a leader, he made the children accountable for their role in the orchestra. After playing a difficult part of the piece, he asked, ”Does it work?” The children were able to assess themselves and their progress.