Provide a range of musical opportunities. Consider whether students could lead part of a rehearsal, host a concert, or run a more extensive project. Having a wide range of opportunities gives students of different ages or stages the chance to take on a leadership role.
Train students in leadership. Help them make the most of these opportunities. Arrange a session in which you talk through key leadership goals and tips.
Model good leadership. This is particularly relevant if you're aiming to have a group of leaders. Hopefully, they will have sat in your rehearsals, lessons and concerts long enough to know what you do. But it might be worth discussing, as a group, what good leadership looks like.
Inspire them to lead. Students won't necessarily think of leading a project unless they are inspired to do so. Share a vision with them, get them on board, and then hand the baton over.
Plan ahead. Start a student leadership group within your school, so that you have pupils ready to go. Use this group to get ideas for future projects and then get them on board with leading these. Give specific roles to students and make sure that they have their own vision.
Allow for mistakes. If students are going to learn from experience, they must be free to make mistakes – they aren't going to get it right first time. The challenge, therefore, is balancing this against not letting a project or rehearsal fall apart. Always remember that your students are young and need support. It is also important they realise that, despite your training, you too stumble from time to time!
Use a dep. Next time you are out on a course, or away from school, leave a student in charge of a rehearsal. This is a great chance for them to lead and grow in confidence. You can guarantee that the students in the rehearsal will be pleased that it isn't cancelled.
Use sectional deps. To try potential leaders, get them to run sectional rehearsals. You might start with the whole orchestra or choir together, then break off into different spaces, leading the students to run these. This allows you to keep an eye on things generally while giving them a chance to practise conducting.
Provide practical support. Support your leaders with all the things that you like when you lead. Make sure that they have the chairs out, sound system ready and sheet music sorted. Remember that, as students, they won't necessarily think of everything, so fill in the gaps – but wait for them to ask, as you'll never know how ready they are otherwise.
Be the back-up. We all know what it is like to struggle and feel exhausted. It's inappropriate for young leaders to reach this point. While we want them to learn through mistakes, we don't want to put them off! Sustain them by supporting them, training them and being there to take over when they need a break.
