“…Responsibility is a necessary condition for the wholeness and fullness of life, and he who cannot assume it may be denied the greatest opportunity which life offers to anyone: to be a whole person, to be right with the world, to belong.”
Voices 12: Choosing Life With a Purpose by Robert K. Greenleaf
When I wrote The Conductor as Leader I scoured multiple resources, attended leadership conferences, and examined common conductor behaviors to see what would emerge as timeless principles of effective leadership, and then I applied those to our lives as conductors and musical leaders. I distinguished between managing and leading and through the discussions on persuasion (the antidote to coercion) and character, in particular, encouraged a model of leadership that focused on serving those we lead and on coming inward to our own self-awareness.
My yoga life started after this book was published and has been the perfect next step in my evolution of understanding how to lead. When asked if I would change anything if I wrote this book today, I say “no” (because these are still “timeless” principles), but . . . . Because we always need to adapt, I have been reframing my traditional choral rehearsals to meet and mitigate modern challenges through the process of making great music.
Yoga is a tradition of wholeness that teaches us to honor the self and others, to pursue consistent practice while letting go of the outcomes of our efforts, and to integrate strong body and strong mind to free the spirit and the possibilities we may not yet see. To take time to breathe, to discern without judging, and to celebrate even the small moments of awareness.
Life practices, yes. And leadership practices, as we learn to see our conductor role as an opportunity to lead towards whole.
Leading, by definition, is showing the way. Every time we step in front of the ensemble, we “show what we know,” and that extends well beyond musical pedagogy. Yes, we are there to teach music and prepare concerts, but our time together is rich with opportunity:
What if we started rehearsal by helping singers “land,” to settle into the room and the sacred space and time we have together. To pause in this busy world and take maybe the first full breath of the day.
What if during our breathing exercises we teach how to regulate ourselves by lengthening our exhales (to calm the system) or expanding our inhales (to generate energy for activity).
What if we taught our body architecture as an opportunity to ground our feet into the earth for security as we lift and lengthen our arms to expand to possibility, hope, and purpose.
What if we challenged singers to become aware of their impact on sound, of their agency; to notice what changes when they sing with real intention. To become aware of who is most important in this moment and honor that, to step forward when needed and to become a support when others take their turn to shine.
What if we taught them to persist, reminding them they have done hard things before and can do them again. With effort and ease in balance. To flow in and through the music.
We are all on a journey towards whole, whether we realize it or not. And the journey is influenced in countless ways, by many people, including musical leaders. Us. Can we reframe our leadership life as a “both/and,” creating excellent musical performances as we embrace wholeness as a thread, an inspiration, and a guide?
Dr. Ramona Wis is the Mimi Rolland Endowed Professor in the Fine Arts, Professor of Music, and Director of Choral Activities at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and the author of The Conductor as Leader: Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the Podium (and video course through Forward Motion, https://www.fwdmotion.org/sp-ramonawis-conductorasleader ). Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) and a certified Brain Longevity® Specialist. Find her at: or ramonawis.com.
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