It Goes Far Beyond Beauty

What I learned from my first time conducting an orchestra (part 1)

“Remember who you are. Remember your purpose. Remember what it is that we are here to do on this podium.”

My teacher stood tall near the podium with the full orchestra waiting behind him, and he quickly glanced at the list of names he held on a small sheet of paper in his hands. He scanned the hall and his eyes eventually found mine. He gave a single nod to acknowledge his schedule. I heard my name echo through the hall as he called it out expectantly. My heart gave a singular pulse, then thumped along as I stood up straight and made my way to the stage.

It was a confident kind of walk. I was holding this inner commitment to openness and curiosity for moments yet to come. I had a general feeling of things going well, which came from either the optimism of genuine preparedness, or from a secret plan to survive by relying on a naive beginner's luck, or both.

At the front of the orchestra, I briefly stood next to my teacher. I greeted the concertmaster with a handshake, and stepped up on th…