This action research qualitative study explores a community medical orchestra as a site of experiential learning and pedagogical innovation in graduate orchestral conducting education. Composed primarily of healthcare professionals and trainees who participate for wellness and enjoyment, the medical orchestra offers a nontraditional environment in which graduate conducting students refine leadership, communication, and reflective skills through iterative cycles of action and reflection. Faculty and student conductors collaboratively examine rehearsal strategies, engagement methods, and adaptive leadership approaches to enhance both learning and practice. Drawing on the protégé effect--the phenomenon in which teaching and facilitating others deepens one's own mastery--this study investigates how guiding a community ensemble reinforces conductors' understanding of musical, interpersonal, and pedagogical principles. Date from reflective journals, faculty observation, and group discussions were analyzed thematically to inform ongoing improvement. Finding highlight the development of empathetic leadership, adaptability, and relationship awareness, demonstrating how community-based, arts-in-health engagement can expand conductor preparation toward a more human-centered and socially responsive model of musical leadership.

Authors:
Matthew Brooks, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States
Peter Nelson, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Matthew Brooks is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Activities in Music & Medicine at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (USA) where he conducts the multiple orchestras, teaches graduate-level orchestral conducting, and oversees music and medicine activities.

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