Fostering Musical and Personal Agency

With the goal to create personal and musical agency in choral conductors, this chapter discusses the application of constructivist principles to choral pedagogy and the teaching of an undergraduate conducting class. In addition to teaching the requisite conducting skills, reflective practice, meaning making, and problem solving were included to foster habits of mind to prepare students to eventually conduct their own ensembles. Undergraduate students in their first conducting class provided the data, which included reflective journals, in class feedback, along with the teacher’s reflective memos. The chapter describes how conducting students navigated the challenges that called upon their previous experiences as ensemble members and their prior musical knowledge. In the end, conducting students expressed feelings of confidence and empowerment that suggested they had achieved both musical and personal agency.