Cultivating Leadership through Teaching Skills: Pedagogical Training for Sinfonía por el Perú Youth Symphony Orchestra Principals

Author: Carlos Arrivillaga
Edited by: Deborah Wanderley dos Santos

The Academy of Impact Through Music, in partnership with The Global Leaders Institute, are strengthening the global music education community by providing a platform for AIM Firebird alumni to share their impactful global case studies, aiming to foster knowledge exchange and inspire further innovation in music education worldwide.

AIM is proud to be a partner of the Global Leaders Institute.

INTRODUCTION

Sinfonía por el Perú (SPP) is a non-profit organization led by tenor Juan Diego Flórez, dedicated to creating a social impact on children and youth throughout Peru through music. It currently serves over 6,000 beneficiaries across 10 regions of the country. SPP offers various programs and music groups, including choir, orchestra, early music, band, Peruvian traditional music, lutherie, and special education.

SPP’s orchestral program is centered at its main site, Central Cast, where distinguished young musicians receive advanced training. The SPP Youth Orchestra is the most advanced group within the program. There, students experience a glimpse of what the dynamics of a professional orchestra are like, preparing them to consider music as a viable career option.

I have worked as a Double Bass teacher with this Youth Orchestra since 2016. The artistic level of the orchestra has been internationally recognized, with performances at festivals such as the Lucerne and Salzburg Festivals.

In Peru, it is common for young people to begin seeking work and generating income to help support their families once they reach legal age. SPP provides them with the opportunity to consider music as a career; however, job opportunities for talented young musicians are limited due to the small number of professional orchestras in the country. Given this reality, I approached this Action Research with the question: What additional tools can we provide these young people, beyond playing their instruments well, that would help them in the future job market?

My immediate response was to focus on developing teaching skills. This led to the creation of a pedagogical program experiment, where I gathered the leaders of each orchestral section and, through a series of didactic and practical classes, we developed basic pedagogical skills to equip them to teach their instrument or any other skill they master. This experience also provided practical teaching opportunities for the students, allowing them to gain hands-on teaching experience.

VALUE-ADDED CONCEPT

Effective teaching depends on a teacher’s ability to observe and assess students objectively, communicate ideas clearly, and create structured, well-organized learning environments that foster engagement and growth.

When I first conceived the idea of teaching these young people pedagogical tools, I asked myself: What does a teacher need to teach? What skills make a good teacher? I condensed the answers into three fundamental skills. A good teacher has the ability to observe their students objectively—without bias or preconceptions—and to take action based on what they observe. They also know how to communicate what they intend to teach effectively, both assertively and clearly, to ensure students have a meaningful learning experience. Furthermore, a good teacher knows how to facilitate the learning environment in a structured and fluid manner, which reflects good lesson planning.

In this Action Research (AR), I focused on teaching these three fundamental teaching tools: Observation, Communication, and Lesson Planning. These tools, once internalized, can be applied at any level of teaching. I began experimenting with the youth orchestra leaders, and the results started to show from day one, as the students engaged in self-reflection on the importance of teaching music and the role of lesson planning. Below is a summary of the skills and activities performed during this experiment:

After this experience, we continued to observe how these leaders had changed the way they communicate with their peers in the orchestra. I noticed they are now more confident in taking action and making corrections on the spot. Based on their testimonies, several have developed a genuine desire to pursue teaching. A particularly notable case is the trumpet section leader, who discovered a true passion for teaching through this project and began to view it as a potential career. In fact, he applied for and was selected for AIM’s 2023–2024 Firebird Fellowship and is currently a Firebird in training.

Therefore, this project could be extended to all young people in the youth orchestra, providing them with new tools for personal growth as musicians and creating a space for them to experience teaching. A core program could be developed to address pedagogical tools applied to music teaching. This program could be structured as a laboratory where students can experiment, create, and expand their knowledge. Based on the evidence from this AR, we know that the implementation of this project is feasible. The ideal outcome would be to develop a pool of young, highly skilled musicians equipped with solid pedagogical tools and teaching experience that can contribute to the growth of the program.

The VAC program offers valuable transferable skills for those not seeking professional careers in music. It emphasizes leadership, communication, and teaching—skills that are essential in many fields. Participants learn to take initiative, make informed decisions, and solve problems in real time—skills that are highly applicable in environments ranging from education to business. The program also fosters self-confidence, collaboration, and mentorship, empowering participants to lead teams, support others’ development, and build strong interpersonal relationships. These experiences are valuable assets in educational, corporate, and creative industries alike.

IMPACT AND IMPLEMENTATION

The impact of this experiment on these young people has exceeded expectations. Initially, I worked with a group of students focused solely on practicing and playing their instruments well, without considering other ways they could contribute. These students now have practical tools for teaching, which have significantly increased their decision-making agency. They applied these tools in real situations, such as planning and leading row workshops for a concert. Their instrument teachers observed their development and assessed key skills—such as observation, planning, and communication (see Annex for data). In all cases, their progressive improvement was evident from the first day of the workshop to the last. This was further demonstrated by the success of the final concert. Additionally, students were able to reflect on their work by watching the concert video and considering how they could improve for future workshops. This shows the students’ growth in both agency and reflective capacity.

To elaborate further on the implementation process for this experiment:

1. Observation:
   1. Students analyzed videos of other classes indicating their similarities and differences;
   2. They were encouraged to observe their own environment more closely; 
   3. They engaged in activities such as observation tests and coordination exercises.
2. Communication:
   1. “The ‘We All Learn’ Challenge”: Without using verbal communication, each student had to teach a classmate who had never played their instrument and teach them at least 5 notes. 
   2. Musical communication:  Then, classmates composed a piece of music with the notes they learned on the new instrument. 
3. Planning:
   1. Students planned in detail a trip to a place they had always wanted to visit.  This exercise gauged what type of planners they were, whether they were more focused on the itinerary, or more focused on the development of activities. 
   2. In the next step, students planned an hour of personal study in as much detail as possible.  At this stage, the students learned and experimented with different approaches and techniques for teacher planning. 
   3. They planned a one-hour individual or group lesson following a model with a description of objectives, planned activities, timeline, teacher’s actions, students’ actions.
4. Teaching practice:
   1. Each participant delivered five two-and-a-half hour supervised workshops focused on further developing their observation, planning and communication skills. 
   2. For the final project, students were responsible for planning and executing a complete lesson, followed by a final reflection on what they had learned, and what to do in the future based on this last lesson. 

This experiment is currently serving as the foundation for the development of a pedagogical laboratory for core teachers within the SPP program. Here, the three core skills will be taught in a structured, didactic manner, alongside other activities that align with the institution’s training principles.

The described experiment lays the groundwork for a pedagogical laboratory within SPP, offering a developing framework that could incorporate proprietary methodology. To formalize this, the three core skills, along with additional activities, can be structured into a repeatable process that reflects SPP’s unique teaching philosophy. Once codified, this methodology can be differentiated from other teaching models, making it proprietary.

To expand its impact, the program could be aligned with established educational or musical training models, demonstrating how it complements or enhances broader pedagogical approaches. This alignment would not only enhance the program’s credibility but also increase its potential reach across different educational settings. Additionally, there is a clear revenue opportunity for SPP. By developing this framework into a scalable program, SPP could offer consulting services or training to other organizations seeking to enhance their teaching methodologies. Licensing the framework, or offering workshops and certification courses, could generate additional income streams while promoting SPP’s innovative approach to a wider audience.

CONCLUSION

Through the implementation of this pedagogical program, students learned three essential teaching skills: observation, communication, and planning. We observed growth in their agency, decision-making capacity, and their awareness of how to continue improving their teaching skills. Students now act as leaders and catalysts for good practices in rehearsals, demonstrating excellent teamwork and strengthening their community with their peers.

In an organization like SPP, which serves many beneficiaries, tapping into the experience of advanced students from the top-level orchestra can significantly enhance the sustainability and intellectual growth of the program. Therefore, we conclude that a teacher training program within music programs can expand leadership capabilities, strengthen student communities, and prepare young people for opportunities applicable to various career fields.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Sinfonía por el Perú for providing the space to carry out this project. I am profoundly thankful to the musical director and management of Central Cast, as well as to the teachers of the cast, for their invaluable collaboration and commitment. I would also like to extend a special thank you to AIM for all the support provided, without which this project would not have been possible. Thank you all for your contributions in making this initiative a reality!

ANNEX

Click here to download a Full Action Research

AIM Firebird Case Study and more resources, go toartsinaction.org