Leadership in musical conducting: curriculum analysis and teaching proposal

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v19i37.8604

Keywords:

leadership, musical conducting, higher education, artistic education

Abstract

Leadership is a key competency for musical conducting, encompassing group management, conflict resolution, and maintaining team cohesion, in addition to technical skills. Leaders in this field must foster an environment of trust and motivate musicians to actively participate in the interpretative process.

The objective of this study is to examine the inclusion of leadership subjects in the curricula of higher music conservatories in Spain. To this end, current legislation and study plans have been reviewed. Although Royal Decree 631/2010 recognizes the importance of leadership as a transversal competency in artistic education, the results indicate that there are no specific subjects on this topic in conservatory programs. This lack of training limits the ability of future conductors to manage teams and face the challenges of direction. For this reason, the inclusion of a leadership subject is proposed to provide future conductors with the necessary tools to perform their work effectively.

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Author Biographies

Miguel Ángel Mateo Gijón, Ministerio de Defensa, España

A military bandmaster in the Armed Forces and head of the Music Unit of the Madrid Marine Corps Group. A conductor, composer, pianist, and educator, he received a solid education at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid and holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of A Coruña. He has pursued his career in the Military Music Corps since 2005, combining conducting with teaching and research. His work focuses on musical leadership and the training of conductors, fields in which he has published various studies.

Rocío Chao Fernández, Universidad de La Coruña, UC, España

PhD from the University of A Coruña (2005), having been awarded the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize, and is a Senior Lecturer in Music Education at the Faculty of Education at that university. She has completed two six-year research terms. Her research focuses on improving music learning and academic performance through interdisciplinary approaches using music, as well as on restoring and highlighting the role of women in this field. She coordinates the IMETTIC educational innovation group and currently heads the Department of Specific Teaching Methods and Research and Diagnostic Methods in Education.

Eva María Espiñeira Bellón, Universidad de La Coruña, UC, España

PhD from the University of A Coruña (2008), having been awarded the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize, and is a Senior Lecturer in the MIDE department within the Faculty of Education at the University of A Coruña. With two six-year research terms under her belt, she has built a distinguished career in the evaluation of educational quality, an area she has explored through various projects, publications, scientific and technical papers, conference contributions, and more. She is the coordinator of the GIACE research group (Research Group on Educational Evaluation and Quality). She is Vice-Dean for Quality and coordinates the Inter-university PhD Programme in Equity and Innovation in Education.

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Published

2026-04-15

How to Cite

Mateo Gijón, M. Ángel, Chao Fernández, R., & Espiñeira Bellón, E. M. (2026). Leadership in musical conducting: curriculum analysis and teaching proposal. Journal of Learning Styles, 19(37), 99–111. https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v19i37.8604

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 37 (2026): Educating for diversity through musical and artistic proposals

Section

ARTÍCULOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN TEMÁTICA. Volumen 19, Número 37 (Abril, 2026). Educando en la diversidad mediante propuestas musicales y artísticas

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