Geneviève Leclair

"I think that teaching conducting, especially for non-conductors, is just as much learning about synthesizing all your musical knowledge together (theory, history, harmony, business, communication) as it is about developing the technical skills inherent to the medium. I try to build an environment where my students can try things, take risks, develop their own vision of a work, their self-confidence, and their leadership skills. At the same time, I encourage them to build these skills on a solid foundation of research and knowledge. It's about developing work ethics and a method that will follow them in the field of their choosing."

"I try to communicate to my students the importance of being fully invested and passionate about what they do. No matter what their field of study, I hope they go away with a greater curiosity to always dig deeper, be better prepared, and understand the bigger picture while always being aware of the fundamentally human aspect of music and the workplace."

"Berklee is such a diverse environment. For the student who really invests him/herself in all the school has to offer in terms of diversity of genres, fields, students and faculty, and technology, the possibility for growing and finding their calling in the 21st-century world is really limitless. As a teacher, the challenge is to find a way to best connect with this diverse student body and help them move in that direction. It's exhilarating!"

"As a professional conductor, I am, of course, very passionate about music and conducting. I have been fortunate to study and work with wonderful musicians and conductors who were real pillars in their respective fields but also incredible human beings. They communicated to me a thirst for thoroughly understanding all the technical aspects of what we do, always remaining curious and interested in discovery, having a real respect for the intention of the composer and for the quality of the performance. But most importantly, they showed me how the musical arts are deeply rooted in our humanity. An orchestral performance requires a community of people to communicate and contribute something of themselves in service of their community's inner life. This understanding of a real purpose in what we do came from the amazing teachers I had, and I hope to be able to communicate a sense of this to my own students."