democratic orchestra

Three paragraphs constitute the democratic orchestra:

§1 The freedom of musical speech

You may play whatever you want

whenever you want.

§2 The right to listen

Nobody can force you to play.

§3 The power of silence

The conductor alone, may silence you.

music workshop

conducted improvisation

If you have ears, you are automatically a member of the democratic orchestra. Join the audience or play in the ensemble, the choice is yours. Take the hat, and you are the conductor. You are a composer. You have a musical opinion and the freedom to express it.

A classical orchestra has strict rules. A chain of command leads from the composer via the conductor to the ensemble and into the ears of the audience.

Designed for the integration of classically trained musicians into improvisation performance, the democratic orchestra is a format for musical communication. It can be applied in any setting or group of mixed genre and varied skills. Ideally, when everyone is a composer, the chain of command will centre in its weakest link.