The Engineers’ Orchestra: A Conductorless Orchestra for Our Time

Engineering students often view performance skills—leadership, teamwork, and communication—as “soft skills.” Yet they are essential for advancing a professional career. To impart these skills, engineering educators recommend courses in the arts, humanities, and social sciences (AHS). Since a limited number of credit hours exist for nontechnical subjects in engineering curricula, educators focus on AHS topics most useful for engineers, many of whom will work in business and industry. The business community also values leadership, teamwork, and communication, often studying performing arts organizations as models worth emulating, such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, a professional conductorless orchestra. The raw material for these performing arts organizations can be found in colleges and universities worldwide; nearly all harbor musically talented students. Many of these talented musicians are also gifted engineers. Music-making has endowed these engineer-musicians with neurological benefits. Brain research has shown they are already primed for leadership, teamwork, and communication skills; thus they are excellent contenders for meaningful professional lives. It therefore makes sense for educators throughout the engineering community to nurture and encourage their engineer-musicians. A project-based learning lab that builds upon the musical ability of student engineers can cultivate these skills necessary for professional and personal success. Such a lab exists at Olin College of Engineering. The Olin Conductorless Orchestra—an ensemble, minus conductor—features engineering students in collaborative, communicative, and leadership roles. It is the only conductorless orchestra composed of engineers—in the world. Yet as described herein, the rationale and blueprint for an orchestra where every member simultaneously leads and follows