I walked through the chairs toward the conductor’s podium and felt as though hundreds of stares were burning into my back. I sat down next to my new stand-partner, and, despite her best attempt to hide it, her grimace clearly revealed her feelings. I couldn’t blame her: I was a seventh-grader playing in a high school level orchestra. She was a senior stuck with the baby. Making music in an orchestral setting is, at its core, collaborative. For the team to work, there must be trust. Of course, the orchestra must trust the conductor, but there are many other essential levels of collaboration. The principal players must constantly communicate to keep the music together. At the same time, principals, particularly in the string section, convey
