Intent: The Key for the Orchestra or the Organization

Late in 2023, I had the unique and distinct honor to be commissioned to write a piece of music for a local choral group and their organist. I have written music for many years for various ensembles, though I have primarily done so either as a participant in those groups or as an arranger of existing music. In this case, I would be composing completely original music.?

I greatly enjoy the creative process, no matter the medium. I enjoy writing, cooking, building teams to solve problems, and games. Unsurprisingly, the music compositional process is full of decision-making, iteration, patience, and application of skill.?

Before I go further, it is important to introduce an important concept that all creatives struggle with. Intent. As in, is what I’m hearing, or reading, or tasting, or seeing, match what the author intended??

In the musical context, it goes like this:

1. Idea Generation

This is the part that most people think of when they consider what it is to write music. The spontaneous conjuring of notes on a page. Some gifted people can do this rapidly and beautifully. In a different way, improvised music is an important part of jazz music and the French organ tradition. Still, as a composer, especially on a commissioned work, your task is to create something that fits within the limitations you’ve been given. Those could be duration, orchestration, venue, style, and the ability of your performers. All were considerations for me.?

2. Transfer to Page

An idea that never leaves your head is going to be very difficult to teach other people to convey as if it were yours. The next challenge for me was to move the melodic and harmonic ideas I had into a common system of notation so that others could play and hear what I heard in my head. I went back and forth between my living room’s piano and my composition software in my office. Instead of staff paper, early notes were scribbled on an index card with chord markings and smudged by revision. Over time, I was able to accurately represent the musical ideas in a way that others could see and understand.?

3. Interpretation by Third Party

This is where things start to have potential for degradation. Assuming that my transcription was perfect, I am still reliant upon the musician to properly read what I’ve written and understand it. I can supply notes and rhythms, tempo and style instructions, but it is still up to the musician to assimilate the information.?

4. Performance / Re-Statement

At this stage, the performer has read and internalized what I’ve written and is now sending it back out, re-packaged. Their interpretation is multiplied by the number of performers. So in a choir of 30 people, the importance of the group’s director to channel the group’s interpretation of the music is critical to ensure that the delivery of the music is cohesive. If two musicians have competing ideas about the shape of a phrase, its effect could be compromised.?

5. Reception by Listener

The final stage, and the end goal of the composer. By the time my music reaches the ears of the listener, will I have written something that they can understand and engage with? The music must be well-written enough such that the quality of the idea is not lost from my brain to the page to the performer to their hands or voices and finally to the ears of the hearer.?

That’s a long journey for an idea to navigate, with plenty of places to be damaged along the way. Even great ideas can be derailed with poor execution. I think you’ll see as you read through this concept that this applies to many things: books, movies, sculptures, paintings, food, music, and much more.?

Here’s the thing.?

It applies in the professional world as well. A lot. Let’s look at that.?

General Jim Mattis talks about “commander’s intent” in his book ‘Call Sign: Chaos’. He says:

The correct exercise of independent action requires a common understanding between the commander and the subordinate, of both the mission and the commander’s intent of what the mission is expected to accomplish.?

Every team that I have led has been successful through the hard work of the people on it. The most successful teams, however, have been the ones in which each person clearly understood their role, their place on the team, and my intent in each initiative.?

What happens when you get intent wrong??

This is a 2x2 matrix:?

A. Great Intent, Proper Understanding / Execution

This is the dream scenario. Everything is spot on.?

B. Great Intent, Poor Understanding / Execution

?Your leader might be a visionary with amazing ideas and a clear picture of where they want to lead, but is unable to transfer the notes to the page. As such, even a great team is ineffective in bringing about the outcome. As Jocko Willink says: “Dreams die in execution.”

C. Poor Intent, Rehabilitated Understanding / Execution

It might be the wrong idea, but the quality of the team is able to make up for a weak leader or a poor idea.?

D. Poor Intent, Non-Existent Understanding / Execution

The worst. This is the classic “wrong solution to the wrong problem.” How many times have you seen a policy rolled out to combat a perceived issue that totally missed the mark and caused more problems than it meant to solve??

So while intent is important, the ability to convey that intent is just as critical. The people who are downstream of your decisions must understand them in order to operate effectively within them. The targets of your marketing campaign should be able to understand the value you offer them. The people you help should understand why.?

So back to my piece.?

Last weekend, I attended the premiere performance of my choral work. I sat and listened to the group perform it, noting the places where they absolutely nailed it as well as the places in which I had not been clear enough about my expectations. And that part is important: any musical idea that didn’t transfer well enough is my responsibility, not theirs.?

They did great. It was a humbling experience to hear how other people had interpreted my work, without hearing it, and performed it for others without my any input or instruction from me. I often think about this dynamic when I play music by other composers. Is this what they hoped it would sound like??

As you go out into the world and lead people and projects, remember that the quality of your intent isn’t good enough on its own. You must properly and effectively convey your intent, make it known, and give it the requisite voltage to cross the distance between idea generation and execution.?

Thank you for reading. Please like, comment, share, and subscribe.?