The 10 Leadership Lessons of Sleigh Ride

I recently listened to Sleigh Ride – my favorite song – performed in expert fashion by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Why do I love this song?  In the spirit of the holidays, I applied my leadership brain as I listened and came up with The 10 Leadership Lessons of Sleigh Ride!

1. It is an all inclusive song: Although this song is popularly heard around Christmas time, the original lyrics do not mention Christmas nor any other specific holiday.  In fact, the musical composition was written long before lyrics were applied to it. It is a song for everyone; (unless you don’t like snow or horses).
2. It makes a powerful first impression: This song makes a grand entrance. A mighty, 8 measures from the brass section, played loudly, set you up for something great.
3. It is a celebration of diversity: There is a lot of variety in this song. You don’t hear just brass all the way through, nor just violins, nor just clarinets. It is the constant change up of these instruments trading places, as well as cadence changes, that makes this piece so wonderful.
4. It’s fun: I recommend seeing this piece performed in person. The orchestra and the conductor have so much fun doing this piece. Listening to it will inevitably start your foot tapping or your body swaying.
5. It’s no good if you’re not having fun: I have also heard this song performed expertly, but with something missing; it was not fun. The musicians performing this song must play it well but must also have their heart in it for it to sound truly great.  Somehow, lack of heart does come through even if the piece is performed in a technically correct manner.
6. Little things mean a lot:  There is a part towards the end of the song that mimics a horse whinnying.  It is barely two seconds of the entire song, but it tops off and completes the whole song.  The audience anticipates this moment and it usually makes them laugh.  I have been told that brass players in orchestras vie for the opportunity to be the one trumpet that produces this two seconds of sound in the performance of this piece.
7. A uniform focus pulls everything together:  In musical terms, this song is written in Rondo form.  In this form, the refrain, heard throughout the song alternates with contrasting themes or verses that are different from the refrain.  But the recurring, standard refrain, although stylized a bit differently every time you hear it, pulls the song together.  Consistency in approach is important. But with consistency, adaptation and flexibility can make it even stronger.
8. It is flexible and a bit unconventional: There are elements within this piece that use “instruments” not routinely heard in a traditional orchestra: the sound of the horsewhip (2 thin wood planks connected by a hinge), horse trotting (wood blocks), sleigh bells, and of course, the unconventional way a trumpet is played to produce the horse whinny.
9. The individual pieces are fairly easy to play but pulling it together in an expert fashion is required or else the song is a mess.  It’s written in G major which is fairly easy to play with only one sharp (#) on the staff to keep track of.  Imagine that horsewhip not happening at the exact, correct moment or not happening at all.  Producing the sound is easy: slapping 2 pieces of wood together. Timing it just right is the hard part. Multiple disparate pieces come together in harmony produce the beauty of this piece.
10. Everyone being involved is what makes it great: I have heard sleigh ride played just on the piano. It is certainly recognizable but it sounds clunky and awkward to me. It is within the wealth of an entire orchestra where this piece becomes truly alive, memorable and fun.