"Yes, we can make ensembles democratic... Is it worth the time?"

In this and the upcoming episode, Juan-Esteban Rendón and Juliana Otto deal with Paulo Freire’s idea of education as a praxis of freedom. They present parts of their video conversation with Joseph Abramo, Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Connecticut. In this first part, they discuss the following questions: Is it possible to have liberty within hierarchical structures? Is it possible that music ensembles or even orchestras enable individual players to develop their own musical visions? How much “free choice“ do professional musicians strive for? How much “free choice“ do we want in music education?