Musical Conducting in the Guitárregas Guitar Ensemble: A Leadership Based on the Self

The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) understands that self-determined people regulate their behaviour according to the pleasure perceived along the activity, so the leadership applied by management is determinant for promoting the self-determined behaviour. In this study, we will explain the self-determination encouraged by the Guitárregas' conductor to his students of the Bachelor degree in music education, according to SDT. The method responds to a qualitative design based on the hermeneutic approach. Data collection was carried out through a semi-structured interview. The results show that leadership encouraged by the conductor satisfies the innate psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, so the director promotes the self-determined behaviour in his students. To conclude, Guitárregas is a reproducible project as long as the student musical background is valued, the repertoire contextualised, and the ensemble supported by an institution