Developing Collaborative Skills: How Music Students Learn to Listen and Respond in Ensemble Settings

Abstract

Moving from solo to ensemble performance is one of the significant developmental steps during higher music education. This article investigates how university music students, primarily trained as solo performers, acquire collaboration skills in a rehearsal setting. Based on nine central contributions, a simulated rehearsal of a student ensemble was created to focus on bodily coordination, feedback, leadership, flow, and self-efficacy. Five dimensions became visible during simulation: physical coordination, critical peer feedback, distributed leadership, flow states, and anxiety reduction. These dimensions are essential for turning isolated musicians into active collaborators. The results have implications for how music educators should embed training in bodily attunement, shared responsibility, and emotional regulation explicit in ensemble pedagogy. The findings indicate that ensemble learning is a technical, social, and psychological learning process, complex and corresponds to starting intensity in professional collaborative performance.