In recent years researchers have contributed a great deal to our shared understanding of the complexities of studio practices, which are widely regarded as a centre-point of higher education music. This article investigates an aspect of studio learning that does not lend itself easily to scrutiny, by drawing common issues from the cases of two…

In higher education music, individual practice remains a unique and solitary activity, perhaps the least accessible to the scrutiny of either teachers or researchers. This study reports on an investigation of the variety among student approaches to practice, with reference to year groups, age, instrumental groups and examination results. Data were…