One of the important aspects of integrating contemplative practice into higher music education is the emphasis the practice places on individual experience. Students begin to learn to sensitize both their outer and inner listening. They begin to trust their own experience and the inner guidance that can be found in that trust. They begin to trust that they have an individual way of hearing, an individual voice, and a valuable expression to make in music through uncovering that individuality. This article describes the use of contemplative practice and curriculum design in teaching and learning music. The author focuses on his experience with one class and some teaching techniques he has designed and implemented. He has woven bits of his own story into this article as a way of illustrating the individualized and experiential nature of what he has chosen to write about.