In western musical contexts at global and local levels, musicians are becoming increasingly involved in what might be termed multicode music making and are expanding their musical competences. In this article I consider the practical and cognitive implications of such an expanding of competences for music education at various levels. Combining ethnomusicological and music educationist perspectives, I ground the discussion in a reading of various media texts, a consideration of pedagogical trends, a field observation, and instances of autoethnography. Engaging with recent discussions of ethnomusicology's notions of bimusicality and intermusicality, I conceptualise plural musical practices according to metaphors of growth, and stretching or reforming, both within and outwards from a core of culturally grounded musical skills, values and understandings. I propose a framework for fostering the expanding of musical competences, offer brief, personal case studies and conclude by referring to emerging literature on the training of future music educators. (Contains 2 figures and 23 notes.)