The purpose of this study was to explore several Midwestern middle and high school music educators' perceptions of student-centered teaching approaches, including their perceived suitability for regular use in their ensembles, and the factors thought to influence that suitability. Each case was analyzed individually but only the emergent themes from across-case analysis are presented here. The resulting data indicate that participants expressed somewhat mixed feelings about large ensemble rehearsal strategies that are less teacher-centered. Although constructivist ideas undergirding student-centered approaches were construed positively when acknowledged, strategies that shift the focus from director to students were considered impractical to apply consistently to ensemble settings owing to a variety of factors. These include concert expectations, scheduling, and size of ensemble combined with funding/staffing shortages. Teachers were divided on whether these factors caused them to perceive performance and pedagogy as competing goals.