When music teachers say "thrilled": What collaborative performances mean for school music programs

School music teachers regularly organize performances drawing on their own school's resources and occasionally joining forces with other ensembles. Research examining a series of concerts that helped developing music programs grow, seen through the eyes of the teachers involved, reveals much about the value of such collaborations. The schools in question had relatively young music programs at various stages of their growth. Teachers running demanding music programs constantly seek ways to create inspiring musical experiences for their students and staff, hoping their efforts yield observable benefits.

Secondary music teachers around the world face comparable challenges. Measuring the growth of a school music program proves difficult, though several indicators of momentum and development exist. Different teachers prioritize different factors. Common indicators include: enrollment numbers in ensembles, numbers of students in classroom Music, the quality of ensemble performances, how many graduates continue active musical participation, and the motivation of music students to keep advancing their skills. Collaboration between schools and outside organizations happens regularly, yet research-based evidence of its potential remains relatively scarce. Such partnerships are not standard across all music programs but emerge from teacher initiative.

Music programs increasingly turn to performance collaboration as a way to inspire and engage students. These partnerships can also provide collegial support in settings where music teachers feel isolated or lack institutional backing. Examples span multiple countries. The Eastman/Rochester partnership in New York brings together university, school, and community groups with complementary goals and shared resources. In Limerick, Ireland, a partnership linking a third-level institution, a resource agency, and a primary school creates musical opportunities for students in a disadvantaged area. Singapore's National Arts Council works with schools and corporate sponsors to establish arts partnerships between schools and community arts organizations. On Prince Edward Island in Canada, school and community music partnerships help sustain traditional Irish heritage and foster a lively music community. Every one of these examples reports many positive outcomes.

Though research into collaboration is expanding, most existing literature concentrates on classroom activities rather than school ensemble experiences. The central question becomes: How can a sustainable collaborative performance process affect the development of a school music program? This question guided a case study in which a collaborative project was introduced to several Australian schools with recently established music programs.

Defining collaboration in music education

Collaboration in this context means musical performances that combine groups from two or more organizations such as schools. Performance collaborations can generate positive effects for teachers, students, and the wider school community. Large-scale events are often difficult to organize, expensive, and riddled with logistical complications. Ultimately, for a multi-contributor performance event to be sustainable, the benefits must outweigh the challenges. Reaching the right balance of venue, scheduling, repertoire choice, program structure, and organizational support ultimately determined whether even short-term sustainability was achievable. Successful collaboration requires three key ingredients: time to address any issues that arise, mutuality that outweighs differences between participants, and communication and understanding that help avoid rigid preconceptions while maintaining patience and kindness.

The story behind a biennial concert series

A biennial concert involving school Music Departments belonging to an Association of Private Schools in Western Australia was created to enable musical collaboration. Each participating school performed its own item and contributed to several combined ensembles: a mixed-voice choir, concert band, string orchestra, and full orchestra. Two experienced visiting conductors, one from interstate and one from overseas, led these combined groups. One conductor prepared the choral pieces. The other prepared the instrumental ensembles. Both guest conductors spent two weeks as artists-in-residence visiting the schools before the combined rehearsals began. Since 2010, three concerts have taken place, each growing in stature both in participation numbers and performance quality. All concerts were filmed, and the resulting DVDs have become promotional materials for the participating schools. Repertoire was chosen to maximize student involvement and to challenge musicians with complex works for large forces that they would not normally encounter in their own school ensembles. Funding was distributed among the schools according to a ratio reflecting each school's population size.

For the first concert, the project lead met with School Principals to request staff and student participation. Most responded enthusiastically. Communication with each Head of Music happened by phone and email. For later concerts, quarterly meetings were arranged for all Heads of Music in the Association to discuss the concerts and other possible collaborations. Repertoire for combined ensembles was chosen after consultation with the guest conductors. The project lead arranged rehearsals and booked venues. Each school handled logistics for its own students and any travel expenses. At the concert, the lead acted as Master of Ceremonies, introducing items and conducting his choir's performance.

How the study was conducted

This phenomenological case study explores teachers' understanding of performance collaboration. Given the organizer's deep investment in these concerts, objectivity was impossible. The most fitting methodology was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), because the researcher's role is fundamental. IPA examines the lived experience of individuals involved in a phenomenon. Researchers pursuing IPA have two aims: first, to understand the participant's world and describe what it feels like, and second, to develop a more overtly interpretative analysis that places that description within a wider social, cultural, and perhaps theoretical context. IPA uses an analytical double hermeneutic: understanding arises through both participant and researcher. Subjectivity carries meaning and value. By placing the researcher's interests at the center of the process, IPA achieves a transparency that other inquiry methods find difficult to match.

The researcher remains the primary instrument; qualifications, background, and expertise are central factors shaping the study and must be stated openly. This study draws on a position of knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon. Conducting research with IPA demands a very high degree of personal commitment, even obsession. Knowing the history of the phenomenon allows for sympathetic framing of interview questions and empathetic understanding of the responses' contexts. This study explores how different music teachers' perspectives converge to create an understanding of the phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews proved the best method, from which strong themes emerged either through emphasis or repetition. There is no single reality on which inquiry may converge; rather, multiple realities are socially constructed.

Collecting the data

Participants worked for schools belonging to the Association. After obtaining ethical clearance from Monash University's Human Research Ethics Committee and permission from the Association, an explanatory email was sent in February 2015 to potential participants. Six people responded; four who had taken part in all three concerts were selected. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews took place in March and April, recorded and transcribed by the researcher. Each interview lasted under one hour. Questions included: Can you recall the first concert and describe what it was like for you, your students, and the wider school community? Were there differences between the first concert and subsequent events? Did your school's involvement in the concerts make any difference to your music program? Are there any drawbacks to being involved? Transcripts were returned to participants for amendment.

The researcher read the transcripts multiple times to identify emergent themes. A margin was inserted on each page for marking themes. The researcher judged what was important. IPA recognizes that a person's thoughts are not transparently available from interview transcripts and requires active analysis to explore that thinking. The most important themes were chosen based on prevalence and emphasis by participants. Verbatim quotations are included to give participants a voice.

Who the participants were

The Association of Private Schools was established in Western Australia in 1985 to offer a low-fee private school education option. Eight schools were members at the time of the first concert. Before this event, no formal attempts had been made for the schools to engage with each other musically, apart from regular meetings of the senior management teams. The concert series allowed students from across the Association to perform together for the first time; afterward, the Heads of Music continued meeting quarterly to collaborate. Several other music events were later inaugurated, including a piano festival, a Primary School choir day, and a Middle School band and orchestra day. Heads of Music have also arranged events between individual member schools. Pseudonyms are used for organizations and participants, and potentially identifying details have been removed or masked.

Kevin has been Head of Music at his school for seven years. Previously he worked as a contemporary musician and composer. The concert series marked his first involvement in performance collaboration. When he joined the school, music existed only in Primary years. The program has grown significantly, with the introduction of a Secondary Music curriculum and several Primary music initiatives. The number of instrumental staff has increased, and a broader range of instruments is available.

Harry began as the Primary music teacher at his school and became Head of Music between the first and second concerts. His Contemporary music background aligns with the music program's focus. He spent several years teaching in Glasgow, Scotland, where he realized that teaching Music offered better financial stability than freelance work and returned to Australia to complete a teaching qualification. He had some experience with collaboration in Scotland, notably an interschool music and drama production held in a castle. The music program at Harry's school was in its infancy at the time of the first concert but has since expanded.

Trevor began as a peripatetic instrumental tutor, then started teaching class music and leading ensembles. After several years he became Head of Music and later Head of Performing Arts. His background is in Classical guitar and singing. His program involves various musical styles, though his predominantly classical orientation complements the school's choirs, concert bands, and string orchestras. Trevor enjoyed musical collaborations as both a student and teacher, including concerts with students from many schools held at the Perth Concert Hall.

Brian started at his school as a lower brass tutor and gradually progressed to Head of Music, a position he has held for ten years. Brian and his staff have a predominantly classical background that has shaped their program, which includes choirs, concert bands, string orchestras, and a Jazz band. His program is the longest established within the Association, with many students involved due partly to facilitated ensemble programs in the Primary school. Brian has participated in occasional collaborative performance projects throughout his career, most notably with several schools and a local community brass band.

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What the teachers told us: Key findings

Thematic analysis produced several important themes. Some appeared repeatedly across multiple transcripts, while others were significant for only one participant. The selected themes include: Developing the Music Department; Staying involved; Promoting the Music Department; Guest conductors; Venue; Implications of collaboration; and Issues with collaboration.

Developing the Music Department

Two participants lead music programs still building resources, musical culture, and community in relatively new schools. The other two manage larger Music programs that offer a more diverse range of musical activities.

Kevin described the first collaborative concert's impact on his program. "Only a couple of years ago we didn't even have a music programme at the secondary level and suddenly we were playing at the Perth Concert Hall," he explained. The experience felt overwhelming for both Kevin and his students. For the band, the event "certainly improved the standard of playing, giving us a goal and giving us something to play." The scale of the performance and the presence of other schools made Kevin aware that people would make comparisons. This pushed him to ensure his students performed something that stretched their abilities and impressed the audience. He composed a piece specifically for his ensemble. He recalled how exposure to other ensembles "opened kids up to be more aware of the orchestra" -- they had never actually seen anything like it. This awareness affected his program between the first and second concerts, as he "wanted the students to get more involved in the ensembles."

Kevin's school participation grew significantly in subsequent concerts, with more students taking part in the combined ensembles with guest conductors. "The more we put into it, the more we got out of it," he said. Involvement raised the prestige and profile of his music program. Senior management noted that no other Departments within the Association had collaborated: "Music is now seen as a higher level thing... we're actually going to the Concert Hall." Over three concerts, Kevin saw growth from "almost being spectators to being pretty full-on involved."

Trevor's school sat out the first concert, a decision reversed once he became Head of Department. He saw the combined concert as a way to raise his school's profile. Even with a comparatively well-established program, he felt the collaboration strengthened his Department further: "Doing a big event like that, it just opens, it just emphasises, it just encourages, it just helps to solidify all the things we say." Brian noted validation and confirmation through the collaboration: involvement validated what his program does and gave him confidence to tell people that his school offers a quality program, including the opportunity to play with a guest conductor on the Perth Concert Hall stage.

### Staying in volved

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Retaining older, experienced musicians and keeping disengaged students active in ensembles is a challenge that Heads of Music navigate together. Harry’s school was so new that when the first concert happened, his youngest performers were in Year Six. Those students attended all three concerts and “continued right the way through.” The combined concerts created a focal point that shaped student motivation. He commented, “I don’t know if that interest would have been sustained for those kids had they not had that experience.” Harry wondered whether some of his senior students would still be making music without the excitement generated by these events. He observed:

Those kids who were there the first time, one of them is the Captain of Music. I would like to think that it’s definitely a highlight for them that has kept them going. All of a sudden our students have senior students to finally look up to.

Harry offered two instances of students deciding to persist with music because of the collaborative concerts. He recalled a student who

did that performance and just burst into tears. Absolutely, almost hysterical. It was because of the joy that she felt from that experience. Two weeks later, she goes, “What can I do to get in to WAAPA?” I believe because of that experience … she can’t imagine doing anything else.

This was a fulfilling and rewarding unintended outcome of collaborative experiences. Harry described another student with a parallel reaction, explaining, “The bass player who is 99 percentile academic. Shortly after that, he also wanted to go to WAAPA and dropped Physics so that he would have more practice time. For me that makes it all worthwhile.”

Similarly, Brian reflected on the collaborative experience keeping particular students motivated. He said:

I’m thinking about one player in particular. She was my baritone saxophone player and she was a bright kid. She hung in until the end of Year Twelve just to do the last concert… she’ll always remember that stuff.

Brian regarded the combined concerts as pivotal moments in the Music Department calendar. His students “certainly know it’s coming” and increasingly “they will be looking forward to the next one. Originally it was probably just for the opportunity, music, the whole stuff with standing on stage, but I think as time goes on it will be reconnecting with people.”

Promoting the Music Department

The combined concerts effectively showcased the values and achievements of the APS. Promotion can work in both directions: the Music Departments highlighted their efforts within school communities, and the school used the DVD to promote its “product.” Participants addressed both angles.

Trevor spoke about the theme of “promotion” more than anyone. He recalled his decision to collaborate:

It was, “Alright, let’s do something small, let’s just get up there and get involved”, and by being involved, people who make decisions will be there and witness the concert and see that, “Alright, well it might be worthwhile us doing a little bit more next time.”

Initially Trevor chose to participate on a modest scale, sending a Wind Quintet. After the concert, the school Principal wanted a much bigger presence at the following one. Trevor explained, “For the second one, the Principal had said, ‘Well let’s make a bit of a statement. Let’s show them what [our] Music Department is’.” The school then sent around 140 students. The increased participation achieved the promotional goal. He said, “It was great for all the kids, and as a promotional tool for the school and the Department. Just making a positive vibe for music within our own school, it worked wonderfully well.” The school appeared to fully embrace this collaborative concert, keen to use it as a way to demonstrate the maturity and sophistication of its comparatively advanced music programme. Trevor continued, “a number of staff got involved, not just the Principal attending but others. They all said how fabulous it was.”

Brian felt the concert successfully promoted music for the APS. He recalled the first event: “I think everyone went, ‘Wow, look at the standard that [APS] schools can achieve’.” Reflecting on in-school promotion, Brian said, “my impression from people at the APS at the top of the chain, they’re very proud of it and have every intention of seeing it continue. I think everyone’s been thrilled with how it goes.” Kevin believes the concerts have given the APS a new sense of identity. He argues that the

“whole APS identity is very much music-driven.” Brian uses the concert DVD to promote music within his school. He explained:

We introduced our Year Five Band Programme … as the kids walk into the room, I had footage of the massed bands in the Concert Hall playing and I said, “If you stick at this instrument, one day you’ll get to do that.” So it’s a carrot that’s hanging out there as one of the things that you get to do.

Harry also uses images from the combined concerts to promote his music programme to prospective students and their parents. He also relies on the DVD for in-school promotion, “particularly to the Year Sixes, ‘Look at what you can do in High School’.”

Guest conductors

My original decision to invite two guest conductors to lead the combined ensembles was meant to avoid political sensitivities about who owned the concert. Brian felt the guest conductors were the leading factor in the event’s success. He reflected:

I absolutely loved getting to work with [SW]…It was like P.D. [Professional Development] … reminded me what really works well with a band and what to focus on in a rehearsal, so personally the highlight was watching [SW] take my kids, start from where they are at and just take them to the next level up.

Brian described a moment before the first concert:

We went into the carpark, [SW] warmed the band up and I was staggered at how much of the piece they could play from memory. He said, “Let’s just play it and see how you go” … they got through half this quite long, difficult piece just from memory and I thought, “Wow that shows how hard they’ve worked.”

He was thrilled by the quality of sound coming from the combined concert band, which involved around 200 students at the third concert. Brian also valued the opportunity, saying, “Watching [JW] work with the choir from the kids’ point of view, I only ever hear kids say positive things about it.” Brian noted that JW had “a very English approach. He was a bit of an ‘odd bod’ and our kids actually really liked that.” Kevin made the most of the guest conductors by inviting them to his school. Trevor agreed and expanded, “I can’t speak highly enough of [SW]. The way he works with the children is fantastic, that was a real highlight.” The impact of SW on motivating the student musicians was unmistakable. His clarity in delivering musical instruction, his use of humour, and his drive for excellence created a purposeful and enjoyable process.

Enhanced repertoire opportunities

Kevin discussed his original piece for the first concert: “It upped the standard of the band really fast because they had to learn this damn stupid thing I’d written and it was actually a little bit hard.” Kevin’s humility is commendable, but without the formality and scale of the combined concert, he suggests the experience of tackling more challenging repertoire would not have occurred so soon.

The combined ensembles used mixed-seating formation. Kevin’s school choir usually sang contemporary music in unison, but the combined choir performance required four-part singing. Kevin reflected, “I think the students really enjoyed the

novelty of actually performing in multiple parts.” This new challenge introduced part-singing into the secondary choral experience, expanding his singers’ skills. Kevin valued the challenge of learning this repertoire, explaining that “We alone would never have done anything even vaguely like it. Either singing in harmony, singing in a big choir or singing in a professional venue.” The combined concert required engaging with other music genres. For him, the absence of a student orchestra makes some classical repertoire difficult, but the “contemporary music” identity does not prevent involvement in a wide variety of music. Kevin thought that if the concert stopped, “it would be a loss of being able to do repertoire that we can’t do.”

Trevor discussed having repertoire chosen by someone outside his Music Department, saying, “Our violinist was one of the lead violins, and the choice of piece was great. It was a great opportunity for them to play a Concerto Grosso.” He continued:

Our choir is a little bit “Pop” oriented, and so it was a little bit more of an effort to get them on board with some of the repertoire. For instance Carmina Burana was entirely foreign but it was an educational process and they learned a lot … it was definitely something that they could grasp in the end. Encanto they really liked.

For Trevor, the more challenging repertoire had a greater impact than easier, more popular music. He noted, “We did Skyfall. By the time we’d done the Concert Hall and one more performance of that, our students were pretty much tired of that piece because it wasn’t very challenging.” Trevor commented that without the combined forces of several ensembles, his students would be unlikely to experience performing such music at this stage of their development.

Brian discussed the change in attitude among his music staff toward unfamiliar and demanding repertoire. Initially some of his staff

felt it was too hard, irrelevant repertoire but when the concert had finished, and we pulled it off, there was acknowledgement that our kids rose to that challenge. It pushed them to a new level. With Zadok the Priest … the choral people especially, “It’s so high, it’s pushing the kid’s ranges” and they didn’t actually like it. After it had all happened, I think everyone agreed that it had been a great experience.

Brian suggests that by taking risks with more challenging repertoire, students’ technical and musical abilities are stretched. The concert band repertoire was less controversial for Brian. He felt the band piece, Green Hills Fantasy, was “great … [it] had the kids holding their instruments above their head and crying like a war-cry.”

The combined ensembles’ repertoire supplied some school ensembles with music for later performances. Brian recalled a particular choir piece: “Baba Yetu is a great choice. We sang that for [our school’s] Day, we had a Tanzanian priest visiting, we’ve got a connection over there and we’ve sent a school group over. He was thrilled to hear Baba Yetu the Lord’s Prayer sung in Swahili and he got out of his seat and videoed it while we sang it, right in front of the whole school. It was great, the kids loved it.” Brian echoed his colleagues, “It allows us to do things that we can’t do on our own.” Harry agreed, adding that with “400 people singing at the same time. That certainly gives us that opportunity to try and develop a more artistic culture which is one of the challenges.” He continued that people “just don’t understand what is possible for students, even young students can play all of this beautiful music, rather than if I hear Riptide again I will ….” Harry seems to hint that less demanding repertoire can be unsatisfying.

Venue

Another theme that surfaced was the prestigious venue. The Perth Concert Hall is regarded as Western Australia’s premier venue for Classical music, seating approximately 1,700 people, offering a warm acoustic, and featuring a large pipe organ above the choir stalls. Brian discussed how his students and their parents responded: “People enjoyed going to the Concert Hall.” He paraphrased a guest conductor telling the students, “This stage has had the Berlin Philharmonic playing on it” and “If you’re not practising, if you’re not worthy or deserving, then don’t play in this concert. Go and do something else because this stage is special and you need to work hard to deserve to be on it.” Without the combined concert, Brian’s students would never have performed at such a prestigious venue. He said, “It’s not [our school’s] way. That’s too opulent, that’s too much money.” Harry remembered his students’ reaction when they saw the venue for the first time: “the look on their faces, actually walking in there and looking around and being totally stunned.” Similarly, Kevin had not imagined that performing at the Perth Concert Hall would ever be possible for his ensembles. For him, “It was a really positive experience. It was kind of like a dream.” He added, “After the concert, it was a very positive vibe for myself, for the school … definitely a lot of excitement.” Trevor agreed, “When they got to the Concert Hall … it starts to work its magic and they aim to do the best they can.” He concluded, “There’s nothing like performing in a Concert Hall.”

Ongoing effects of collaboration

The consequences of the collaboration process were substantial. As a result of the concerts, music teachers and students interacted, forming a community that collectively aimed to work more closely. Before the first collaboration, the music teachers from the different schools did not know one another well, and the concept of working together was initially met with skepticism. Kevin considered it “a nice idea but I don’t have the time to do this and I don’t know how they have time to be thinking like this. I saw it as being just another job that I had to do.” He now holds a different view, stating, “You do all your own school stuff but it’s always nice to have that thing that takes you outside of that.” After the first concert, the Heads of Music began meeting quarterly to plan the next concert and exchange ideas. This development strengthened their collegial bond. Kevin considered that gathering the Heads of Music was “collaboration at another level again which no other subject area is doing,” which earned recognition at management level and support for the music programme.

Harry discussed other spin-offs from the meetings: “The few instrumentalists that we did send … definitely a level of excitement and confidence had developed from that.” Harry noted that staff and students were becoming more connected and seeing themselves as part of a larger whole. He found students were less worried about “what the other schools were up to and being more supportive, particularly the last one, backstage our students were more comfortable in engaging with the other students.” Brian explained, “We can all get a bunch of kids in our own schools to play something but I personally think the best stuff is the combined stuff.” He saw other benefits from collaboration, including more school events and personal reassurance: “So much of the time, you’re just so busy in your own little world, you don’t have time to stick your head up for air. Those meetings are a great opportunity to realise that everybody else has the same issues.”

Challenges with collaboration

The collaborative process inevitably brings issues that individual school concerts do not create. Travelling to off-campus rehearsals can be time-consuming and costly. As Trevor explains, with a large number of students it can cost

“thousands and thousands of dollars.” Before a rehearsal at another school, Trevor faced other difficulties: “We arrived, and people sort of weren’t there and people were asking me, ‘Who’s here? What’s going on? Should we set up?’ Eventually they did arrive.” Trevor’s school is comparatively isolated, and travelling was “actually the hardest thing and it’s the tyranny of distance that kills it for everyone.” The time needed to put on a large-scale event inevitably affected the rehearsal process. Brian stated, “I’m sure [SW] feels frustrated at the lack of rehearsal and because there’s always kids missing.” The frustrations of handling administrative details were mentioned, but all participants seemed philosophically accepting of these challenges, believing that solutions were achievable. These demands were best captured by Brian, who described “one of the hardest things” as getting definitive lists of participating students: “kids would pull out then you’d get lists sent back to check and they’re wrong and you’d fix it and then they’re still wrong. That stuff drives you nuts. I hate that stuff.”

Discussion

As a phenomenological study, the criteria for success were entirely understood from the teachers’ perspective, measured by their observations of students and their engagement with the music programme. Six significant themes emerged from the interviews: Developing the Music Department, Staying involved, Promoting the Music Department, Guest conductors, Venue, Implications of collaboration, and Issues with collaboration. From these themes, three important factors can be considered: the impact on teachers, the impact on students, and sustainability. If the impact on teachers is strong, the impetus for those committing to stay involved will probably endure. Myers (2003) argues that collaboration is a logical platform for delivering music education because music specialists often work in relative isolation from both educational and musical peers; music is frequently viewed as peripheral to the academic curriculum; and music educators, musical institutions, and practicing artists all desire a vital musical culture in their communities. My participants identified all of these factors. If students gain from collaborative musical experiences, there is a greater likelihood that support for these activities will continue. Ultimately, inspiring students through meaningful performance experiences can foster life-long learners of music. In essence, music is a “collaborative practice … our educational methods should place greater emphasis on group interaction” (Sawyer, 2007, p. 57). My participants regarded effective communication as central to the project’s success.

If the collaborative event is sustainable, the positive effects on the community will continue to be felt by all stakeholders. These concerts are part of a growing trend in school-based performance programmes. Robinson (1998) concurred that “Groups of arts organizations, schools, and colleges in some locations across the country are now banding together in innovative working relationships designed to break down the arbitrary barriers between agencies and replace them with complementary goals and missions” (p. 2). Rethinking the concept of community offers opportunities to explore musical transmission not merely as symbols of social grouping but as central to generating, shaping, and sustaining new collectivities (Shelemay, 2011). Participants expressed initial reluctance to become involved for various reasons. The concerts were seen as additional work, and those with smaller music programmes also felt a sense of inadequacy. Participants described a shift in attitude after the performance, and collaborative musical performance became a central part of their programmes.

For school ensembles working in isolation, much can be gained from learning about others' experiences. In my own teaching across Australia and the United Kingdom, schools that provided performance collaboration opportunities for their ensembles saw clear benefits for developing Music Departments. The initiative for collaboration likely needs to come from the staff member responsible for the school ensemble. External agencies can invite students to join a collective, but they cannot make decisions about how a school ensemble operates.

Sustainable collaboration projects developed over time can be viewed as a “luxury” only undertaken when all other components of a music programme are firmly in place. This research, though localised, offers an alternative view: collaboration should be encouraged from the developing stages of a music programme. What one school ensemble cannot achieve alone becomes possible through partnership. The benefits of high-profile, large-scale collaborative performances—particularly student motivation and musical development—can be enjoyed without waiting for the “time to be right.” Participants reflected on how collaboration affected themselves, their students, and their school communities. Beyond the immediate experience of students and audience, the collaborative process impressed decision-makers and influenced relationships between schools, and it encouraged music teachers to diversify repertoire and performance formats. The research question is answered affirmatively. What began as reticence among some teachers transformed into unabashed enthusiasm leading to a sustainable process. Involving entire school ensembles in full collaboration, rather than offering an “opt-in” for volunteers, proved crucial in engaging Heads of Music.

Each participant’s narrative was overwhelmingly positive, describing shifts in attitude as the collaborative process developed. When well designed and executed, partnerships expand the range of expertise available to schools and foster a sense of community responsibility (Myers, 2003). Ongoing collaboration will provide continued enrichment.

Introducing guest conductors to avoid potential political sensitivities produced an unexpected finding: staff enjoyed professional development from quality practitioners. Sawyer’s (2014) list of important ingredients for collaboration could now include professional development and motivation for music directors. This case study is limited to a small group of participants; further phenomenological case studies would allow more in-depth exploration of musical collaboration.

In their building phase, school music programmes may look to collaboration as an effective way to develop musicians’ skill sets, build community, and keep existing music students engaged during their school years and beyond. Sustainable collaboration should be seen as important in the early stages of a Music Department, while fully developed programmes should consider collaborating to support other music programmes and enhance opportunities for teachers and students. The teachers in this case study observed musical and sociocultural benefits arising through collaboration. As a result, their students continued to contribute to the growth of their music programmes and enrich school communities.

Notes

1. School structures vary across Australia; for the schools in this case study, Primary includes Kindergarten to Year Six, Middle School covers Years Seven to Nine, and Secondary School includes Years Ten to Twelve.

2. The Music curriculum in this part of Australia distinguishes Western Art Music, Jazz, and Contemporary Music (popular or commercial music). School music programmes often tend to identify with these labels.

3. The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) is one of two tertiary music institutions in Perth.

4. JW refers to the guest conductor from overseas who worked with the combined choirs.

5. Encanto is a piece for Concert Band by American composer Robert W. Smith.

6. Green Hills Fantasy is a piece for Concert Band by Austrian composer Thomas Doss.

7. Baba Yetu is a piece for Choir, tenor solo, piano, and percussion by Chinese-American composer Christopher Tin. There is also a version with orchestra, composed for the game Civilization IV.