Deciding For or Deciding With: Student Involvement in Repertoire Selection

Abstract

When music educators discuss repertoire, they often discuss what pieces to perform and when in the year to perform them. In this article, I ask, “ Who should choose the music for ensemble study, and how should it be chosen?” I share a rationale for why music educators might include students in ensemble repertoire selection and several ways they might open the repertoire so their students can contribute to the process. Based on my interest in how teacher–student dialogue can occur in this process, I draw from conversations I had with six orchestra teachers and twenty-seven of their students. The approaches presented here come from my interviews with these six teachers, from others with whom I have since collaborated, and from my own experience as an educator. Music educators may find these approaches useful for discussion, study, and implementation of more inclusive practice.