Team teaching has become a prominent topic in education worldwide. It describes a teaching model where two teachers share responsibility for organizational tasks, pedagogical tasks, pedagogical planning and student care. Research indicates that this collaborative approach can lead to positive outcomes such as workload reduction methods, increased diversity and a shared feedback culture.

In choir conducting, leadership has traditionally been hierarchical, with one conductor leading the ensemble. However recent decades show a shift towards shared leadership, driven by a new generation of conductors. This trend reflects broader societal changes that prioritize collective action over individual authority, and is therefore also a political statement for increased participation in music learning as well as an opportunity to overcome hierarchical boundaries.

My doctoral research explores why choir conductors choose to lead as a team and how this affects their competencies and rehearsal work. The study is based on interviews with choir conductors and choir members in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Up to this point, the interviews have been coded in three steps following Reflexive Grounded Theory (Breuer et al., 2017), through which a preliminary theory was inductively developed.The further goal is to develop a competence model for Co-Conducting Choir Conductors.

This presentation outlines the current state of theoretical development and explores the potential of co-conducting for future choral practice, highlighting emerging aspects of participation and co-determination.

This project investigates how ensemble music-making can nurture democratic participation, inclusion, and creativity among beginner students. Conducted during the 2025–2026 school year with class 1B of the “Città di Chiari” middle-school music program (Italy), it involved 23 students beginning the study of flute, violin, guitar, and piano. The goal is to develop an alternative model of ensemble music-making that fosters shared exploration, co-creation, and collective meaning-making.

The theoretical framework draws on embodied cognition and the 4E cognition model, which view musical learning as a sensorimotor, relational, and social process (Leman, 2008; Schiavio & van der Schyff, 2018). It also builds on the conception of collaborative learning, emphasizing the importance of shared experiences, mutual challenges, and collective success (Schiavio and Nijis, 2022). Learning is thus conceived as a participatory and dialogical process in which each student contributes to a common creative goal.

Following Bremmer and Nijs (2024), the project first promotes the incorporation of basic musical ideas—pulse, rhythm, and pitch—through bodily engagement and group activities. This foundation supports the later integration of instrumental practice. Through shared exploration, the class co-creates an original composition using ideas developed collectively during the first three months of school, represented on a visual score and performed during the Christmas concert. Within this framework, the teacher’s role is redefined from instructor to facilitator, guiding processes of collective discovery and student agency (Allsup & Benedict, 2008; Biesta, 2011).

Methodologically, the project follows a qualitative, action-research design. Activities included body-based warm-ups, collective improvisations, sound-mapping exercises, and collaborative composition tasks to promote listening, cooperation, and creativity (Burnard, 2012; Sawyer, 2018).

Preliminary outcomes indicate greater engagement, confidence, and belonging among students, showing how embodied and participatory approaches can transform ensemble music-making into a democratic practice—a space for inclusion, shared responsibility, and collective creativity.