Equal Temperament: Coteaching as a Mechanism for Musician–Teacher Collaboration

Kerin and Murphy present coteaching, a practice based on sharing expertise, in the context of a musician–teacher partnership. Following a brief consideration of the philosophical basis that underpins coteaching, we introduce a theoretical framework focusing on the fundamental factors that led to successful (and less successful) collaboration. We proceed by discussing three discrete musician–teacher coteaching studies that placed undergraduate music students in the role of musician. Findings reveal two significant interpersonal or temperament themes, harmony and commitment, concepts familiar to all musicians, emerging unequivocally as essential elements in developing optimum musician–teacher alliance.