Teaching is replete with problem solving. Problem solving as a skill, however, is seldom addressed directly within music teacher education curricula, and research in music education has not examined problem solving systematically. A framework detailing problem-solving component skills would provide a needed foundation. I observed problem solving that occurred during 49 video-recorded lessons taught by six renowned artist teachers. When a solution to a problem came about as the result of both teacher and student involvement, I identified the problemsolving behaviors that were differentiable as performed by teacher or student. Five components, synonymous with problem-solving behaviors observed in other fields, emerged as identifiable behaviors that contributed to problem solution: establish goals, evaluate, conceive and consider options, apply principles, and decide and act. To confirm this model, I coded every observable behavior within 18 full-length lessons. Almost every on-task behavior was describable in terms of the proposed problem-solving framework.

The purposes of the present study were to identify the teacher behaviors that preceded learners’ active participation in solving musical and technical problems and describe learners’ roles in the problem-solving process. I applied an original model of problem solving to describe the behaviors of teachers and students in 161 rehearsal frames extracted from 43 lessons with five artist-teachers. Results indicate that the number and type of learner problem-solving components varied according to the preceding teacher behavior. The teacher behaviors that most often preceded learner problem solving were varying the specificity of feedback and directives, asking questions, demonstrating contrasting options, stating principles, and refraining from answering learners’ questions.

The purpose of this study was to provide a rich multi-dimensional view of expert musical collaborative problem-solving processes. I analyzed the collaborative problem-solving process during three subsequent rehearsals by a professional string quartet, applying Roesler’s (2016) model of musical problem-solving components. As Roesler observed with shared problem solving during one-to-one instruction, problem-solving components were enacted by and distributed among members of the quartet in any combination. In addition, quartet members prompted problem-solving behavior from one another in a similar way that teachers prompted problem-solving behavior from students (Roesler, 2017). Leadership roles shifted fluidly among quartet members from moment to moment. Domain knowledge and musical context were a critical component of their decision-making process. Additional observed rehearsal strategies are outlined. Suggestions for future research and applications of these findings are discussed, including the learning of collaborative problem-solving skill through participation in small musical ensembles.

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To enhance music learning and performance, teachers can direct learners toward authentic, interpersonal goals. Teachers' aspirations for their students' positive musical experiences may be realized when learners seek to connect with their audiences and evoke responses in listeners. Instead of anxiety-promoting concerns over judgment, students can be concerned with communicating. Instead of learning isolated techniques with no apparent meaning, learners can acquire skills and knowledge that serve to realize expressive ends. Authentic, interpersonal goals can enhance expression and connect knowledge in meaningful ways, promoting the transfer of that knowledge to other situations.