It can be argued these features are already in place in higher music education. The institutionalised traditions of teaching and learning always have placed emphasis on students’ responsibilities and active participation. At least where music performance education is concerned, there are strong traditions for guided participation in one-to-one settings, through which students explore the musical works and practices of their area of expertise and generate visible and hearable ‘products’ in the form of performances. Such individualised tuition practices allow for tailored support, therefore avoiding one of the key challenges associated with SCLEs in higher education more generally; namely, meeting the different needs and experiences of students who take part in the same environment (Hockings, 2009; Northedge, 2003).

In such a context, student ownership of the learning process is both afforded and required. Yet, some questions may be raised as to the flexibility of the educational arrangements and the possibility to ‘design’ them. For instance, to what extent are personal routes of development encouraged, and to what extent are students in the same specialist area (i.e., instrument tradition) expected to follow the same route? What spaces for and kinds of inquiry processes are supported? What can be changed and experimented with, and what needs to be kept in line with established performance conventions? With respect to the wider learning environment offered by the institution and study programme, how do different activities and learning arenas intersect in students’ learning? Finally, to what extent can supportive environments be planned and designed in educational contexts that leave extensive time and responsibilities for self-studying?

Rather than seeking concrete solutions, these questions can be used as tools to reflect on the further development of learning environments in higher music education. In these efforts, higher music education may learn from other domains and programme contexts in several ways. For instance, other domains may have developed more explicit collective descriptions of learning processes and progression principles in inquiry-oriented activities, or models for coordinating content and activities across courses. At the same time, music education has a long tradition of placing students in the centre of activities and allocating extensive responsibilities as well as ownership of processes to the students. Moreover, schools of music, academies or conservatoires are certainly more than a composition of educational practices. These are richly textured environments where high-quality resources for students’ self-directed learning are offered, and where there are many opportunities for searching feedback from teachers, peers, and other social and material instances. This indicates the further development of learning environments in higher music education should build on these resources rather than breaking with them. It also suggests other programmes may learn from the way music education is organised.