University musicians’ experiences in an iPad ensemble: A phenomenological case study

This phenomenological case study describes the lived experiences of eleven university music majors participating in an iPad ensemble. The research was guided by the following question: What are their perceptions of their experiences using technology to create and perform music in an iPad ensemble? Participants were six music education majors and five music therapy majors. They met for seven weeks and concluded with a performance that included original compositions, improvisations and cover songs. Data included weekly written reflections and interviews with each participant. The essence of their experience was a sense of freedom from restrictions imposed by previous formal training and a feeling of empowerment developed through collective exploration and creativity in an autonomous environment free from judgement. Four themes support the essence: (1) informal and judgement-free context; (2) exploration, socially constructed knowledge and collaboration; (3) democracy, shared leadership and autonomy and (4) process and enjoyment.