Teamwork, interdependence, and learning in a handbell ensemble

According to Sundstrom (1999), performing teams conduct “complex, time-limited engagements with audiences in performance events for which teams maintain specialized, collective skill” (p. 20). Musical ensembles have been included in team research on orchestral leadership, yet as a performing team, the internal connections between musicians have not been studied. The handbell ensemble operates as a performing team while sustaining a prominent degree of interdependence. It is generally unknown how musical performing teams such as the handbell ensemble function and learn interdependently. Using Salas et al.’s (2005) Big Five theory of teamwork as a theoretical lens, I conducted a case study of a community handbell ensemble to understand: (a) how interdependent team interactions of team leadership, mutual performance monitoring, backup behavior, adaptability, and/or team orientation contribute to the function of and learning within this handbell ensemble and (b) how interdependent team interactions of shared mental models, closed-loop communication, and/or mutual trust contribute to the function of and learning within this handbell ensemble. The case was limited to one handbell ensemble known as the Campana Ringers, a group who performed for a community church. Members included their director and 13 ringers, one of whom was myself. In individual and group sessions, I interviewed the ensemble director and all team members. Observational and rehearsal notes were coded and primary themes were presented through the core components and coordinating mechanisms of the Big Five theory of teamwork (Salas et al., 2005). Secondary themes emerged connected to the uniqueness of handbell playing and co-mentoring occurring in the ensemble. In data from my findings, I recognized all elements of the Big Five theory were present in interactions between handbell ensemble members. Implications from this case study are connected to co-mentoring, a type of collaborative learning utilizing reciprocal teaching and learning (Mullen, 2005). Findings from this study may inform music educators in community and school settings who wish to develop or incorporate components of teamwork and co-mentoring practices into their ensembles