The development of expertise in music requires sustained, intensive commitment to
long-term goals. These goals are underpinned by concepts that aspiring musicians
formulate, with regard to their musical ideals as well as their musical possible selves.
In this chapter we will explore the concepts of ideal musicians articulated by higher
education music students and professional musicians. We will, furthermore, consider
concepts of ideal teachers, focusing on how teachers might support students in
mediating the space between their ‘ideal’ and possible musical selves