The innovation of new forms of media brings a greater diversity of choices to music educators and students, while at the same time, the integration of new media with existing 'traditional' forms provide an opportunity for the advancement of online music education. Many researchers confirm that younger generations of students have high levels of interaction and experience with new media and virtual tools. With the growth in new and emerging technologies, virtual tools in particular offer educators an effective online pedagogical approach to deliver teaching materials to help support students in their studies as well as preparation for real world employment. Online music education is a relatively new, yet fast growing discipline. This paper will outline the use of new media and virtual tools to facilitate student interaction, practical practice and authentic learning activity within online music education.

This thesis investigates and answers questions surrounding the professional identity of small ensemble musicians, the interpersonal relationships of the members that work within chamber music groups, and the organisational approaches to maintaining an ensemble in today's cultural environment. Specifically, this research addresses the following questions: in the current cultural environment, how is a sustainable ensemble created and how do the qualities and characteristics of musicians support the development of an ensemble? How do the interpersonal relationships between ensemble members affect the working and sustainability of the group? And, what organisational aspects must be taken into consideration as far as communication, commitment, shared values and goals? By taking the individual musician's perspective on ensemble performance and organisation within non-traditional or unconventional ensembles, this thesis aims to answer these questions through discussion provided by professional musicians working in the field. Through this process, the research highlights the opportunities and approaches available to training or practising musicians, and the skills needed for a successful career. As different genres of classical chamber music ensembles have emerged during the 21st century, the aims and output of these ensembles have developed in new and unconventional directions. This has inevitably had consequences for the professional identities of ensemble members and the musical and non-musical processes applied to their musical groups. The literature surrounding chamber music ensemble performance and processes has focused mainly on traditional ensembles, primarily the string quartet, piano trio, woodwind quintet, and vocal ensembles. These have served as examples towards investigating the cognitive, psychological and communication methods of small, high-performing teams. By focussing on non-traditional ensembles; those that have mixed instrumentation, varied members, and perform early, contemporary or new music, this research investigation explores commonalities and differences in interpersonal dynamics of non-traditional or new genres of ensembles. This contributes further understanding of ensemble processes, adding to the information provided by more traditional ensembles discussed in existing scholarly research.

Current undergraduate students are known as 'The Net Generation'. These students have never experienced a world without information and communication technology. It is claimed that these students have gained specific technical skills, new ways of thinking and different learning preferences, which require a new educational approach. Online education is increasing and the effectiveness of online courses in certain areas of learning is still debatable, especially for music education. Instructors and instructional designers need to effectively use new technologies to enhance the delivery of music education to new generations who understand these teaching methods. Using Web 2.0 tools to create fun and engaging learning can not only encourage, but also engage students in learning musicology in a progressive way. The challenge is to deliver a unit fully online and not 'reinvent the wheel' as such with traditional academic content. Creating and incorporating these tools add a richer online environment for students studying music online.