AbstractThis study explored how advancements in visual fidelity affect music conductors’ perceptions when immersed in virtual reality (VR) ensemble environments. VR hardware, 360-degree video, and related software have evolved significantly, particularly in enhancing visual fidelity, a key factor influencing the sense of presence, or the feeling of being physically situated in a virtual space rather than the real world. To investigate these effects, we examined 26 participants’ sense of presence and their ability to observe critical visual details such as posture, gestures, and instrument positioning within two VR ensemble environments: one recorded in 4K resolution and the other in 8K. Each participant completed a 20-minute session with multiple immersion experiences. First, they were fully immersed in both ensemble environments from the conductor’s perspective, with full 360-degree video and audio. After each viewing, participants removed the headset and completed the Igroup Presence Questionnaire. Next, participants re-entered each environment without audio and answered ten researcher-developed questions assessing the clarity of visual details relevant to conducting and teaching.A one-sided paired samples t-test revealed that presence was significantly greater in the 8K environment compared to 4K. A second one-sided paired samples t-test showed participants were significantly more accurate in identifying key elements in the 8K environment. These findings suggest that VR technology, particularly at higher visual resolutions, may already be or soon will be viable for music teacher preparation, offering an exciting and potentially transformative approach for developing effective teaching behaviors in preservice music educators.