Although democratic teaching practices have been widely documented in K-12 music education and ensemble settings in the United States, there remains a gap in our understanding of how these approaches are modeled and implemented in higher education, particularly by music teacher educators (MTEs). To address this gap, this study examines how MTEs discuss, implement, and reflect on democratic teaching practices to better understand how such approaches are fostered at the undergraduate level. Specifically, we investigate the motivations, methods, and assessments of three MTEs who incorporated democratic teaching strategies into their classrooms, focusing on why they chose to integrate these practices, how they implemented them, and how they evaluated their effectiveness in promoting student engagement and fostering participatory learning environments.We employed an instrumental multiple case study approach (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Stake, 1995) to investigate MTEs’ motivations, methods, and reflections when using democratic teaching practices. Participants were selected through criterion-based purposeful sampling (Patton, 2015) to ensure they shared key characteristics relevant to our research focus. Our primary data sources included two 45- to 60-minute semi-structured interviews with each participant (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2015) conducted via Zoom, as well as artifacts such as course syllabi, lesson plans, planning documents, videotaped teaching episodes, and instructional materials that featured democratic practices.Data from all participants were analyzed collectively as the main unit of analysis (Yin, 2009). Following Saldaña’s (2021) qualitative data analysis procedures, we began with descriptive and in vivo coding of interview transcripts and artifacts. First-cycle codes were organized into broader categories through pattern coding, followed by axial coding to identify relationships among categories and subcategories. This iterative process led to the development of emergent themes that illuminated how MTEs conceptualized and enacted democratic teaching within their courses.Findings from this study can highlight ways democratic teaching practices may be intentionally cultivated within higher education music classrooms. By examining the motivations, methods, and reflections of MTEs, this work offers insight into how such practices not only shape preservice teachers’ experiences but also influence how they may structure their own future classrooms and ensembles. Implications for music education include a deeper understanding of how democratic approaches can foster student agency, collaborative learning, and shared responsibility for musical growth. Ultimately, this research underscores the importance of MTEs modeling democratic practices, thereby preparing teachers who prioritize inclusivity, participation, and student-centered learning in diverse educational settings.